Strong line-up at Turihaua

SOLID STOCK: Turihaua Angus will put up 25 yearling bulls and nine two-year-olds in their Spring Sale next Wednesday afternoon. Studmaster Paul Williams was pictured in the sales ring at last year's sale. File picture

Turihaua Angus will offer a line-up of 25 yearling bulls and nine two-year-olds in their sale on Wednesday next week.

The Spring Sale will be held on-farm at the Turihaua sale complex with online bidding and a livestream available on sale day via Bidr.

Turihaua used the Bidr system at its June R2 sale and there was great uptake and online bids came through smoothly.

“We would encourage potential buyers to familiarise themselves with the Bidr site in the instance of Alert Level 3 or 4 restrictions. Fortunately the smaller Spring Sale will meet Level 2, although there will only be up to 50 people allowed inside the rostrum,” said studmaster Paul Williams.

“Masks are required and beef and buns will be enjoyed sitting down with social-distancing measures.”

Turihaua have established themselves as heifer mating specialists with low birth weight and positive calving ease.

“We have been heifer mating at Turihaua for 30 years and this gives us confidence that the data supplied with the bulls is accurate and will give you live calves on the ground.

“These bulls are built to last. They are tested on the hills of Turihaua.”

For 116 years the stud has farmed their animals commercially.

“They are not pampered, we don't supplementary feed, and we allow the environment to dictate our decision-making with our genetics,” Mr Williams said.

“The philosophy behind this approach comes back to Charles Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest.

“That's how we farm our animals. We believe they have a very strong constitution and will perform in a range of different environments around New Zealand.”

Fertility remains the key component in the Turihaua herd and breeding programme.

“In order to improve on fertility, all replacement heifers are mated as R1's for two cycles,” Mr Williams said.

“All drys and assisted births are culled. A key benefit from heifer mating is ‘economic return on feed consumed'.

“For example, a mated and calving yearling heifer needs around 850kg of extra dry matter over a two-year period compared with an un-mated yearling.

“If she produces a 200kg calf at weaning, this $100 of extra feed investment would return $700 (at $3.50kg LW).”

Mr Williams said heifer mating was an easy way to improve on production.

“As always, every bull that goes through the sale ring at Turihaua is backed by our three-year guarantee.”

The Williams family look forward to welcoming would-be buyers to the sale today-week, either in person or online with Bidr.