| 31 Pamu is currently raising 50% of its calves produced by dairy herds. The next milestone is 75% raised by the end of 2026. Aimee Wilson Pamu New Zealand is developing a new stock class of dairy beef that will see all of its calves born on dairy farms, reared for meat production by 2030 – rather than traditionally processed as young animals. This includes its Waipuna farm in Te Anau operated by Alex Field. As part of its integrated future of farming, dairy and beef farming will combine, to increase efficiency and profitability, and calves traditionally not selected to become replacement dairy cows will now become part of the new stock class of dairy beef. MEAT & WOOL » Waipuna – Pamu Farms The company also believes these farming system changes will contribute to its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Pamu’s increased understanding and expertise in genetics means it can develop animals with traits that will work for dairy cows (such as a short gestation and easy calving); and that also have the best meat animal attributes which include robust growth, feed efficiency, and great quality meat. Dairy beef as a concept is not new, and in New Zealand about 70% of total beef is estimated to originate from dairy – a mix of bobby calves, surplus heifers, bulls, and cull cows. Most bulls and cull cows finish up as manufacturing beef. But with the new stock class, systems will be put into place to make this farming change at a large scale across New Zealand, and Pamu will share this new knowledge with farmers. Pamu is currently raising 50% of its calves produced by dairy herds. The next milestone is 75% raised by the end of 2026. The company acknowledges that the final 20% will be the most challenging. New Zealand dairy products are valued because most of our cows live outside and eat grass, but one of the challenges of the country’s natural farming system is most calves are born in Spring, and this means a lot of calves will need to be reared at the same time. As a result, big changes will need to be made to farm systems, and new skills developed, from calf rearing, to forage and finishing, to processing. Other reasons for Pamu farms to move into dairy beef, as well as consumer demand, is that it will eliminate system duplication, improve animal welfare outcomes, offer transparent traceable grass-fed beef, and deliver increased jobs for calf rearing and share milkers. Beef + Lamb New Zealand has been running dairy beef progeny tests for eight years, with the livestock running on Pamu farms for the last five, and including experts from Focus Genetics, Massey and LIC. Focus Genetics is establishing a Silver Stabilizers composite breeding programme in which a small nucleus herd of Stabilizer cows will have the Charolais coat colour dilution gene introgression to produce silver calves when used in dairy herds. Bulls from this nucleus will be multiplied out via Angus cow herds and the resulting unrecorded bull calves used as yearlings over dairy cows. This allows large numbers of bulls to be produced from a relatively small, recorded nucleus. NIGEL KING - 027 204 7824 03 249 5882 | 25 LAGOON CREEK ROAD, RD2 TE ANAU MANAROA CONTRACTING LTD All your shearing, crutching and tailing requirements. Southland & South Otago Winton | 027 345 0963 | 03 236 1401 | gamooreshearing@gmail.com Pamu developing new stock class of dairy beef
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