| 9 RURAL PEOPLE » Glenanthony Simmentals Future of bull breeding looking bright Tony Thompson of Glenanthony Simmentals with his top bull Glenanthony Y-arta. North Island Simmental breeder Tony Thompson is excited by the genetics he has on offer now and in the future. The first round of bulls bred from Grinaltas HP Sensation, which is an extremely robust Canadian sire, will be available at this year’s sale on June 8 and available in New Zealand for the first time. “I’m very happy with the look of his yearling bulls, ensuring we have plenty to offer Glenanthony buyers,” Thompson says. He now has five decades of breeding experience. His interest in the Simmintal breed emerged in the 1960’s with a visit to the Sim Valley in Switzerland. First imported in the mid-1970’s they, among other exotic breeds, would go on to change the face of beef farming in New Zealand. After finishing his Vets degree at Massey, Thompson travelled the world aboard a cruise liner. He was furthering his studies at Cambridge University when he and his wife took a break and drove through Europe including Switzerland. As fate would have it, they came across a beef breeders auction and it was there that Thompson was first exposed to the Simmental breed. He was among the first to bring the breed into the North Island in the mid-1970 and looking back now, is very pleased he did. He has won numerous regional and royal show awards and has now notched up more than three decades of two-year-old bull sales and earned an enviable reputation. The 2022 sale was highly successful, with numerous studs keen to tap into the Glenanthony BEEF FARMERS: Join the rush, buy a GLENANTHONY SIMMENTAL BULL this year for: • Extra live weight at weaning • Extra live weight at finishing • Less feed, less cost, less fuss! New Ref. Sire: Grinaltas HP Sensation (Imp Can) Bull Sale Thursday 8th June Farm Rd Waipukurau Enquiries to Tony Thompson 027 280 6148 www.timcoombsdeerandstock.co.nz • P: 027 444 1937 • E: coombs@vetta.net.nz NZ Wide Accredited Transport - Proud to Support Glenanthony Simmentals i i - l i l Simmentals most desirable traits. Weighing in at 100kg over the size of comparable bulls at his two-year rising weight, Glenanthony Executive had ‘impressive carcass data’. Breeding him with Tony’s Y-arta cows paid off, and the rest as they say is history. Thompson has been bringing in semen from two USA-based polled bulls to great effect as part of his breeding program. Yearling progeny bred from semen from USA bull ‘Saint John Gatton’, will be offered at his sale next year.
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