October 2022 NZHCS Newsletter

NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2022

RUMINATING REMINDERS

OCTOBER

• Bull Assessments take place this month

• Don’t forget to send in your transfers!

• Have you posted to the Facebook page this month? (Listed as New Zealand Highland Cattle Society)

• Buy your NZHCS Calendar

• Hawkes Bay A & P Show, 19 – 21 October

• Rangiora A & P Show, 21 – 22 October

• Waikato A & P Show, 28-29 October

NOVEMBER

• Keep calving and mating records up to date and accurate

• Show Season is coming up! Have you applied for your animal passports? Contact The Registrar, registrar@highlandcattle.org.nz

• Manawatu A & P Show, 5-6 November

• Clevedon A & P Show, 5 – 6 November

• Canterbury A & P Show, 9 – 11 November

• Central Hawkes Bay A & P Show, 10 – 12 November

• Stratford A & P Show, 25 – 27 November

DECEMBER

• Celebrate Christmas at your NZHCS branch Christmas function

• Have a safe and happy holiday season

• Fielding A & P Show, 2 – 4 Dec

• Whangarei A & P Show, 3 – 4 December

On yonder hill there stood a coo, Helen Sullivan

COUNCIL CORNER

So, the cliché “it never rains, it pours!!,” has certainly proved true this winter. Like many of you across the entire Country, we have been awash here in Tauranga for countless days and weeks, to the extent that I began to wonder whether a modern-day Noah might consider building an arc for Highlands, Orpingtons and 1, 3-legged cat! Calving in torrential rain is never desirable, nor for the faint hearted, particularly when a calving does not go according to plan!!, so I’m hoping that your calving has been both straight forward and joyful.

As you will all be aware, as of the highly successful A.G.M held in Palmerston North in late May of this year, the Council elected Tony Wright as President of the Society, with James Brown and myself co Vice Presidents. Very regretfully,

accepted his resignation at its meeting of 9th August, a decision that neither Tony nor the Council took lightly. Following the acceptance of Tony’s resignation, the Council held a new election and I now care-take the role of President until the 2023 A.G.M, with James as your very willing Vice President. We thank Tony very, very much for his service to the Society, his work and calm voice of reason on Council.

Judging by applications for membership of the Society and Continues ....

activity on our Face book pages, there is a great deal of interest in our much loved, breed. It is really exciting to see an upward trend in membership and to know that after several years, “no show rings” due initially to Mycoplasma Bovis, then Covid, show rings are now back, up and running for this show any members of your Council are willing and able to answer queries around showing or any other matters, should you need any advice. Please remember that showing passports are still required, Cynthia Christie, our Registrar, can answer any questions that you may have but she is a busy lady, so please give her time to respond.

apply to you are:

• Late herd returns that verify your projected calving, should have been furnished, to the Registrar, in order that your registration of calves is a straight forward matter. No herd return from your Fold and D.N.A, may well be requested.

• The Societies, Annual Highland Calendar will be available shortly and I believe is absolutely gorgeous, I suggest that you pre order yours from the Editor, to avoid disappointment, they make wonderful Christmas presents!! Which reminds me, the range of Society held merchandise for sale has been, both broadened and upgraded, thanks to Jim, Ali, Sheldon and Anne. Do check it out, I believe it is selling really well.

• If you have applied to have a Bull assessed, your application will be processed, in order that your Bull be assessed as of October. On that note, Jim McMurray, your Councillor based in the Waikato, intends to have an “Open Fold” day, when his Bull is being assessed. Your visit, interest, and questions would be most welcome,

CALENDARS FOR SALE

•

date to be advised, via F.B and website.

Speaking of Bull assessments, when you complete a bull assessment application, B grade assessment application, or cattle transfer online, via the website, the fee for this service is payable on application. This paperwork will not be undertaken until the associated fee is paid.

The 2023 Calendar is now available for purchase! Same in an envelope.

Thanks to all those who submitted photos for selection. We had 56 photos from 17 Folds making the Calendar committee’s job super hard this year! All 17 Folds have a photo feature in the calendar in some form.

Email (editor@highlandcattle.org.nz), click on the order button on the website or use our Facebook page link to order!

As this Newsletter goes to print, we have all learned of Queen Elizabeth’s passing at her, much loved Balmoral Estate. She founded her fold there in 1953, where her cattle, had no less than 50 000 surrounding Balmoral Castle, to roam. The Queen as a Patron of the Breed was considered one of the U. K’s top breeders and this year 1 of her Bulls, Gusgurlach of Balmoral, won the top prize at the Royal Highland cattle show for the 2nd year in a row,

note that Balmoral bloodlines are historically imbedded in many N.Z Highland Cattle bloodlines, through Hallmark of Balmoral and Campbell Og of Killara and quite possibly other Sires.

