Beef cows are making a slow but steady comeback to the hill country of Limestone Downs. Massey University modelling shows that decreasing sheep and increasing cattle numbers is more profitable, and is likely a win-win for both stock classes.
Economic Service data suggests the number of beef cows nudged past one million head in the November 2025 livestock survey, with growth across every region except Waikato. It’s still a long way from the 2.1 million beef cows that grazed NZ farms in the early 1990s, but the trend is positive again.
Improving farmgate prices, continuing farm labour challenges, and the ability of beef cows to help control resistant parasites in sheep flocks and lift lamb performance by grooming pasture, are likely reasons behind the lift in numbers.
But recent modelling by a team at Massey University has produced some thought-provoking results when it considered the profitability of a range of beef cow systems for typical hill country farms in the late 2020s.
Massey University Professor, Steve Morris, presented the modelling results at a field day at Limestone Downs, near Port Waikato, in mid-February. Limestone Downs is rebuilding its breeding cow herd to help cope with an influx of kikuyu which is now dominating its coastal country and impacting livestock performance.
The modelling exercise tapped into Economic Service data from hill country farms, allowing for all the feed costs and income associated with a range of different beef cow systems.
Breed changes, breeding replacements versus buying in, use of maternal and terminal sires, and selling progeny in store condition or prime direct to slaughter, were all evaluated.
The sheep operation was standardised at the national lambing percentage average of 135% across all the different cow system scenarios considered.
The results were presented as the percentage gain or loss in cash operating surplus (COS) compared with a base system, to show the relative performance for each option and avoid the impact of variations in beef schedule prices throughout the year.
Steve says the modelling reinforced the gain in profitability when calf weaning weight increases.
Lower mature weight cows are also more profitable because they consume less feed to maintain themselves through the year and their calves are a greater percentage of their own liveweight at weaning.
The modelling also showed that cows bred from crossing Angus sires over Friesian cows consistently produce more COS when compared to straight Angus cow systems.
“Lower mature weight cows are more profitable because they consume less feed to maintain themselves through the year and their calves are a greater percentage of their own liveweight at weaning.” – Professor Steve Morris, Massey University
Selling prime has a clear advantage over store systems when it comes to COS, but Steve accepts getting cattle through two winters on typical hill country farms is difficult for many properties. Decreasing sheep and increasing cattle numbers earns more COS and will likely benefit both lamb performance through pasture grooming and parasite exposure in young sheep.
Steve took aim at the trend towards heavier mature weight cattle, driven by excessive emphasis on growth rate selection by many cattle stud breeders.
He is pleased to see more stud breeders including cow mature weight in their selection indexes, but says “more work is needed there” to create more efficient, moderate weight cows for hill country farms.
The Massey University study investigated the impact on COS in a range of beef cow systems on a typical Class 4 North Island hill country property.
Researchers set up a base option at a 60:40 sheep to cattle ratio and compared selling prime and store condition progeny from Angus and Angus-cross cow systems, naturally mated and mated through artificial insemination (AI).
They also compared the impact of different cow weights, for a self-replacing Angus herd with and without an increase in calf weaning weight. Also compared was the impact of increasing the weaning rate from 84% to 90%. The study then considered changing the breed to an Angus-Friesian cross cow with replacement heifers bred from the dairy sector, using sexed semen, and selling the progeny store or prime, with and without premiums for Angus, using a natural mating option not artificial breeding.
When you put a registered Angus bull over an Angus-Friesian cow, progeny can qualify for the Angus Pure branded beef programme and receive significant premiums. Researchers also looked at the impact of changing the sheep to cattle ratio, right down to 20% sheep and 80% cattle.