Haldon field day looks to future for beef farming

Press, 17 January 1986, Page 11

Haldon field day looks to future for beef farming

After 15 years of Hereford group breeding, the Genepool organisation is now organising its performance pedigrees to enhance its capacity to make predictions, according to Mr James Innes, of Haldon station, in the Mackenzie country.

Mr Innes launched Genepool Herefords in 1971 and the central breeding herd is run on Haldon, often in the extremes of temperature which characterise the higher parts of that region. Last year Genepool em-

ployed a performance-re-cording expert from the United States, Miss Nancy Ann Sayre, who has been editor of the United States Angus Journal. The journal is published by the American Angus Association, which runs the largest single breed performance recording scheme in the world. Miss Sayre has moved from the United States Mid-West to Haldon where she is fully com-, puterising the Genepool performance records and thereby constructing a complete performance pedigree for the cattle within its scheme.

“We know that group breeding works. That has been proved in different livestock species and breeds,” Mr Innes said recently. “What makes the Genepool system so good is that the central herd is run on Haldon and only stock which survive the environmental challenge and are genetically superior can go on in the programme. “We have a true perform-

ance pedigree system, and » not a price pedigree or one based on conformation. * “Using performance pedii grees, the Genepool staff

could set goals, broaden understanding among its farmer-participants and bull purchasers and take the large central breeding scheme into the future,” he said.

By way of marking the new phase of Genepool’s development, a beef field day will be held on Haldon on February 13, from 11 a.m. to about 7 p.m. The day will not be solely about Genepool and group breeding schemes, said Miss Sayre, who is now director of programmes and communication for Genepool. It would be of interest to all beef farmers. Top-line speakers will concentrate firstly on beef and cattle marketing after an opening by Sir James

Stewart, the former principal of Lincoln College and now an agricultural consultant and company director. Mr Athol Hutton, the managing director of Waitaki N.Z. Refrigerating, Ltd, will speak on reading the export market. He will be followed by the Pyne, Gould, Guinness, Ltd, export director, Mr John Paterson, talking on market messages in the beef industry. After lunch the speakers include Mr Hugh Clifford, of the Dairy Board, speaking on the importance of progeny testing, Miss Nancy

Ann Sayre, Mr James Innes and the well-known North Island veterinarian, Mr David Mossman, speaking on the value to the commercial beef breeder of fertility and serving capacity testing.

The president of Federated Farmers, Mr Peter Elworthy, will speak after a social hour and dinner. Included in the afternoon’s programme will be a tour of Haldon’s lower country, where 500 ha is borderdyke irrigated and 600 ha is under lucerne.

Haldon runs the Genepool central herd among its 900 Hereford cows and 600

bulls, steers and replacement heifers. At present 600 of the cows are single-sire mated, necessitating 14 separate groups of cows. Deer fencing also encloses 250 ha of the irrigated country as part of the 1400 ha over all which is deer fenced so as to be able to cope with up to 3000 deer — about two-thirds Haldon and the remainder leased. “Deer contribute 80 per cent of our total turnover,” said Mr Innes. The irrigation unit which makes Haldon such a highproducing run also feeds the station’s ewes at pre-lamb-ing and tupping. The lambs are weaned there also.

Haldon is carrying 20,000 Merinos, including the 200ewe Booroola breeding flock. Ram progeny from this central flock are used over the rest of the Merinos to lift lambing percentages. For this large operation Haldon employs about 20 people under the manager, Mr Paddy Boyd, including a vet. This does not include the helicopter contracting business which has now been shifted to Greymouth. Everyone interested in beef cattle is welcome to come to the field day, which will be held in the new staff quarters at Haldon where a large lounge and kitchen will be utilised.