Calvert Louden from Jamaica and Erick Owino from Kenya came as part of the Red Poll World Congress, visiting farms all over the country to check out Red Poll herds.
Athbey Farm in Papatawa had a few visitors last week as delegates from the 17th Red Poll World Congress dropped in to check out the herd.
Athol and Betty Sowry bought their first herd 14 years ago, starting with five in-calf cows and 11 rising one-year heifers.
Athol says their current registered herd numbers sit around 25 cows to calve, five bulls and 12 rising one-year heifers.
The other cattle on the farm are share-farmed with their son Elroy, who has a calf-rearing business.
The World Congress is usually held every three years, and delegates came from Kenya, Jamaica and Australia, along with a few from New Zealand.
The delegates have been in the country for about a week and toured a few properties in both the South and North Islands.
The congress is also an opportunity for the small-knit group to share friendships and cultures, as well as ideas centred around Red Poll cattle.
Calvert Louden from Jamaica says he’s been very impressed with what he’s seen during the trip.
He was looking at both mature bulls and younger bulls and assessing them for consistency with an idea of trying to “identify animals that have the character, including the genetics”.
He’d like to take some of the genetics back with him to Jamaica to include in his herd.
Orville Palmer, chief technical director of the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, says the visit is part of the government’s strategy to provide high-quality animal protein for Jamaica’s population.
“We recognise the importance of Red Poll and our strategy identifies it as a breed of priority for Jamaica.”
Palmer says they had come along to the congress so they could identify lines of the breed which could be used to increase the productivity of the country’s animal population.
He was pleased with what he’d seen so far with regard to the size and conformity of the New Zealand bred stock, as well as weight gain and maturation time.
On New Zealand, he says it’s a “wonderful country”, adding he was impressed with the rolling topography and lush green vegetation.
Alan Couch, who owns Nyalindee Red Poll Stud in New South Wales, said he was blown away by the pasture.
He says it’s been a “fantastic time” visiting the various farms and seeing what New Zealand is producing.
The next congress will be in Jamaica.
Leanne Warr has been editor of the Bush Telegraph since May 2023 and a journalist since 1996. She rejoined NZME in June 2021.
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