Wairarapa’sleading farm featurefor ramenthusiasts
iNSi DE
FalkirkGenetics
Te Taumata
LanglandsMotorcycles
Te Whāngai Romneys
Shearwell
Gleniti Romneys
StockEzy
Meldrum Romneys
GlendonaldStation
Turanganui Romneys
Grassendale Genetics
MorvenHills Hampshires
FalkirkGenetics: Farming Solutions with Genetic Excellence
TheChairman of Directors of the recently createdLivestock Genetics New Zealand Ltd(LGNZ), Mr.Jason Hill of Aongatete,Katikati, says thatfinding aviable solution foragricultureis imperative.
Therevenue creators of our farming businesses,the livestock,are in a precarious position, and so agenetic solution is required thatisswiftand financially robust
LGNZ’snetwork of 22 regional directors areactively farming in most regions of NewZealand and hold ‘skininthe game’ and are, therefore, sensitivetothe vagaries of their agriculturebusinesses They range from commercialfarmers to astuteanimal breeders across topographyand breed differences,and understand the genetic requirements of most producers
LGNZ is expanding thefocus on wealthcreation from animal genetics, identifying the most optimal animals within breed and species.The resulting environmental and financialfitnessof these defined animals is thefoundation forfarmoperation efficiencyand profitability. LGNZ is fully funded and operational.The prime focus is about adding genetic and financial value to capital stock,marketableanimals,and subsequentproducts
Jason Hill says the directors are inclusivewithin an existing clientbase thatpractises genetic selection using the proven FalkirkIndexNew Zealand system(FINZ); operational fornearly 40 years
Thetime has come forfarmers to take controloftheir industry, back claims of excellence, anddeliver qualityproducts
to market.Itistime forfarmers to be offered achoicebetween ahigh-cost system or one of wealth creation.
IanWalsh, the originatorofFINZ and of the FalkirkScientific Foundationhas been appointedasDirectorGeneral of LGNZ. His65yearsofactivefarming and genetic innovation within animal breeding holds fewpeers.And his nearly 100 international visitstoSouth Africa and Australia (servicing an expanded clientbaseacrossthe breed/ species barrier)isunique.Heholds no biases in the search forthe most optimalsheep and beef animals.
Testimonialfromclient, RichardWarren: “Our association with Ian Walsh and Falkirk Geneticsrepresents an integral partofasolution to the declining standards of meat and wool production in New Zealand.”
Welcome to the 2024 Ram Sales Feature
It’sthattime of year when hugely knowledgeable rambreeders open up to the market
These superior rams havebeen bred with focus and passion, designed forbuyersinWairarapa and beyond,and with New Zealand’s unique terrain and climate in mind
Most of our breeders have come from multiple generations,all of which have farmed on theirland and built up banks of genetic expertise and market knowledge
Ultimately,ram buyers want to be assured they can meet their livestock goals of delivering qualitylamb to market,while adding genetic and financial value to their stock
Lamb prices areincreasing, the economic environmentis
wairarapa
improving,and demand for New Zealand lamb from the EU-27, the UK,and the USA is predictedtobeincreasingly positive.
Thetimeisrighttoinvest in prizerams bringing robust geneticssupporting high yields,mothering abilities,great growth rates, excellentcarcass weights,structural soundness and longevity. It’s all about top performanceand profitability. Ramsale timeisalso agreat opportunityfor buyers and sellers to get together forayarn. There’snothing quiteso importantasfriendship right nowto help us all get through the tough times andout the other side
Te Taumata Romney &Border Leicester
Good farmingpractices and good genetics arethe key to profitability.
At Te Taumata, profitabilityand efficiencyare always at the forefront of our sheep andcattle breeding decisions.Farming is challenging at the best of times andthe last fewyearsof extreme wetand cold winterconditions followedbyaseveresummer/autumn drought have really highlightedthe strength of our genetics
OurRomney andBorderLeicester breeding programme continues to focus on abalanced setoftraits for topperformanceand profitability, producing easy doing,easy caresheep thatcan handle the tough seasons and bounceback quickly.Sound feet, goodudders, good foraging ability and strong bone areall essential.These basics can be forgotten in the race amongst breeders to have the highest SIL figures
We arepassionate about our breeding stock andour genetics and take great pride in offering rams thatwill help our clientsreach theirproduction targets.Bone,constitution, carcass and impeccable structure areparticular strengths of Te Taumata rams
Eweproduction and constitution, longevity, and motheringabilityare the cornerstonesofthe Te Taumata sheep flock.Attention to detailand
commonsense stockmanship are important, it is crucial to get the basics right.
