Autumn 2020 NZHCS Newsletter

New Zealand Highland Cattle Society AGM, Bulls and Weather Extremes www.highlandcattle.org.nz

Autumn 2020 Newsletter

Council Corner by Doug Sheldon (President) 2020 has begun dramatically with a harsh drought, followed by personal restrictions few, if any, in New Zealand would have imagined, let along previously experienced.

As a result, the AGM of which we had hoped to bring details in this newsletter, has been cancelled as an event, and will instead take place via video link. Details of how membership can join will be posted on the NZHCS website . Business continues as usual, and Remits are due, along with nominations for Council.

We urge members to send in their voting papers. Get involved in your Society and you will find it both rewarding and you will enrich the Society at the same time.

Two nominations for Council have been received, and their details will be posted on the NZHCS website. The nominees will both be assets to our society, and I’m sure they will enjoy their role. There are still opportunities for other nominations for Council. For some time Rosalie Hutton has been the sole representative from the South Island, and she has done a sterling job as Vice President. I’m sure Rosalie would dearly like to have another Council member from the South Island. The role as a Councillor is an important one for the NZHCS, and we have some very talented people already involved. There are only two face to face meetings per annum, plus the AGM, and all other meetings are via Skype/telephone.

We are very well served by our Treasurer, Doug Maclean, and by our Registrar, Cynthia Christie. These two people do a tremendous job on our behalf. Unfortunately, our Secretary, Claire Yeoman, has resigned and while we will miss her and her efficiency, we have a member who is interested in taking the position, and details will be advised as appropriate. Due to the marvels of technology, it doesn’t matter where Council members and office holders live in New Zealand, which makes it easy to contribute to the Society without involving leaving your own home.

In the meantime, while we are isolated, we can all be thankful we will be kept fully occupied with farm duties, and will never be bored!

The 2020 AGM is cancelled in Tauranga and will take place via video link. Details will be posted on the NZHCS website once they have been confirmed.

All AGM details will be updated from time to time, so please keep checking for the latest news.

NOMINATIONS FOR COUNCIL Anne Meyer from Eketahuna

Debbie Bassett-Clarke from Riverhead

Anne bought her land in 2018 and it wasn’t long before she became a Highland Cattle owner and now breeder.

Anne’s primary work is an Intensive Care Paramedic by day (and night...) but her heart is firmly with her Fold.

Check Anne’s story on the Website..

www.highlandcattle.org.nz

Debbie has bred and shown Highland cattle since 1997. Debbie is a Pharmacist, working part time and teaching the subject at AUT. Check Debbie’s story on the Website.

FARMING FOR WEATHER EXTREMES

At time of writing, most of New Zealand is looking at breaking records for length and severity of drought. The pasture is brown and so much is dead. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual occurrence.

For some of us, we also have the opposite problem in winter – so much water washing away the metal on steeper slopes on the farm, and on the flatter paddocks, needing to deal with mud almost up to the top of our treasured red-bands! The connection between the drought and the heavy rains is often lack of feed for our cattle. Of course, this is looking at the extremes, but summer generally brings a shortage of feed, just as the cold in winter stops grass growing very quickly.

We love our Highland Cattle, and know they are excellent foragers, however they still need to be fed regularly.

Let’s look at the drought situation first.

There are various ways to run our stock – by set stocking or mob stocking, and it often depends on how much land we have as to which we choose. For some years we mob stocked our cattle and strip grazed and fed out. While this worked, it was fairly time consuming given the steepness of some of our paddocks, and we found some of the cattle did much better than others. As a result, we have changed to set stocking, which, while taking as long to do the feeding out, is much better for the stock as a whole. We separate out the cattle that get bullied and put them in a group or groups, and this ensures that they get a fair amount of feed, and not just the left-overs after the other cattle have had their fill and also trodden on some of the feed.

Having the ability to set stock also means that we can use some feeders. As mentioned, the contour of our land means The pasture dried out to the straw colour! they can be found at the bottom of a steep slope, so they are They needed a lot of extra feed. better off not being used except when the feeders can be placed on the more level ground. It also means that there is no need to strip graze as the cattle are in smaller groups. This concept applies to all seasons and weather types.

For a drought, the number one consideration is do we have sufficient feed for the cattle? If there is enough on the farm or you are fortunate enough to be able to graze them off-farm with sufficient feed, that is excellent.

Most of us, though need to be able to carefully preserve paddocks for weaned calves, etc, and need to have extra feed. While most people know about the need for extra feed in winter, many farmers forget to farm for extra dry summers and may need to start using their winter reserves early, meaning they will need to purchase more at extra cost later in the year. Always ensure there is sufficient feed either from the previous winter’s store or from the freshly made harvesting to cover for a dry summer, or, in cases like the 2020 drought, extended weeks or months over summer. This means that the cattle will remain healthy will hopefully will not need to be culled.

There will hopefully be some time during autumn when the rains come before the ground temperature gets too cold, and there will be a flush of grass. Be careful to manage this feed as it will be needed as winter progresses.

Some farms have excellent drainage, but many of us can go from concrete summer soil to wallowing near the top of our Red Bands in mud in some places on the farm. Depending on farm tracks, it can be difficult to get a farm vehicle in all the paddocks for feeding out.

