Tiroa cows kept honest

01-04-2010 | Not Specified

Tiroa's 800-cow Angus herd is a former stud herd and the station operates a semi-closed breeding policy.

"If we need extra Angus bulls we will buy them at the Te Kuiti bull sale," manager Ted Ballantine says.

"But we only buy the better bulls because over the years we have found that our own bulls are just as good as anything we could buy."

Until recently Tiroa retained its top 1% of male progeny as breeding bulls, with selection based largely on temperament, conformation and growth. Ted says bull numbers were cut back last year in order to simplify management.

"It's hard to run bulls with so many cows on the farm."

Last year about 70-80 bulls were retained and around 20-24 will be sold as dairy sires. After the dairy bulls have gone and the beef sires have been selected, the rest of the bulls are steered so they can be run closer to the cows. These steers will be finished or sold as forward stores.

Replacement heifers are selected firstly for fertility. After calving at two years old, they are selected for both fertility and milking ability. Cows are culled on performance and condition, not on age.

Calving starts on September 15 and is usually over within 40 to 45 days.

Despite the age of some cows and the often challenging conditions, cow deaths between calving and weaning are often less than 1%.

Calves are weaned in April and about 300 male steers are sold as weaners through the Te Kuiti saleyards. While Tiroa steers are often smaller than weaners from easier farms, their Angus heritage ensures they attract strong demand.

Surplus heifers are also sold through Te Kuiti at seven to eight months of age.

About 200-220 heifers calves are retained as replacements, and calves produced by the first-calvers are tagged at weaning and sold as weaners in June/July.

Ted says replacement heifers are mated at 15 months and anything not in calf "is down the road". This policy is designed to ensure that only productive animals are wintered on the farm.

"Cows are sometimes break-fed through winter and their job is to tidy up the roughage throughout the year and get pastures ready for the twin lambs which are our main priority."

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