Lamb survival and weaning ahigh percentage of lambs Prime-off-Mum are the result of an efficientand productive ewestock.
We continue to selectand breed for topquality, clean, bright, medium-type wool.Wool is atruly amazing product thatwill come back into its ownwhen people spend lesstimetalking about sustainabilityand being eco-friendly and actually put their wordsintoaction. Sinceyou have to paytoshear your animals,you mightaswell producethe highest-qualityfleeceyou can.
Te Taumata ewes arerun at high district stocking ratesunder strictly commercial hill countrydryland farmingconditions on 1,100 acres with our Herefordstud, commercial sheep and cattle and deer breeding/finishing
Te Taumata Border Leicesters areideal forcrossbreeding.Romney/Border Leicester crossbred ewes make top mothers.They arehighly productive sheep thatare soughtafter and commandhigh prices at sale yards around the country.
Romney/Border Leicester crossbred lambs achievehigh yielding,prime carcass weights quickly.
TOPQUALITY ROMNEY AND BORDERLEICESTERRAMS
farm’s efficiency with Honda and Husqvarna:
AtLanglands,weunderstand the demands of farming in the Wairarapa. That’s whywe’re proud to offer a range of Honda motorcycles,power equipment, and lawn careproducts designed to meet the needs of local farmers.With branches in Masterton and Greytown, we’rerightwhereyou need us,providing quality productsand exceptional service.
Ourexperienced sales team -Brock,Ian, Grant,and Jay-are hereto helpyou findthe perfect equipmenttosuit your farm’sneeds.Whether you’re looking forareliable motorcycle to navigate your property or powerful lawn care equipmenttokeep your grounds pristine,we’ve got youcovered When it comes to value formoney, the Honda SXS and ATVrange stand
Te Whāngai Romneys
out as the topchoicefor farmers These machinesare built fordurability, offering excellentfuel economy, reasonableservicing costs, and impressiveresale value.Webelieve that owning aHonda isn’t just about theinitial investment; it’s about the long-termbenefits of ownership.Witha Honda,you’reinvesting in avehicle that will serve youwell foryears to come.
Andnow,we’re excited to announce thatwe’re the local agents forHusqvarna garden careproducts.Whether youneed achainsaw, trimmer,orlawnmower, Husqvarna’s innovative designs and reliable performance arethe perfect complementtoyour farm’stoolkit
VisitusinMasterton or Greytown today to see howwecan help youmake the most of your farm’spotential Maximise
Locatedinmedium to steep hill country, south of Waipukurau,the breeding philosophyatTeWhāngai is very clear HamishdeLautour believes thatfor commercial farmers to run an increasingly moreefficientand profitable business, they mustfocus on continuously getting morefor less: moreproduction from less input.
“Our selection programme works on thatprinciple. To make genetic progress,selection musttake placeinan environmentwhich puts pressureonthe traits youwanttoimprove.”
It is clear thata different type of sheep has developed over 35 years with selection forgrowth traits under feed and parasite pressure, rather than those developed wherefeed is plentiful and internal parasites arecontrolled TRAITSINFOCUS
By the early 1990s the average number of lambs born to recorded ewes wasover 190% as only twinning twotooths were retained.Survivaland milking abilityare strongly entrenched in the flock
“Wehavefollowedacomprehensive programme developed by AgResearch to selectsheep thatwould continue to grow while under asummer/autumn internal parasitechallenge,”Hamish says Tolerancetointernalparasites is the key to combating drenchresistanceand the benefits arebeing experienced now.
“Wool weightstill plays an importantpart in our sire selection and all ramhoggets areside sampled,enabling youtolower your micron countand target higher value per kg.Recorded ewes areculled for production, not age.
“Weare incorporatingFEtoleranceinto our genetic offering while still retaining the key attributes of the Te Whāngai flock “From2022 all ewes and lambs areDNAprofiled, as we arenow in the new frontier of genetic gain.Weview this approach as farsuperiortoselecting forlow methane Methane reduction from livestock is pure politics and we will not be selecting sheep forit.”
Te Whāngai will be selling between 600 and 700 Romney rams this year
Tag well with Shearwell
Shearwell: Sheepelectronic tags provide production opportunities
It all starts with tagging your lambs or kids at birth or when docking,with an individual EID tag according to Shearwell NZ’sNorth Island repAidan Ellims (pictured).Individual sheep identification opens the door forfarmers to enhance production by making data collection efficientand more effective.
