Right: In February last year they were grazing 450 R2 and 800 R1 Wagyu as well as 200 R2 beef bulls.
due to the notoriously dry January and February period when the pivot irrigation couldn’t sustain feed growth. “We’d end up in a black hole because our growth curve just didn’t fit with what we were grazing.” New farm management is based around a mainly closed breeding and finishing system, rather than the trading of sheep and cattle. Trading cattle have been replaced with 200 Angus breeding cows to help develop the 100ha of low rolling hill country. The area will be developed with suitable dryland species to provide higher quality feed in late autumn and early spring. About half of the Angus herd will be bred to Angus and the rest to Speckle Parks. The Lanaco and Headwaters sheep grazing arrangement was terminated and 2500 Coopworth-Romney ewes and 500 hoggets bought in. Romney and Poll Dorset genetics with markers for LoinMax and Inverdale will be bred into the flock. “What we’re targeting is 180-200% lambing and high growth rates so that we can wean 80% of the lambs off mum before Christmas. “ At the same time there’s been a rethink on soil health and fertilizer following extensive testing. Heavily compacted soils were identified as a limiting factor leading to a non-tillage and non-synthetic fertiliser programme. The mostly Shogun ryegrass pastures, which tended to shut down during the
Country-Wide Beef
May 2020
height of summer, were replaced with a Hummer fescue-based chicory and red and white clover mix. Early results look promising with the new mix growing well at the end of January and hopefully growing from early spring. “It means we should be able to bring lambing forward to September 1 which will give us plenty of time to get lambs away early.” Also, lucerne has been sown under pivots as another source of quality green feed over summer. The real proof of success will be the comparison of grass production with C-Dax measurements taken fortnightly. Another addition to the new system are 150 milking ewes and a milking plant bought from Kerikeri with the view of establishing an onfarm sheep dairy. Long term the Curries want to develop a farm tourist stop-off at Tinwald which
is perfectly positioned alongside State Highway 8, the main road between Cromwell/Queenstown and Wanaka. Although still in the concept stage, the development might include farm-produced sheep dairy and meat products. Jason says he wouldn’t want to go through M Bovis again, but he’s philosophical about the experience and what it has led on to. “It’s been a pivotal steppingstone. Our system was intense and stressful, and I think that where we are moving now will better suit the property.” The reset wouldn’t have been possible without the support and open-mindedness of the Curries. “I think there are a lot of farm managers who would like to be involved in developing this kind of system. It’s great to have the support and backing of Amanda and Adrian who have made the best of what was a bad situation.”
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