44 | Appeal of Limousins Now or never for Ed Hugh de Lacy Alexia Anderson As a terminal sire they’ve been under-rated in the past by the beef and dairy industry, Peta Lean reckons, but her Kivlean Limousins have lately stumbled into as eager a market among dairy farmers as among beef breeders. “My recent experience is that there’s developed a greater awareness among dairy farmers about the value of Limousins when it comes to selling their offspring,” Peta says. “The Limousins’ easy birthing and their docile temperament makes them attractive as a terminal breed, and dairy farmers seem to be discovering that they can take them into their herds as young as 15 months. Most beef farmers like they closer to 2 year olds.” “I’ve developed excellent relationships with a lot of beef breeders over the years, but last year I sold all my bulls to dairy-farmers when they were just 15 months old,” Peta says. “I was surprised when one farmer took six of them, and then another took the remaining nine.” “Right now I’ve only got four of last year’s autumn calved bulls left, and they’re all pre-sold – to a long standing buyer, beef farmer” “It is the Limousins’ lean meat and high yield make them that much more profitable at sale time.” Peta runs the Kivlean Limousin stud’s herd of 50 cows on a 40ha block near Cambridge in the Waikato. She founded the stud in 1997 with her late husband Murray Kivell, giving it a name made up from both their surnames. After Murray died five years ago, their son Anton has recently helped the business flourish and expand. From a farming background herself, Peta’s husband Murray had no farming experience – he Ed Laver has claimed the title of FMG Young Farmer of the Year for the East Coast region, securing himself a spot at the Grand Final in July. The competition was one he had always wanted to enter, and with his age nearing the cut off, he finally put himself forward for the challenge. Ed, 29, of Puketoi, currently manages Seaforth Farms, his family’s 1050 hectare sheep, beef and deer farm, which has 730 effective hectares of farmland. The property includes a 350 hectare lease block. “I grew up on the farm and I think from as early as I can remember, I was always out helping Dad.” Ed studied agriculture at school and then spent two years on Smedley Station, an on-farm cadet training programme, which takes 11 students each year. He went on to study agriculture at Lincoln University and while there he also worked on a mixed cropping and sheep farm. Ed then took a year out to go fencing and also worked as a hunting guide, before returning to his main passion of farming. He spent three years on a 1250 hectare sheep, beef and dairy support property on Mahia Peninsula, before returning home to Seaforth Farms. “I always said to Dad I want to go away and learn from other people.” Now, he’s back putting all his skills to good use on the farm and national stage. His lifelong passion for agriculture set him in good stead for Young Farmer of the Year, although some tasks put his skillset to the test more than others. RURAL PEOPLE » Peta Lean / Seaforth Farms was a resource planner with his own consultancy – but he took it on himself to do the research into what would be the best beef breed to set up on what was just a 20 acre block. After adding the neighbouring block, three years ago, Peta now farms 100 acres. Murray came up with Limousin as the potentially most profitable of the beef breeds. He thought the high yield and healthy lean meat made for a winner. Kivlean Limousins developed their own line of the French beef icon. All of the herd is polled and has good temperament. While all the cows are currently apricot, this year will see Peta dabbling in some black Limousin. The meat is still guaranteed to be Limousin. “Limousin is the biggest breed in the United Kingdom but it’s still under-valued here,” Peta says. “I’d had experience of them when I lived and worked in the UK, and had a friend running a big farm in Norfolk that used Limousins.” “They’re particularly valued there for the leanness of the meat, and the animal’s light bone structure which contributes to the high yield.” Each of the Kivlean Limousin herd is registered and named. All of the herd is polled. Temperament and easy calving are top priorities. Prior to going full time Kivlean Limousins, Peta was Deputy-Principal of the 750-pupil Hamilton Catholic boys’ school St John’s College. Peta’s commitment to the breed has gone beyond merely farming it: she has served on NZ Limousin Beef Breeders Inc Council for many years as Treasurer and was briefly President of the NZ Limousin Council, but stepped away from that role when Murray became ill. She continues to serve as the president of the North Island Limousin Beef Breeders Inc. If you want to know more about Limousin or Kivlean Limousins, visit www.limousin.co.nz One of the tasks was to build a mailbox in 25 minutes. “All we had was a bit of 4x2, a hinge, a latch and the requirement was it had to fit a piece of A4 paper and not get wet.” Ed says the most challenging aspect of the overall competition was his agri knowledge, but was confident when it came to his practical skills. He went into the evening part of the competition where he discovered he was in the lead, which gave him a confidence boost. However, he admits James Fox and Kaden Van Gaalen, who claimed second and third place respectively, were sharper on the night, once again putting him to the test. “In the end I think it came down to three points between first and second place. Ed will now represent his region at the Grand Finals in New Plymouth on July 2 to 4. Intense competitions are not new territory to Ed, who competed in the Coast to Coast Longest Day in 2023, 2025 and this year, along with Godzone in 2022 and 2023. He also competed in rowing from 2012 to 2019, including representing New Zealand at the world championships. He says representing Puketoi Young Farmers Club was an honour and hoped his efforts had put the small community on the map, acknowledging the support of his partner, Millie Morgan, who has been a big part of his journey. “It definitely makes it pretty exciting,” he says, of the result. With the Grand Final now in sight, Ed is firmly focused on making the most of the opportunity and continuing to make his region proud. • Boundary fencing • Netting • Electric • Post and rail • Stockyards • Dairy conversions • Retaining walls • Horse arenas • Postramming All fence maintenance and repair work SAM BURTON M: 027 501 7180 E: office@burtonfencing.co.nz Find us on facebook Our services include: As an independent accountancy and business advisory firm supporting growing businesses like Limousin Cattle Stud, we stay agile and always focused on delivering a service tailored to your business needs. 07 8382169 www.vazeychild.co.nz Cheri Henricksen B.B.S., C.A. We’ll help drive your Kivlean Yearling bulls.
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