Foralot of sheep and goat farmers,tagging their livestock with the old visual tags has provided flock identification and an abilitytotell their stock from their neighbours.Some farmers have used numbers on these tags to record some data, but the process can be difficult and fraughtwith errors.WhereasEID tags offer an opportunity to implement digital data captureand then convert thatdataintoimportantinformation
in NZ, while the printoptions are varied and free of charge.Our customer service is second to none and havingRay Hall at the factory ensures that customers get whatthey want in averytimely fashion.”
Rayhas innovatively produced largerfontsizes to makethe printing more readableonthe upper side of the Shearwell EID tags
With an individual EID tag,individual sheep identification opens the door forfarmers to enhance production by making data collection efficient and moreeffective.
As an example,Aidan hasa commercial customer thatchanged to using Shearwell EID tags in his replacement hoggets to digitally record pregnancy scanning against individuals,allowing them to draftthese based on the results.“This ensured that theempties were culled early, and the multiples could be managed separately to the single lamb bearing ewes.
This producer has repeatedthe scanning of the ewes and hasbeen able to compareindividual ewes from year to year,thus informing and refining his selection process.“The collection and recording of thedataisdone with minimal effortand with no errors using the scannerand weigh head”hesaid.
Aidan also noted “Shearwell EID tags arewell received by farmers acrossNZ giventheir slimline designwhich gives robust retention, ease of application and speedy turnaround from order to delivery. Shearwell prints the tags
With the ramsale season imminent, Aidanisproud thatmoreand more high-profile sheep studs have been usingShearwell EID tags to drive theirflock recording thatunderpins theSheep ImprovementLtd or SIL performancerecording and genetic evaluation across the various breeds
“The derived indexesthatyou see in theram catalogues areborne out of generations of EIDtagged sheep backed by meticulous performance records. This givesthe buyers confidencein the genetic merit of the raminaddition to the conformation or phenotype of the ram.”
Aidanwill be attending someram sales this year and will be available to discuss the benefits of Shearwell EID tags as well as arange of other Shearwell products includingapplicators, scannersand the Heatwavetoassist with rearing orphan lambs.
ForShearwell productinformation and orders -Aidan Ellims canbe contactedon027 556 2256 and Ray Hall on 0800 79 99 89.
Oh,and don’t forget Tag well with Shearwell
Gleniti
Romneys:
balanced traits for the best returns
In uncertain times,Gleniti Romneysofferthe certainty of robust easy-caresheep with high fertility, high growth rates, high survival rates, and good style medium wool
Managementand genetics have both playedapartinbringing about improvements
Gleniti has 1,700 stud ewes docking between 155-165% on its South Wairarapa property and sells about 270 rams ayear
GlenitiRomneys are robust easy care sheep that have high fertility and high growthrate with good style medium wool.
FERTILITY -SURVIVALGROWTH RATE
Gleniti’s high stocking rate puts enough pressureonits sheep to identify those thatdon’t thrive.
“Mothering abilityisvery important,”saysSonya Hume.“They have aquiet temperament and areeasy to handle,another aidtoeasy finishing andtenderness.”
wairarapa
StockEzy: saving time and labour on the farm
With the aim of makingday-to-day lifeonthe farmeasier forstock and people,Sean Blenkindesigns and manufactures high-quality agricultural equipment-Flow ControlGates,Ewe andCalf Cradles,Fadge Wool Pack Holders, and Wing Back Stops forsheep races.
Stock Ezy’sFlowControl Gates, installed by Sean, eliminate bottlenecks at the back ofraces.The result is consistentstock flow, saving time and person power.
Sean says “our gateswon first placeinthe No.8 Wire Section of Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February this year.”
Stock EzyEwe Cradles are expectedtobeindemandthis year because “shearing has become tooexpensivetodotwice ayear.Some sheep farmers are having to go back to full wool practices,through no fault of their own, but cast sheep aregoing to be an issue.”Thecradles also help reduceissues at lambing time. Go to www.stockezynz.com to viewStock Ezy’shigh quality agricultural products.
Meldrum Romneys
BreedingqualityRomney rams is a passion forthe Wingate family.John Wingate startedbreeding Romney rams with his father in 1970 whenthey were looking forasheep thatwould suit their farmingenvironmentand, 54 years later, he’s still going strong,a testamenttohis dedication to sheep farming and the caretaking of an intergenerational family farm.John nowfarms in partnership with his daughterStephanie
Meldrum, which has beeninthe Wingate family since1883, is 537ha (460 effective) locatedonCastle Hill Road,Alfredton. It is rolling to steep hill countrywithacold,wet and windy climate.Itruns 2,400 ewes,ofwhich 900 arefully SILrecorded.