We deposit our wrapped baleage at various points around our farm and electric fence around them. This means that in the difficult winter conditions there should always be feed fairly close to where we wish to feed it out. We generally use the traditional hay bale size wraps for ease of use, but also use larger squares which can be peeled off the bale and put on the back of the farm vehicle or small trailer behind.

When mud abounds ..

The idea of managing our pasture during winter is to ensure as little damage as possible is done through pugging or by over grazing these paddocks because they take a lot longer to recover if they are eaten out completely. If possible, electric fencing areas in paddocks that are deteriorating can be helpful.

Obviously, there are two points to bear in mind: ensure the farm is not over-stocked, and ensure there is plenty of extra feed for the cattle, especially around calving time. The other ever-present essential, good fencing and a good set of usable (even if small) set of yards, should be considered with the approach of winter.

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Talking about Bulls .. By Ian Blanchard So you are looking for a bull and are wondering ..

How close is too close?

There is often confusion when choosing a new herd sire as to what a breeder should be looking for in a pedigree, especially if an animal is duplicated in the pedigree.

If your present sire is consistently breeding animals with above average conformation and structure then Line Breeding is an option. Don’t be afraid to have individual animals re-appearing in a pedigree if you are happy with what they are producing.

If, on the other hand, you are not seeing improvement in the progeny from your current sire then using an Outcross sire may be the better option.

Remember that 50% of the genetic material comes from the sire and 50% comes from the dam. If you want to see how an animal is breeding it is better to look at what the sire is throwing because you will have a larger number of animals to look at than the one calf that a cow can produce each year.

Line Breeding

This is the introduction or re-introduction of one of the same bloodlines which is considered generally desirable. The advantage of this is that it strengthens any good traits and preserves a uniformity of type in your fold. For Line Breeding look for a son of a brother of your present sire. This would show a common set of Great-grandparents in the pedigree. By looking at a brother’s son there is one more dam to add in a percentage of different genes.

In-Breeding This is the continued breeding of closely related animals eg. Full brother to full sister, parent to offspring, half-brother to half-sister. This would show a common set of grand-parents. A short cut but fraught with risks. It could be a quick remedy for fixing a trait but the opposite can occur and a breeder would have to be prepared for a high cull of these animals. Not recommended as a long-term policy.

Out-cross

This is where a sire that has a completely different pedigree is used. Advantages for this are that you can choose a sire for colour, horn shape, temperament etc. and there will be a larger pool to choose from. The disadvantage is that there is no guarantee how this mix of genes is going to blend with your present animals, eg no guaranteed uniformity, fixing of an undesirable trait or potentially introducing another one.

Whichever way you choose, it’s a good idea to look at the bull’s assessment. If you are unfamiliar with what you should be looking at, contact experienced breeders who can give you advice. If you can’t physically view the animal, several good photos will be helpful.

WORKING IT OUT If you are wondering if the relationship is too close, try writing the calf’s pedigree on a piece of paper, with the proposed parents as you see them, and the grand parents and great grand parents alongside.

Se the example to the left.

It puts it all in perspective and makes it clear if the relationship is acceptable or too close.

www.highlandcattle.org.nz

START TAKING PHOTOS FOR THE 2021 NZHCS CALENDAR Email to: jenny@eadon.co.nz Only use photos in landscape mode and they need to be at least 2MB in size.

No more than 10 photos per breeder, please.

Thinking of Castrating your Bull Calves?

In the next few months many of us will have calves on the ground. A number of them may be bulls, and we encourage the registration of a wider range of blood lines. Too many bulls on a property, however, can be a real headache.

If you know you will not be keeping a bull calf and growing him for a year to have him assessed and registered, then it’s best to castrate him earlier rather than later.

The first thing to look at is the bull’s grade. While registering purebred bulls is permitted from P2, it is much more difficult to sell them. A PX or Fullblood grade is best. Obviously it takes more than breeding. What does the bull look like? Is he a good example of the breed, and will he improve the breed in New Zealand? If the answer is yes, then great—leave him entire. If the answer is no, then it’s best to castrate him, or have him castrated.

Castraters that are used for lambs are fine to use for young calves. While they are simple to use, it is crucial to ensure both testicles are located and pulled through the ring. If the calf is too young to locate both testicles, leave it for a couple of weeks or more, and try again. If only one testicle is “caught” then the calf grows up as a bull but the owner may be thinking he is safe to graze with the heifers. Keep an eye on the castrated calf to ensure there is no problem arising from the castration for a couple of weeks.

Some of the larger castration applicators need to be used with anaesthetic, and all bulls must have anaesthetic if they are over 6 months old. Before buying or using the larger castrators, check whether they can be used legally without anaesthetic.

If you are unsure, then call a vet. He or she may be happy to show you how to do the job yourself with the younger bull calves. Happy calving ..

YEAR LETTER

G 2019-20

To find your closest Councillor, go to the website and click on “Councillors” at the bottom right hand side to have the full contact and location of your member.

Secretary—secretary@highlandcattle.org.nz Treasurer—treasurer@highlandcattle.org.nz

Registrar—registrar@highlandcattle.org.nz President—thepresident@highlandcattle.org.nz www.highlandcattle.org.nz