Running Cattle In High Country

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30739, 1 May 1965, Page 8

Running Cattle In High Country

JJECAUSE of the lower mar"L> gin of profit received by the high country beef cattle producer—he put it at £7 10s per head—Mr D. McLeod, of Grasmere, told 200 to 250 cattle men attending a beef cattle field day on Mr F. F. Wilding’s property, Te Mania, Conway Flat, this week, that high country men were at a disadvantage when it came to purchasing quality bulls.

Because of this he made a plea for some system whereby they might be able to purchase good bulls which were, however, not in top show condition. Mr McLeod agreed that reasonable quality bulls were available through such sources as Addington, but frequently the high country man was unable to select a good bull out of condition and therefore preferred to buy from a known source where the history of a bull could best be obtained. Mr McLeod said that the main reasons for running

cattie on the higher country were firstly production of beef for profit and secondly the control of pasture. One of the factors limiting the successful running of cattle for beef production on the higher country had been the expense involved in fencing and adequate subdivision. The lack of these facilities led to inefficient use of pastures.

Mr L. P. Chapman, of Mount Somers, said that one of the main problems with running cattle in his opinion was the maintenance of a satisfactory level of fertility. A practice to which he subscribed was to leave his bulls out for a limited period of two to three weeks so as to prevent the late calvers from the previous season from being burdened with another calf in the succeeding year. Though this resulted in the loss of a breeding unit, it assured that a healthy and incondition cow was a good breeding proposition for the following year.