Thelast twoseasons couldnot have seen twomoreextremities.From the wettest year to date,then into the longest toughest dryspell that Meldrum has recorded.Despitethese environmentalfactors the robust, resilientand productivegenetics of Meldrum Romney arecontinuing to perform,deliver and bounceback year in year out
TheMeldrum Romney flock has evolved over the years to be an easy care, mediumframed ewewith excellent mothering ability, growth rates, structuralsoundness and longevity. Rams areall eyemuscle scanned, minimally drenched and dag scored Attention to detail and strictculling regimes areparamounttoselecting replacementewe lambs and two-tooths rams forprivatesale in November Enquiries arealwayswelcome. ContactJohn or Steph Wingate on (06) 375 0602 or email jandcwingate@xtra.co.nz
Meldrumhasbeenproducing hardy,productive hill Meldrum has been producinghardy,productive country Romneys for 54 yearswith900 SIL recorded ewes countryRomneys for54yearswith900
Robustperformance selectionensures only the Robust performance onlythe best 2thramsare available for sale 2th ramsare forsale
Growth rate; fertility; wool;parasiteresilience; survivability;easy lambing survivability; easy
Turanganui Romneys Glendonald Station
South Suffolk Rams
“We’ve been herefor awhile,” Mike Warren says,“and we hope to be herefor awhile longer.”
Hisgrandfather established the Turanganui farminSouth Wairarapa in 1907. Then hisfather,Holmes Warren, startedbuilding up the romneysfrom1948, going on to be dubbed ‘the father of the modernromney’. He recognised the step change thatfertiliser had created and thatmadeitpossible forhim to rear twogood lambs.Understandingthis concept waskey to his success
Mike and his wifeRobyn stepped up to manage Turanganui as the decades movedon. Andthey saythey have asuccession plan so thattheir children Guy,Will,and Jane -the fourth generation -can remain involved in the agricultureonthe farm.
Breeding and selling Romney and Romdale rams on 1,200 hectares, Turanganui prides itself on providing clients withpredictabilityof performanceand the confidencethat Turanganui rams willimprovetheir flock
Holmes Warren originally sawthe importanceofselecting genetics based onproductivity-twinning,easy lambing,maternal abilityand vigouras well as physical attributes.Balance
has alwaysbeen critical forthe Warrens, however. Holmes said thatifyou push anytrait toofar,itcan sometimes become afault.
Turanganui wasanearly adopter of both technological advancesand great record keeping,allowing the Warrens to selectthe most productiveewes and improvegenetics year on year including lambingpercentagesat docking,growthrates,and weaning weights
“And we’vegot agreat batchfor sale this year,”Mike says About 3,600 romney ramlambshave been born. They’ll keep about 30 of them fortheir ownuse,and aim to sell the top25% this year.“There’sagood selection therefor the farmers.”
yn Warren
GRASSENDALE STREAKERS ARE THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE GRASSENDALEFLOCK. THEY’RE AHAIR BREEDCOMPRISING AUSTRALIAN WHITE AND WILTSHIRE CROSS.
Ofthe 700 streaker ewes in their thirdseason on Grassendale, we will lamb 490 this year: that’sa30% cull rate. Andwefeel we are making pretty rapid progress around structural soundness. Therehas been no drenching of these at all since they have been on farm.
All our streakers have now beenDNA profiled anda new flock number set upon SIL.
This season we purchased 400 straws of semen and 72 embryos from Australia and imported them home heretoNZ, putting the embryos into Grassendale recipient ewes andusing the semen to implant via AI 250 of our elite streaker ewes hereatGrassendale
Please give us acall if you areinterested in viewing.
ROBERTAND BECKS O’NEALE run 6000 stock units on a540ha effective coastal Wairarapa property at Riversdale beach. The couple havebeen getting rams from Grassendale Genetics for the pastseven years, going back to when they started as farm managers there.Grassendale’s Romworth rams, used on the maternal side of their operation, have driven significant advances in production. Atweaning, they generally have aminimum of 40% going to the truck to be killed, with the averagecarcass weight trending upwards and currently sitting at around 18.5kg.
“When we took over hereseven years ago, production was fairly average,” says Robert. “Weweredocking around the low 130s and scanning around the mid-150s. For the past three years, we have been scanning aroundthe mid-180s, with 12% triplets also being bangonfor what we want. We scanned at 187% over everything this year andare pretty happy with that. We’redocking around 150% to 153%.”
One day old purebred AUSSIE WHITE embryo lamb
Streaker RAM HOGGETS
Grassendale Genetics
With farming and farmers battling away in the current environment, it’s sometimeshardtosee thelight, but George and Luce Williams arefeeling really positivenow because “change is on the horizon, and thereislightat the end of the tunnel”.
