48 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Daniel and Rachel Simons Taranaki dairy couple Daniel and Rachel Simons with the kids. Kim Newth Taranaki dairy couple Daniel and Rachel Simons only started breeding Ayrshires in 2018 but have made fast track progress with their Mossy Ayrshires stud. Both are grateful for the tips and tricks they have been offered by other breeders along the way and get a kick out of the friendly competition that comes with regularly showing their calves and cows. The cow that ignited their passion for showing and their love for the Ayrshire breed – Premier Gentle Sheba – was purchased as a calf from a 2018 Waikato Futurity sale. These sales provide young breeders with a springboard for dairy cow showing and breeding. “Premier Gentle Sheba was the first pedigree cow we bought and referenced more of the overseas breeding style and type,” says Daniel. “We really liked how she looked. Someone then put us in touch with the Taranaki Ayrshire Club and we ended up entering her in one of their shows along with another we’d bought at that same sale, Premier LJ Emmanuel, (the founder of our second best – if not best – cow family). This was just a few months after the sale. People there were so helpful and had so much advice. That kicked it all off for us.” Daniel says Premier Gentle Sheba’s mother had a max excellence score (EX9-9) and her grandmother also scored highly (EX8-8). “It’s impressive to have excellence after excellence in a cow’s background. We flushed her as a two-year-old and that resulted in a heifer calf, Mossy TSB Sheba, that has done amazingly well over the past few years, winning multiple championships.” The Stratford A&P Show 2023 was one to remember for Mossy Ayrshires with so many prizes won including 1st Junior Ayrshire calf and 1st Junior Allbreeds calf (Mossy TSB Nickel), 1st Junior Yearling Ayrshire Champion (Mossy AA Great Alice), Reserve Intermediate Ayrshire Champion (Mossy TSB Sheba – ET), Senior Ayrshire Champion and Ayrshire Grand Champion (Pukekaraka District Memo A8-9). Capping it off, Mossy Ayrshires also won the prestigious Ayrshire Points prize. “When we first started taking calves to the show, we’d watch Brookview win year after year at different shows. I never thought we’d be able to crack it. It was overwhelming for us to do so well last year and win that points prize.” Mossy Ayrshires won multiple show accolades last show season including at the Levin Royal Show, where Pukekaraka Distinct Memo was named Making fast progress with Mossy Ayrshires Supreme Champion Ayrshire. Memo also won Taranaki Ayrshire Club’s Snowline Challenge Trophy at their annual prizegiving and Senior Ayrshire honourable mention at the NZDE, NZ’s biggest “Ongoing research & development results in superior products & performance advantages including; more yield, faster milking, no slip and no teat end damage.” 027 446 0443 19a King Edward St, Eltham o ce@gernhoefercontracting.co.nz At Lloyd Gernhoefer agricultural contracting, we o er you a wide range of Agricultural services. Call Lloyd now for your 2024/2025 season requirements. show, (where Mossy AA Great Alice also received a Junior Ayrshire honourable mention). The home of Mossy Ayrshires is on a Taranaki dairy farm at Midhirst, where Daniel and Rachel are now in their third year sharemilking there after having been there for some years. At the time of writing, the couple and their children – Violet, 9, Stanley, 7, Lachlan, 4 and April, 3 – were once again busy preparing for the Stratford A & P Show (30 Nov to 1 Dec). Daniel is now the President of the Taranaki Ayrshire Club where their show journey started and looking forward to the club’s centenary celebrations in 2026.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=