46 | Hampshire breed is rising in popularity Strathview Hampshires has worked with geneticist Will Gibson from NextGen. Karen Phelps As demand for quality meat continues to grow both domestically and internationally the Hampshire breed is rising in popularity with Kiwi farmers, say Jacinta and Jim Stevenson from Strathview Hampshires. The couple use the breed primarily for commercial purposes, only selling limited breeding stock, demonstrating the Hampshire’s practical value. “We are not the usual stud,” says Jacinta, “as our main focus is on how the Hampshires fit into what we do here. Hampshire sheep are an early- maturing, good meaty breed. They handle dry summers well and have fast weight gain. They also have a thick coat, which helps them thrive in colder climates. The breed is a good fit for our system.” Located in Middlemarch, Otago, their business Strathview Hampshires Ltd spans two farms - Strathview Station and Craiglynn Station - covering 7,800 hectares. The operation is substantial, with the couple and their team farming 750 mostly Angus-cross cows, 25,000 Romney-cross ewes, 7,000 breeding hoggets and 250 Hampshire breeding ewes. Supporting this enterprise are Merino cross ewes with 7,000 replacement hoggets, creating a diverse and resilient farming system. Between 70 and 100 percent of the lambs are finished on the farm. The Stevensons say the meaty Hampshire breed offers significant advantages in an increasingly quality-focused market where consumers and processors are willing to pay premium prices for superior meat characteristics. “Now that there is the technology in the meat processing plants to analyse intramuscular fat and marbling this has really proven that Hampshires are a high-muscle-scanning sheep with a lot of intramuscular fat,” explains Jacinta. The couple use all their ram lambs in their own business with 10,000 of their ewes put to the Hampshire ram first cycle and all of the ewes put to the Hampshire ram second cycle as their terminal. “The Hampshire’s strong black face means lambs RURAL PEOPLE » Strathview Hampshires are easily identifiable, making it simple to determine which are terminal meat breeds,” says Jacinta. They generally sell 20 Hampshire rams per year by word of mouth: “There is a lot of demand and we are getting approached by more people for rams. I believe that’s drive by the growth rates and intramuscular fat qualities,” says Jim. The breed’s history in the family dates back to 1992, when Jim’s mother Robyn founded the nucleus of the stud with a purchase from the late Ian Roy’s Parklea Hampshires stud. Since then the family has continued to invest in genetics importing semen from Australia to bring in fresh bloodlines and global traits. They have also purchased genetics from breeder Ben Butterick from La-Mac who has brought in Hampshire genetics from Australia, Ireland and the UK. For all your Livestock cartage requirements give us a call. PO BOX 128, BALCLUTHA 9240 PHONE 03-417 8485 • PHONE 0800-101 333 • FAX 03 417 8488 PHONE (03) 444-4737 RD3 Ranfurly 9397 Quality Guaranteed Why Wait, Call: David Gale 0274 989 205 Graeme Gale 03 489 7322 Email: heli@heliotago.co.nz With our extensive fleet capacity, we have the experience and service record to get the job done and within your timeframe... NOW! For a personal approach to all your business advisory and accoun�ng requirements, contact CEG today p 03 479 0400 e admin@cegnz.co.nz w www.cegnz.co.nz Proud to support Strathview Hampshires • Bulk/General Transport • Livestock Transport • Fertiliser Spreading • Certified Weighbridge 49 Dukes Road South, Mosgiel 027 495 3006 totaltransportotago@outlook.co.nz Proudly Supporting Jim and Jacinta Stevenson Strathview Hampshires has worked with geneticist Will Gibson from NextGen, who has supported the team with ram selection and the culling of sheep that don’t meet the ideal type. NextGen has also provided data management, DNA testing and structural assessments to help shape Strathview’s culling policy. One of the couple’s next goals is to take some seasonality out of their farm. “We want to develop more areas with lamb and calf finishing capabilities or look to strategically acquire a finishing block. We want to improve lamb survivability, particularly the timing of lambing as we are seeing more storms arriving later in spring. We’re also inspired by DNA technology and scanning and see that great gains will come to farming over the next 10–15 years.”
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