As we think of the Queens service to the Commonwealth, can I just ask you, please to also remember, that your Council is comprised of a number of people who freely give up their time to serve both the Society and Breed in a voluntary manner. Each of these people is committed, passionate and communicative but also busy. Please, if you think we can do things differently or better, then do let us know nicely, we welcome your suggestions. Wishing you all a warm grass growing Spring, on which your Highlands thrive.

Kindest Regards to you all.

Judy Smyth, President

ADVERTISING

Would you like to advertise in the Newsletter?

Prices are as follows:

Full page, colour $200 (inc GST)

Half page, colour $100 (inc GST)

Quarter page, colour $50 (inc GST)

Email: editor@highlandcattle.org.nz for more details!

www.highlandcattle.org.nz

The Queen and Prince Philip at Balmoral Fold.

DREW STEIN OBITUARY

DOUG MCLEAN

The Council notes the recent death of Robert Drew Stein who died peacefully at his home, in the Wairarapa, on August 2nd, 2022.

Drew, with his wife Lauril, were foundation members of the New Zealand Highland Cattle Society and supporters of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand. Although his indomitable style ultimately came into maintain a strong interest in Highland and Simmental cattle following his time with the Society. In this regard the Council acknowledges the important base, the small group of foundation members such as Drew and Lauril provided for the Highland breed and our members in New Zealand today.

Drew was the loved husband of Lauril, father to Kelly and Shayne, and grandfather to Cheyenne, Affrica and Sorcha.

AUSTRALIAN HIGHLAND CATTLE SOCIETY NATIONAL SHOW

Highland Cattle in the Spotlight in the Riverina. There will be plenty to see and do in Junee on the June long weekend 2023, when the Australian Highland Cattle Society holds its National Show on Sunday 11th June. Following the success of this year’s show in South Australia, the National Highland Cattle Show promises to be a spectacle not to Junee. Competitors and Highland Cattle enthusiasts are set to travel to the Riverina from all over the country for this prestigious event, with friendly rivalry and healthy competition being the order of the day.

The National Highland Cattle Show 2023 will be a unique opportunity to showcase the Highland cattle breed in rural NSW. It will offer beef producers, stud breeders and the general public a glimpse of the potential of this breed to make an important contribution in the beef marketplace.

Highlands have excellent eye muscle through the loins and ribs, which means more quality steak on your plate. A Highland carcass will produce around 60% saleable beef and is renowned around the world for its

Australian Highland Cattle Society invite you all to come and see what this

breed is all about. There will be information, people to talk to and plenty to see for all the family. For more information, please contact the interim Show Committee Brad Crompton 02 4835 7285, or locally Michelle Mann 0437 377 838.

Perhaps a contingent of NZHCS members should/could get together and attend this exciting Australian event, it would be a great experience to see Highland Cattle on the other side of “the ditch”.

BULL, OR GRADE B ASSESSMENT PREPARATION – DOUG SHELDON

The New Zealand Highland Cattle Society Constitution sites develop, improve and maintain the purity and quality of the breed of cattle known as “Highland Cattle.”

To achieve this fundamental Society Objective, a Bull assessment scheme was developed many years ago with 3 Principal goals:

1. To raise/improve the quality of Sires being used in New Zealand,

2. To develop Breeder awareness as to what the Breed Standards/criteria are, for a Highland Bull, and

3. To use the Standards to determine the eligibility (“strengths and weaknesses”) of any individual Bull, that a Breeder may wish to Register in the Herd book.

The Grade B scheme is a recent development and was set up and adopted by the Society with a primary purpose of “creating a pathway for entry into the NZHCS Herd book for descendants of females that are clearly Highland but have

In order that Females may be eligible to enter the Herd book they must be Assessed against the following 4 descriptors.

1. Cows/heifers are eligible. The minimum age for assessment is 12 months old,

2. They must be clearly Highland in appearance, conforming to the Highland cow breed standard,

3. They must be free of crop ear, and

4. They must be of good temperament.

Cow Assessment documents have been created, that

parallel the Bull Assessment documents. The procedures, detailed requirements and criteria for assessment of these two groups of animals are all available for viewing on the NZHCS website. Any potential Owner or Breeder of Cattle who is to be assessed is advised to make themselves familiar with the process by reading available material, prior to any assessment occurring.

The assessment documents detail the characteristics of Highland cattle in a practical way and ensure that all animals coming through either of these schemes will be evaluated against the same criteria, in a fair and equitable manner. Studying the assessment sheets can also help give a clear guide to breeding decisions that may enhance or impact your fold in the future; the procedures also make the Society’s expectations clear in respect of adequate facilities required, plus preparation of your cattle for the assessment process.

