| 43 MEAT & WOOL » Grampians Constitution, efficiency drive business Founded in 2003 Grampians Angus is a true commercial stud in every sense of the word. There is a simple philosophy guiding farming practices at North Canterbury farm The Grampians and that is to provide clients with sound, efficient, easy doing, docile cattle, capable of performing well in a commercial situation. The Grampians has been in Jono Reed’s family since 1973 and Jono is the third generation to run the farm. Founded in 2003 Grampians Angus is a true commercial stud in every sense of the word. Located 15 minutes from Culverden on 3200ha, cows are tested in challenging conditions and expected to perform. Jono says constitution and efficiency are what drives the business. “Our animals don’t get any special treatment. They’re expected to thrive in tough conditions. We also look at fertility very closely and have a policy that if a cow doesn’t get in-calf within two cycles, then it is culled.” Through the early years, Jono says the original commercial herd of 600 cows were closely scrutinised and a small percentage were screened into the stud. He also bought stock from other Angus breeding farms throughout New Zealand. “We also use EBV’s (Estimated Breeding Values) as a way to select cattle that fit what we are after. We’re looking for most traits in moderation, rather than any extremes, as we think these mean a deficit in other performance areas,” Jono explains. Having a stud on a genuine hill country property Sue Russell has also run counter to the traditional view of how one achieves the best cattle. “People used to think you had to have top country to produce good genetics. In fact, it works the other way. What we have here is a good testing ground to see what animals will work. Cow efficiency and productivity tuned to this kind of country and farming system.” Generally, hill country farms in this area have a ratio of cows to sheep of near 50% so Grampians Angus aims to produce an animal that works in with mixed-stock farming. ‘It’s not about making one cow a star; it’s about finding cattle that fit best into a production system. If anything let the sheep take the glory while the cow beavers away in the background’. For sires, Jono travels the country and puts a lot of effort into doing as much research as he can on the stud operations he visits. “When it comes to Bulls there are not that many operations that line up with what we are doing. In New Zealand there would be 6 – 10 that I follow closely.” When Rural South spoke with Jono mid-August, he was preparing to visit Australia to look at some of their Angus farms. Meanwhile shearing ewes had just been completed and in the middle of September the cows begin calving. “We provide cows with a bit of hay so we can keep them handy to tag and weigh calves. They are shed onto the hill as we go. Heifers are monitored and calved behind a wire.” Helping Jono on the farm is a very capable Will Brown who has been on the farm since leaving Lincoln University three years ago, while dad Graham adds a lifetime of knowledge and a lending hand when needed. The annual sale is held mid-June working in with a couple of other studs in the area. The last three or four years, Jono says, have exceeded expectations in terms of sale prices. “There is a sense of some weariness around costs but the outlook looks very positive for produce prices to remain high. At our last sale we put through 45 head and sold the lot at an average of $11,950. We are very conscious of the affordability of the bulls and are working on ways to provide more bulls of the same quality, which will in turn knock the sale average back a bit.” Of the expansive property half is native; unfertilised and ranging up to 1600m, the rest is developed hill, Downs and 40ha is under irrigation. With three children, Hank, Greta and Alba, Jono and Sarah are busy, however Sarah has also found time to establish a side-business ‘The Grumpy Merino’, (TGM) has been trading since May 2020. Merino blankets and knit yarns are sold on-line and are 100% traceable to the wool grown at The Grampians. Chosen fleeces are sent to Timaru for scouring and then on to either Wellington or Auckland to be processed into knitting wool and blankets. “It’s been a great business to establish. We’re both big supporters of the NZ wool industry and want to see value added to our Merino wool.” Weareabusiness built on thebelief that people come rst. Our commitment toyou is toprovidequalityadvice, timelydeliveries andextremelycompetitivepricing. Giveus a call andwe’ll prove it. › Hazlett Livestock - 03 358 7988 › Hazlett Insurance - 03 358 7246 › Hazlett Agri-Supplies - 03 358 7988 › Hazlett Funding - 03 929 0317 › Hazlett Procurement - 03 929 0317 Hazlett Ltd are proud to be associatedwithGrampiansAngus hazlett.nz
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