The Angus has proven itself to be an ideal match for the Todhunter family’s undulating terrain at Cleardale Station in the middle of New Zealand’s South Island.
Ben Todhunter runs the mixed sheep and beef cattle enterprise with his wife Donna Field, daughter Alice, and his parents Bob and Anne on Cleardale, which is situated an hour west of Christchurch on the north slopes of Mt Hutt ski field.
Cleardale has been in the Todhunter family since 1943 and lies in 1400 hectares of flat to rolling to steep country, ranging from 300 metres to 1100m above sea level. The property receives annual rainfall of 1000mm, and Mr Todhunter said they’ve had a good season with an average summer and a growthy autumn.
The family began breeding commercial Angus in the 1950s and stud Angus from 1990 as they were found to be better foragers in the hills than the other breeds they trialled.
Mr Todhunter said Angus cattle are the backbone of the New Zealand beef industry.
“Angus cows are functional, efficient, fertile, and can forage. They produce marketable progeny that perform for finishers and end users.
“To be a functional high country cow, she must wean an above-average calf every year, lose weight through early lactation, replenish her reserves later in lactation, and maintain condition on sub-maintenance quality pasture from weaning through to calving.”
He said there are clear objectives in the Cleardale program, which are bolstered by technology and the Todhunters’ continuous search for the best genetics available globally.
“All Cleardale sires are tested with HD50K. This provides greater assurance on the accuracy of EBVs on all bulls sold.
“We also undertake progeny testing extensively, and use the software package MateSel to determine mating that will optimise the genetic progress across the cattle operation.”
All Cleardale cattle have full Parent Verification (PV), and the Todhunters place great emphasis on temperament and structure, with all bulls independently assessed.
“The use of claw set and foot angle EBVs gives us greater insight into what any given bull’s progeny will be like in terms of their foot structure.”
Cleardale is a full registered member of Angus Australia and is a member of the AngusPRO group, which consists of New Zealand Angus studs that encompass more than 40 per cent of NZ’s registered Angus cattle.
“By shifting to Angus Australia, AngusPRO has opened the gateway to second-to-none technological and education facilities for the studs involved and their clients.
“This move also gained us a support network of 30-odd staff, countless educational documents and webinars, training sessions, technological tools, extensive research, and continuing breed development. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
While increased profitability for the client is at the forefront of our AngusPRO members’ aspirations, Mr Todhunter said producing the finest grass-fed eating experience for the end consumer is imperative.
“AngusPRO is committed to bettering Angus cattle within the NZ beef industry and ensuring Angus is the tastiest beef on everyone’s lips.”
He said maintaining high standards of sustainable farming practices to ensure the land is enhanced for generations to come is part of daily life for those in the AngusPRO team.
“These ideals and quality grass-fed Angus beef go hand in hand for the end consumer.”
Animal welfare in the Cleardale herd is catered to through a disciplined feed budget, for which the Todhunters plan six to 12 months ahead of time.
“We regularly monitor feed and the animals, which are handled quietly in good facilities.”
Steers the Todhunters produce are sold to the Five Star beef feedlot in Wakanui, NZ, often for a medium-term program.
Heifers go into the local trade market or to Angus export programs. Cull bulls are generally sold into the US trade for the ingredient markets.
Concerning his trip to Australia for the World Angus Forum, Mr Todhunter came away impressed with the work that went into planning the event.
“It was a privilege to meet and interact with Angus people from all over the world.”
He said forum speaker John Eales provided some sage advice.
“He commented that Peter Brock said he had to be good at two things. Driving a car fast and giving good feedback. This led me to reflect on the role of feedback in a business.
He also gained great insights from the presentation delivered by American Angus Association CEO Mark McCully.
“His graph showing the rate of genetic change in the Angus breed accelerating since 2017, and the introduction of single-step DNA analysis made me think how we’re using all the tools to optimise genetic gain.”
Article Written By Matt Sherrington – THE LAND