32 | Herd is a whole mixed-bag of colours Working with sheep with a view of the Hump Ridge and Te Wae Wae Bay. Sue Russell Siblings Anita, Quinton and Eric Erskine of Tuatapere based Westwood Farms, are proud of the long history of the Southland farm that boasts having the most western shorthorn studs in New Zealand. The history of association with the breed tracks back to the early 1950’s when Grandpa Ben Erskine bought a mob, however the connection to this particular part of the country goes much further back to 1885. The Erskine clan were the first Europeans west of the Waiau River, the region’s largest river, flowing 70km from Lake Te Anau through Lake Manapouri to the Foveaux Strait. In the mid 1990’s Anita established the Westwood Shorthorn Stud, keeping the family’s name linked to the breed. “They’re the oldest breed in the country, having been here since 1814. I’ve concentrated my breeding on what I call the Five M’s – maturity, mothering, milking, muscling and marbling. They perform very well across all these traits. It’s been over two years since Rural South last spoke with Anita, and life on the farm continues to keep her and her brothers busy. Asked how kind the weather-gods have been she has this to say: “Autumn started at Christmas for us! We hardly had a summer and we’ve had periods of rain and some really chilly mornings, but all in all the farm’s looking in good condition. If you go back to July last year it was the driest on record, with beginning at Westwood in 1958. Then we hit spring and I’m sure winter arrived in spring, with the river flooded for the third time in a row.” There’s a strong philosophical bent to how Anita views operating a farm. “Dad always said that nature will provide for you and the weather has the last say!” The fact that he drummed into the children to feed the stock well and always do the best for them, is a strong theme that influences how the family approach caring for the farm and its animals today. As always there are continual tweaks being made in order to improve environmental and animal health outcomes, and Anita says one focus has been in the area of improving soil biology. “We are trying to get away from synthetic fertilisers and use more natural fert. Synthetic fertiliser effects the soil biology. We are hoping that by getting the soil biology better, the soil is healthier, the grass will be better for the stock, and we will need to drench stock less. It will take time RURAL PEOPLE » Westwood Shorthorns but that is the plan. With this in mind Kings Rural has been in to spread RPR, Sulphar 90 and Lime on the farm.” Anita says the stud is going well and loves the fact that the herd is a whole mixed-bag of colours. Temperament is an important trait. Anita says it comes down simply to knowing the animals can be handled well. “For me, when assessing a bull to introduce across the herd, I won’t look at him if he doesn’t have a good attitude. If he carries any twitchy tendencies then this will come through in his progeny.” ARE YOU WANTING TO BREED STEERS THAT LOOK LIKE THIS? THAT CAN DELIVER KILLING SHEETS LIKE THIS. Getting an EXTRA 35c in the SFF Eating Quality is money for nothing with the right genetics. Buying the right bull makes a difference, so why not try a Shorthorn. WESTWOOD SHORTHORNS FACEBOOK: WESTWOOD FARM CONTACT: ANITA ERSKINE 03 226 6713 CONTACT: CALLUM (PGG AGENT) 027 433 6443
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