14 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Stokes Farming At just 21, Marshall Stokes is already the driving force behind one of Canterbury’s most eye-catching cattle studs. Karen Phelps At just 21, Marshall Stokes is already the driving force behind one of Canterbury’s most eye-catching cattle studs. Ranch Galloways, which he established in 2016 on the family’s 780-hectare sheep, beef, deer and dairy support property near Oxford, has grown from a single yearling steer into a herd of 60 stud cows. It was a family tradition that sparked the journey. The Stokes family has competed at the Christchurch A&P Show beef cattle section for around 25 years, with Marshall’s father Andrew running Ranch Angus, the family’s Angus stud established in 2003. But when a young Marshall was about ten years old, he found himself a little too small to show a yearling Angus steer. The family looked at alternatives and came across the Galloway breed, buying a yearling Belted Galloway steer to enter instead. “They are something different, they turn heads. I just fell in love with the Belter Galloway breed after that,” says Marshall. The following year, aged 11, he purchased two stud cows from Southland. Ranch Galloways was born. Today the stud runs 60 cows, with Marshall breeding replacements each year and selling surplus heifer calves at calf sales. He retains bull calves and grows them through to two-year-olds, selling them primarily to dairy farmers as chaser bulls. The breed’s most famous trait, its bold white belt, makes it particularly attractive in that market. “Belters will always throw the belt no matter what you put them over. That gene is that dominant. That’s why dairy farmers use them as a marker,” explains Marshall. The stud carries black, dun and red Belters and Marshall is quick to sing their praises beyond the cosmetic. “They are a hardy animal that will do on anything and are really inquisitive as well, always heads up, looking around and seeing what’s going on. They are also beautiful to eat, great tasting meat. Not quite as high as Wagyu but higher than Angus in terms of IMF. I’d much rather eat a Galloway over an Angus,” says Marshall. He usually exhibits at the Oxford and Christchurch A&P Shows and has taken champion Galloway on several occasions. In 2025 he won the all-breeds senior bull at the Christchurch show, and at the Rangiora A&P Show that same year, one of his cows and calves claimed champion beef animal. Marshall sells his bulls privately and has built a loyal client base. “I have a few clients that come back every year,” he says. Marshall has also taken on an increasingly significant role within the family’s Ranch Angus operation, which runs around 50 stud cows. He makes all genetic selections for Ranch Angus and serves as its stud master. His philosophy is straightforward. “With Ranch Angus we are trying to produce hardy, nice phenotype cattle that do well on New Zealand country. We are not chasing big EBVs - it’s more about longevity and producing a good animal. From a single yearling steer into a herd of 60 If it can’t walk, eat or reproduce it’s not worth having,” says Marshall. He was the 2024 Trans-Tasman Exchange winner and travelled for six weeks travelling around Australia visiting studs, helping one show at the Findlay Royal Show, before finishing at the World Angus Forum where he got to meet breeders from all around the world. Currently between positions after finishing a year shepherding at High Peak Station in Darfield Marshall is working on the family farm while seeking his next high-country role. He is a member of the Galloway Cattle Society of New Zealand and, We’re proud to support Stokes Farming with trusted animal health advice Building relationships with the farming community in North Canterbury for decades! www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz Ph: 03 313 VETS B.A. MURRAY LTD. 177 Mt Thomas Road, RD 1, Rangiora 7471 Phone: 0274343119 | Email: office@bamurray.co.nz Web: www.bamurrayagriculture.co.nz ...New Zealand Rural Contractor Of The Year 2002… • SILAGE • DIRECT DRILLING • CULTIVATION • HEADING • BALING “Service doesn’t cost, it pays” despite his achievements at home, is in no rush to settle. His father Andrew has made the timeline clear. “He says you have to work for someone else instead of just working for me your whole life as there are always different ways of doing things,” says Marshall. “He’s told me I can’t return full time to the family farm until I’m at least 26.”
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