Investing in quality genetics is just as important in the tough times as it is in the good, and just like any investment, you want to ensure its success, and ability to pay dividends down the track.
When investing in Otapawa Genetics, not only do you get to take advantage of half a century of performance beef breeding, but also a programme with integrity and an industry-leading support system.
“When things are tight, it is crucial to make the right decisions for your operation, and using an Otapawa bull, over any breed of cow, is one of the fastest proven ways to improve farm-gate profits while maintaining peace of mind with a full breakdown guarantee and unparalleled back-up service for any of our clientele,” confirms Stuart Robbie of Otapawa Poll Herefords.
Otapawa understand the needs and demands of their clients, running 26,000 stock units themselves in the rugged foothills under the Puketoi Range. The bulls are solely grassfed from birth to 600-day weighing. No crops, no break feeding, no yard weaning. Everything is treated the same here and nothing is spoon-fed, allowing for an honest view of how the breeding selections from the stud Hereford herd are impacting the quality of the commercial herd.
“Longevity, maternal ability and carcass quality are key profit drivers for beef farmers, and we are consistently testing and refining those factors in our breeding system,” says Stuart. “It is great to see our bulls out in the field at the age of 10 years, still providing top-quality progeny.”
”Good cattle are fed, but great ones are bred, and we are committed to developing genetics that can go into any herd, in any part of the country, and boost the carcass quality and yield, while enhancing overall herd efficiency,” says James Robbie, Stuart’s son and the fifth generation to work on the windswept station.
“Breeding, identifying and selecting genetics in the rugged hill-country environment we have here, allows us to produce animals that will thrive and perform in any corner of not only New Zealand, but the world.”
”There are good reasons why our forebears utilised cross-breeding for optimum profitability. We’ve observed that a commercial Angus herd can expect to achieve a 12 per cent increase in weaning weights simply by using a Hereford bull,” says Stuart.
Progeny from an Otapawa Hereford sire will benefit from multiple ongoing advantages, ranging from superior feed conversion to increases in average daily weight gains, and improved longevity and fertility, while still conforming to the selection criteria of premiums offered by beef processors.
“It is pleasing to see our clients continually topping weaner sales and achieving high premiums for their terminal beef animals with Otapawa Hereford and Hereford-cross progeny. That is a constant goal for our breeding programme.”
An Otapawa cow and calf.
More than 50 years of scientific evidence points to the success of crossbreeding for hybrid vigour (heterosis), yet this seems to have been overlooked in recent years, as some breed groups are trending towards a solely genomics-bred animal, and losing sight of the on-ground performance required by the commercial beef farmers of the industry.
Another significant advantage to crossbreeding is the utilisation of the resulting female. The whiteface cow is naturally superior in its characteristics for increasing performance across any herd. The sensational fertility of a crossbred female not only allows for her to reach puberty earlier - ideal for heifer mating but she will also maintain a higher rate of pregnancy throughout her life, resulting in significantly fewer replacements being needed - and more profit across your herd.
”We are putting forward a great line-up of bulls this year, we encourage all cattlemen and women who are serious about increasing the profitability of their herd to come and see the bulls first-hand and discuss your breeding programme and goals with us. At Otapawa, we have a long-term commitment to our clients, and make it our purpose to help improve your results through a focus on quality breeding.”
