Triplet calves born in Woodville

One for dad, one for mum, one for the country?

Triplet Ayrshire calves were born on September 29 from the herd owned by Bob and Nikki Lawson in Woodville, following an extreme weather event.

Dannevirke Vet Services helped in the delivery of the triplets, "I didn't believe it when a third calf was pulled out, it's one in a million, the whole family was pretty excited," said Bob.

Family connection: Bob and Nikki Lawson with their daughter Madison in the middle who raised the triplets' mother back in Calf Club days.

The Lawsons have had two sets of twin calves this year.

This is their fifth year leasing the property from owners Margaret and Stuart Graham. The cow is from a North American sire, Palmyra Burdett. Father of the calves is Sunshine Portland, from an Australian embryo from Pandara Bolview.

"We bought the four embryos at a sale in Australia and got them imported over here," said Bob. "We had two bull calves and a heifer calf as a result, the other was born dead. That was a heifer calf as well which meant a 100 per cent conception rate, which is unusual.

"We're in the process of putting another three embryos from Nexus Dreamer, a Canadian sire, to be implanted on Saturday, October 3.

The family can trace its farming roots back to the early 1900s in New Zealand.

"Mum's father came out from England. He started the Greenbank Stud circa 1912 at Homebush, Masterton," said Bob.

"Mum and her brother took it on after dad died. He got gored by his own show bull in a freak accident at the Masterton A & P Show after it got spooked by a pig on the other side of the fence.

"Mum and her brother Braithwaite Moore took over the stud. On Braithwaite's death in 1961 the family moved to Hamua where (in 1964) triplet heifer calves were born.

"In 1971 the Hamua farm was sold and the family moved to a farm in Scarborough Rd, near Pahiatua - this was sold in 1980," said Bob.

There are now 175 cows in the herd with 95 per cent being Ayrshires with a handful of Jerseys. The oldest cow is 18 years old.

"We run a two-herd system as our cows tend to eat too much grass. All the 2-year-olds run in one herd so they get 'even pickings' which helps. They seem to do better because they're not picked on by older cows which push them around.

"We show our cows ourselves. Last year we had North Island Reserve Champion cow at Stratford. We're going back to Stratford this year for the Royal Show," said Bob.