We breed for a range of traits and strive to have excellent all round figures along with great constitution.
We do all our stock work on horse or on foot, so a good temperament is an absolute must when selecting cattle.
Traits we will NOT compromise on are:
- Fertility
- Conformation/Soundness
- Carcass Weight/Growth
We understand the importance of temperament and therefore only select an animal for breeding if it meets our satisfaction. We have used sires in the past that have produced wild cattle and we have discontinued their use immediately. Beef farming is often done intensively with break fences and on foot stock work where there is no room for wild or aggressive cattle.
We like to see the following attributes in a good cow:
- Milk EBV between 10-20.
- A good strong jaw and muzzle
- Good udder and teat conformation
- Eye setting and full eye pigment is highly desirable
- All females should be feminine
We like to see the following attributes in a good sire
- Deep body with great capacity
- Well defined muscling of the rump and loin
- Good length without going to extreme
South Westland has some of the most remote land in the country and cattle have to be sound, tough and hardy to thrive in the extremely wet, river valley conditions. Cows are wintered hard and are expected to forage for themselves in the bush and river beds. We expect these cows to recover and rear a good calf at the end of each season, which ensures we are selecting only the most efficient cattle and keeping an overall low maintenance herd.