6 | Now operated by Sam and Kate Biddles, the farm encompasses almost 500ha of coastal country. The Kaipara Hereford herd was started in the late 1940s by Sam’s grandfather Hugh Biddles. Kim Newth Kaipara Herefords are renown for their calm temperament, and that is testament to 70 years of handling and breeding by the Biddles family of Northland. Now operated by Sam and Kate Biddles, the farm encompasses almost 500ha of coastal country on Northland’s Pouto Peninsula, and its successful breeding programme aims to sell more than 100 of its best yearling bulls into the dairy industry every year. Operating a closed herd policy, Kaipara Herefords are acutely aware of their clientele, producing and selecting the correct traits that they are looking for. Buying yearlings and two-year old bulls, they aim to sell 90 15/16 month old bulls in the Spring and 30 ‘rising’ two-year olds in Autumn. “We’re balancing the need of an easy calving bull that still produces sound progeny,” Sam said. “Everyone is trying to breed a low birth weight animal. There is a lot of other things that go into it, such as the structure of the animal and length of neck to name a few.” In 2024 they dropped their cow numbers back from 448 to 420 - after experiencing four unseasonably dry years where they learnt the importance of having a buffer. “We never knew what the cow carrying capacity on the farm was,” he said. Forced to reduce their herd, and still concentrating on breeding cows, it has been a whole new world for Sam, who started out as a rural bank manager before playing professional rugby in New Zealand. But he believes his background has enabled him a reasonably pragmatic approach to farming. On returning from overseas with his wife Kate in 2011, he farmed alongside his father Kim to make up for the time he spent away. In 2013 they leased the property off his family enabling Kim to semi-retire. He now operates the two run offs 20km away. The Kaipara Hereford herd was started in the late 1940s by Sam’s grandfather Hugh Biddles. While the herd began as a horned herd with sires bought from Edgar Cliff’s stud, as the farm became established, registered polled bulls were bought from Portland Herefords, followed by registered bulls from Te Puna and OK Studs in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1982 half the breeding herd was purchased by Sam’s father and since this time, registered bulls have been sourced from a variety of studs, including Koanui, Matapouri, Otengi, Moana, Mahuta, Arahou, Streamlands, Big River and Karamu. Since purchasing the herd, Sam and his family has introduced fresh genetics from both Craigmore and Koanui studs. Sam loves the freedom of farming and how it works in with his family’s lifestyle. Breeding high quality Hereford cattle for more than 70 years We sell 15 month Hereford Bulls and Rising 2 year Hereford Bulls 027 566 6558 srkrbiddles@gmail.com 170 Schick Rd, RD 1, Te Kopuru, 0391 An easy calving bull with sound progeny RURAL PEOPLE » Kaipara Herefords Gunson McLean Ltd CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS Servicing all types of farming business with: • Financial Reporting • Taxation • Succession & Estate Planning • Business Structures, Valuation & Financing Accounting Practice of the Year 2018 Gunson McLean are proud to support Kaipara Herefords Vinery Ln, Whangarei & Edward St, Dargaville | 09 438 1001 | admin@gunsonmclean.co.nz Looking to the future, Sam said they were never immune to the advent of pressure on farms for regulatory compliance and land use change. Groundswell NZ are many farmer’s ‘unsung heroes’ that have successfully lobbied Government, along with industry bodies such as Beef + Lamb and Federated Farmers. “Unless we create sensible strong noise, you aren’t going to get any traction,” he said.
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