Ngāputahi Station is now owned and run by Forbes and his son Angus, and there are three generations living on the property. Forbes’ granddaughter lives on the finishing farm and helps out with cattle work in her spare time — she has a young family. Forbes lives across the river from the main farm and still works at Ngāputahi every day.
Category Archives: Bull Buying
Mature Cow Traits for AngusPRO
Recently, during the 2024 TACE Enhancements, the mature cow height and mature body condition traits transitioned from RBVs to EBVs. These traits are only available on animals recorded with Angus Australia – AngusPRO.
Profit drivers for beef producers are commonly linked to growth and carcass traits. However, to continue to make more informed selection decisions for overall herd profitability, consideration of mature cow traits that impact the performance of the cow herd will be essential. Mature Body Condition score (MBC), Mature Cow Height (MCH), and Mature Cow Weight (MCW) should be considered for their impact on the efficiency of the cow herd and tailored to your environmental conditions and market demands.
CUP Scanning Finding Outliers
Mat Bailey from Bailey Scanning has been on a quest to bring better technology to the scanning world. In 2024 he travelled to America where he was certified under the Ultrasounds Guidelines Council (UGC) at Texas A&M University, as well as completing a Centralised Ultrasound Processing (CUP) Lab training programme at Iowa State University.
Weekly genetics review: Factoring the cost of feed into selection decisions
Feed cost is often cited among producers during the bull selling season. However the attention on feed costs in most discussions centres around the preparation costs of bulls presented forContinue reading “Weekly genetics review: Factoring the cost of feed into selection decisions”
Making better bull selection decisions with heifer matings
There are numerous factors which need to be considered when selecting a bull to mate over heifers. In many cases, the primary aim is to produce a live calf whichContinue reading “Making better bull selection decisions with heifer matings”
Using TACE percentiles in animal selection
Angus bulls sold within New Zealand are registered in two different databases — Angus Australia and Angus NZ. The TACE percentiles in sale catalogues are only relevant to the population they are compared against, meaning you can compare one AngusPRO animal against another, but these percentiles can’t be compared across different breed societies i.e. animals registered with Angus NZ.
AngusPRO Education Module — 14 May
The bull walks are underway and the sales are just a fortnight away! Do you know what direction you want to take your breeding herd? If your bull breeder isContinue reading “AngusPRO Education Module — 14 May”
AngusPRO Education Module — 1 May
The 2024 edition of AngusPRO magazine is here — you’ll find it in your mailbox in coming days, alongside the BEEF Country magazine, with complimentary copies delivered to every BeefContinue reading “AngusPRO Education Module — 1 May”
Bull Selection: Environmental Influences
The appearance and performance of a bull is a combination of its genetics plus a range of non-genetic influences. Non-genetic influences are numerous and include such things as: When selectingContinue reading “Bull Selection: Environmental Influences”
Setting a Breeding Objective
The key elements of the success in any breeding program are no different when using Angus bulls to those when using bulls of any breed, being careful planning, the useContinue reading “Setting a Breeding Objective”