| 57 Favours DNA data over gut instinct Everd grew up on a farm in his native South Africa and in a bold move bought the first 40 hectares of his Kiwi property “on a fax machine” in 1993 from there. Kim Bowden For Everd Strauss, good farming isn’t guesswork – it’s genetics. The Otago beef and sheep farmer favours DNA data over gut instinct, ensuring he knows exactly what he’s getting before placing a bid on a top bull. “Currently, when I look for a bull, I’ve gone through a few sale catalogs, and some of them don’t even mention whether the bull is polled or not polled,” he says, “They have not been DNA tested, so I can buy a beautiful, fat bull but I don’t know what I’m getting on the other end. Everd says in offshore markets, particularly the United States, relying on comprehensive data sets is standard, ensuring smarter, more calculated buying decisions for farmers and breeders. On his own farm, Everd likes to keep it “fairly scientific too”. “You get those EBVs - estimated breeding values - from all the data you send in.” It’s an approach that mirrors his other profession: Everd works in private practice as an anaesthetist, after 30 years at Dunedin Hospital. In operating theatres, precision and evidence-based decisions aren’t just helpful - they’re critical. Everd manages his unconventional work juggle by having people on the farm he trusts to support him with practical skills and a ‘get-the-job-done’ attitude. His work crew - three “very successful” retired farmers, who live close by the Mosgiel property and enjoy keeping their hands in the game. “One guy absolutely loves fencing, another guy loves sheep and his dogs, and the other guy is a stockman,” Everd says. “They’ve got so much knowledge and common sense; they see a problem and they fix it.” Everd runs a herd of Simmental beef cattle and a flock of Wiltshire sheep, known for naturally shedding their wool, on 350 effective hectares of mostly steep and rolling country – only 30 hectares or so of the farm is flat. He grew up on a farm in his native South Africa and in a bold move bought the first 40 hectares of his Kiwi property “on a fax machine” in 1993 from there. MEAT & WOOL » Leafland Simmentals His family farmed Simmentals, so Everd was familiar with the cows, which have proven their value in the beef industry as a fast-growing breed. “Despite what people say, they’re quite hardy animals – they come from Switzerland, where they live in the hills,” he says. “We breed for good growth, which is obvious, then docility, easy calving, marbling and tenderness. I’m also heading towards a pure polled herd, and I’m using almost exclusively homozygous polled bulls, so we’ve stopped dehorning the herd.” On the farm, there has been heavy investment in gorse spraying, re-grassing and fertilising. Everd’s preference is for his animals to feed on grass as much as possible – he has in fewer than ten hectares of crops - and the climate helps facilitate that too. “Our rainfall is good. I don’t know how much, off the top of my head, but it’s always wet,” he says. Greg Wisnesky - 027 433 7703 Proud to support Leafland Simmentals Qualified pregnancy testing specialists since 1992 Proud to support Leafland Simmentals 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 “I’ve got grass coming out my ears.” Over winter, he’s running his stock in “mobs” - the sale bulls and rising twos are off the property by the end of May, leaving the yearling calves, in-calf heifers and breeding cows to take care of. Come September, when the bulk of his calving happens, and the weather can still be wet and cold, he has the option of bring his cows indoors. “I’ve got a big shed with wood chips and water and baleage. The cows love it - They just lie there, and you get in the morning and you’ve got a dry calf that’s blinking and nice and easy to catch and tag.”
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