George and Luce saythereisan awesome communityout there supporting the agricultural sector. They want to pointitout andshow appreciation to everyone in the rural communityfor the supportthey deliver
“All sectors associatedwith farming have felt the pressure,”George says, “from bankers,farmadvisors and contractors,tostaff of the farming outlet stores.But the constant support and smiling faces at the coalfaceare alwaystheretohelp andtojust chat to.”
Thecouple applaud theRural Supportservicetoo.“It hasbeen at the forefront, particularly this last year.Whatanoutstanding group of people with never ending amounts of compassion shown throughout many agricultural communities.”
George and Luce also praise farm business staff members and wives of farmers,they areoften theones who will see and hear and feel all
thefrustrations and stresses of the farmers themselves.They areso crucialtothe smooth running of these businesses and deserve recognition, 100%.
Sheep farming,George says,is “turning the corner.” Interest rates, for example,are dropping
Between November 2021 and May 2023, theReserve Bank liftedthe OfficialCash Rate (OCR) from its alltime lowof0.25%to5.50%;alevel not seen since before the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. But Westpac predicts twomoreOCR cutsin2024, witha subsequentfall to 3.75% by the end of 2025, and further reductions in 2026.
Interest ratesare akey driver of on-farminflation, so fallingrates will
Morven Hills Hampshires
Founded in 2020 from ewehoggets from La-Mac Stud near Christchurch, and with the purchase from Turiwai of an existing stud previously from Gisborne,Kay McKenzie says her aim is to producea modernHampshirefor commercial farmers
Hampshires areknown forearly maturing,high yielding Prime-off-Mum beingthe most efficient andproductive method to produceaqualityproduct.
“I placegreat emphasisonasound twotooth ramfitfor purpose,with excellent constitution and longevityasmyewes display,”Kay says.
“Lamb survival is also akey area Iam working on. Forthe lastthreeyears I
have scanned forskin thickness as well as eyemuscle to identify the traits Iam looking forand have on offer to the farmer.”
The Hampshireisofthe down bred and isanextremelypopular choiceofram in Australiaand Ireland.
Locatedin the Dannevirke Mangahei/ Te Uriclimate, the Hampshires are put under commercial conditions to produceatrue hill countrybredsire. The meatisdelicate and sweet.
To bookthis season’s rams or tocomeand view, contactKay on 021 1786 400 or glengyle@inspire.net.nz.
help push thatinflation down. Beef + Lamb NZ’sJune 2024 Sheep and Beef Inflation Reportshows thatthe rate of on-farminflation has alreadyslowed to +2.8%
“Wejust have to hold on andget through,”Georgesays.
Added to which, both demand for lamband lamb prices arepicking up.Beef +Lamb NZ says thatexport volumes of lamb returned to more traditional metrics in the first half of 2024. AndRabobank predicts that demand forNew Zealand lamb from the EU-27, the UK,and the USA has positivepotential forthe 2024-25 season.
On 29 August,BNZ released its Rural Wrap update showingthat, in the last
four months,lamb prices increased by 21% and beef prices by 16%. In the case of lamb,this increase doesn’t yetliftpricestoabove the 10-year average,but the BNZ is positive about futurerebounds.The bank has been watching the weather,and predicts aLaNiña weather pattern which,historyshows,tends to be accompanied by increased lamb and beef prices
Despiteall the signs of an improving economic environment, some farmers maybenefit from ayarn. If so,“give us acall,”George says.“Aproblem shared is aproblem halved.Supportisonly a phone call away.”
M. 027 726 7467 (027 RAMSHOP)
Glenview Romneys
We deliberately challenge our Romneysbyfarming them on unfertilised nativehill country in order to provide the maximumselection pressure and expose‘soft’ sheep.
FERTILITY Over the last 20 yearsewes(including 2ths)havescanned between 185% and 210% despitedroughts.
GROWTH RATE Over thesameperiodweaning weights(adj. 100days) have &SURVIVAL exceeded 36kgfromalambing %consistentlyabove 150%
•All sheep DNA and SILrecorded.
•Ram hoggetseye muscle scanned since 1996. IMF scannedsince 2023.
•Ewe hoggetshavebeen mated(to Romney sires) forover20years.
•Breeding programme putsanemphasisonwormresilience -lambs drenched onlyonce priortoautumn. FE toleranceintroduced more recently
•Scoredfor dags and feet shape.Sires DNA ratedfor footrot and coldtolerance
•Weare ‘hands on’breederswithafocus on detailand quality.
•Wetakeanuncompromising approach -sheep must constantlymeasureup.
aim to breed superior Romneys that producethe most from theleast input.
Glenview Romneys &South Suffolks
bob_barb@slingshot.co.nz
