84 | nzdairy Holstein breeders look forward to sale Hugh de Lacy Taking a punt on putting three lots into his nephew’s inaugural two-yearly stud Holstein sale in 2022 proved so encouraging for Quinedale Holsteins stud-master Balraj Singh that this year he’s got no fewer than 10 lots in the April 19 sale. Balraj’s nephew, Arjun Singh, owns the Lawwal Friesian-Holstein stud just five minutes down the road from Balraj’s and his wife Hardeep’s farm near Taupiri in the Waikato. “We were really honoured to be invited by Arjun to put up a few lots for his first regular stud sale in 2022,” Balraj says. “We put in three lots comprising two yearling heifers and two embryo packs out of our cows, and they sold very readily alongside Arjun’s stock. “Then last year we put up two weaner calves at the Waikato sale and got $2200 for one and $2000 for the other, and we were pretty pleased with that. “That gave us a taste for what stud sales are all about, and this year we’ve been invited back to Arjun’s sale again and we’ve put up 10 lots, five heifer weaner calves each from last year’s spring and autumn calvings.” Balraj and Hardeep run a stud of 185 registered cows, all of them producing more than 550kgs of milk-solids each, well on the way to the Singhs’ target of 600kg/cow. Their son Shneil plays a big part in the breeding programme when he’s not playing lock or loose forward for a rugby team in Charlotte, North Carolina, coached by former All Black Alama Ieremia, or for the Southland Stags. Shneil’s brothers, Jeevan and Jahan, are also key members of the family business and closely involved in the breeding programme. Balraj has always said that the couple’s breeding goals on their 72ha farm are all about production per cow, not per hectare. “We’ve got a lifetime commitment to improving our herd genetics and cow families – and we ain’t finished yet,” he says. Arjun’s farm covers 366ha, milking 1000 cows in a 50-bale rotary shed, but a feature of the property is the 1000-cow free-stall feed barn, the longest building in the Waikato, which houses the cows year-round. The barn sits next to the milking shed, and Arjun’s father Aman Singh travelled to the United States, Europe and the South Island, getting ideas on the optimum design, before building it between ON FARM » Quinedale Holsteins 2015 and 2017. The 2022 sale was Lawwal Stud’s first, with bloodlines offering high-type New Zealand and overseas stock and also high-index New Zealand animals, all suited for systems ranging between New Zealand grass-based and 5 TMR. Including the Quinedale weaners, the April 19 Lawwal stud sale will offer 60 lots featuring New Zealand and overseas lines. The sale will double as a fund-raiser for the Rural Support Trust and the Heart Foundation of New Zealand, for which the 2022 sale generated $35,000. “We’re privileged to have our Quinedale lots in the Lawwal sale as it’s a great endorsement of the approach we’ve taken towards our own stud- breeding programme,” Balraj says. Safe Power Assured ● Master Electrician • Commercial • Domestic • Industrial • Rural • 24/7 Phone (07) 828 7240 | 30 William St, Huntly | PO Box 164, Huntly | rivertownelectrical@xtra.co.nz Rivertown Electrical rural domestic commercial industrial www.rivertownelectrical.co.nz Proudly supporting Quinedale Holstein Friesians Jeevan, Shneil, Jahan and Balraj Singh with dog Chief. Office: 07-824-3565 Operations Manager: 027-824-3565 Darren: 0274-894-496 Johnathan: 0272-219-804 Email: info@grainandfood.co.nz Web: www.grainandfood.co.nz AGRICULTURAL / HARVESTING / DRAINAGE & CARTAGE CONTRACTORS Big Enough to Tackle any Job; Small Enough to Care How It’s Done!
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