The bull assessment programme has been operating for many years and there is excellent information on the website under Resources – Member Only Forms. You will need to log in to access these documents. The required documents are labelled as:

• Grade B Request for Assessment – online form to request an assessment to take place

• Grade B Assessment Guidelines and Procedures – a guide to preparing for the assessment

• Grade B Cow Assessment Form – the assessment document that will be used by the assessors

• Bull Assessment Request Form – online application to request a Bull Assessment

• Bull Assessment Guideline for Breeders – a guide to preparing for the bull assessment

• Bull Assessment Form – the assessment document that will be used by the assessors.

Please note the criteria necessary for the animals to be assessed. These are listed in the guideline and procedure documents. If you have any queries, contact the Registrar: Registrar@highlandcattle.org.nz

EAR TAGGING

There is a NZHCS rule which outlines how all cattle should secondary tag. The primary tag is the NAIT tag, with the secondary tag containing the NZHCS information.

The NAIT tag will have visual information including your NAIT number and unique animal ID and have the unique

The secondary (management) tag will display the following: your herd code, the year letter and unique animal number. So, Arcadia Fold secondary tags would

second calf born etc. (The photo here is of the ear tag of the second calf born at Arcadia in 2021).

If selling cattle to non-members of the Society, please ask them to not remove the secondary tag from their cattle. This ear tag needs to remain on for the life span of the cattle. Equally if your cattle have lost their secondary ear tag, please re-tag them and notify the Registrar of the new details. It is imperative that both ear tags are present, current and in the correct ear. If unsure as to what is required or how to go about the process, your local Councillor is available to contact for help.

If the tagging is not correct, the Registrar is unable to complete the registration. You will be contacted with a request to rectify any issues.

Your ear tags will be letter K from now until 31 May 2023.

It can be tricky getting your secondary ear tags to read correctly when ordering through your local farm store.

in custom printing ear tags for members.

Draw the shape of an ear tag on a piece of paper and write exactly what you want on your ear tags. You will need to draw each tag you want separately on the piece of paper. Email this picture to: custservnz@merck. com, along with the size tag you would like, the colour, and your payment details.

Members can register at https://www. leaderproducts.com/en_NZ/register/ and select Leader Products NZ as your preferred reseller. Here you have the ability to pay via credit card, making the tag transaction seamless. If you have any website queries you can call Shaun Green on 021 480 419. Any members who are not comfortable ordering via the website can call Leaders Products on 09 444 6180 and they can help you place the order.

www.highlandcattle.org.nz

Slate server, front, Slate cheese board, rear

Highland Mugs

Cheese Board

Grooming Comb T 9in Nat Handle Econ

Halter Nylon Cow Leading in black

Grooming Comb Spiral 6in

PERSISTENT FLYSTRIKE IN HIGHLAND CATTLE - DOUG SHELDON

Earlier this year we had a lovely white heifer calf born that appeared to go missing for a day or two. With the help of our dogs, I found her lying down in a bushy area

Eadon Bella and her calf, Eadon Bronte, were brought from the back of the farm to the yards for treatment and then put in a nearby paddock for observation. Being well with a solution of Maggo, expecting it to immediately clear up. The next day, it was obvious that this hadn’t treated with a strong solution of Maggo, which I have always found 100% successful on sheep.

After several more days of unsuccessful treatment, I consulted an industry friend and was advised to try and horses. This was very effective; however, it was over a month after treatment.

This took quite a toll on Bronte with discomfort and

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS!

consistent treatment she has recovered extremely well and the hair has now completely regrown. The whole exercise took a while, and Bronte’s mum took an increasingly dim view of the continual disruption, but now they are both very happily grazing with several other friends and the whole episode put behind them.

We’ve had Highland Cattle since 2005 and have never seen anything like this, either in the attack on a calf, or the

When treating animals, always used registered veterinary medicines approved for that use – animal type and problem being treated. Always follow the label use directions i.e. application rates and methods, safety and withholding periods. If uncertain consult your vet. Check the age of products being used and do not use if past their expiry date.

STRATHBURN HIGHLAND CATTLE

Bred for Quality, Hardiness and Performance *YOUNG STRATHBURN FULLBLOOD BULLS FROM NEW BLOODLINES AVAILABLE*

Providing genetic diversity from all over the world

www.highlandcattle.org.nz

Bronte upon being found

Flies continue to linger despite treatment

Bronte now, completely healed with full coat.

Bronte’s wounds are starting to heal

Tracy and Robert Alloway, Whakamarama Kylie Fisher, Marlborough Brett and Gill Storey, Mangawhai