It is often said that beef cows are the hardest working, least loved animal on any farm, and The Wandle is no exception. We have high expectations of them; that they wean one calf a year, eat an endless amount of rank feed and don’t melt under pressure. This is the reality of our breeding and finishing operation, where we have many priority mobs, and the cows more often than not play a supporting role. My husband Gus and I manage this 2550ha farm at Middlemarch, under the umbrella of the Lone Star Farms group. Across the three Lone Star properties that have breeding cattle, the company has been taking steps to improve the genetic merit of the Angus cow herds, with 240 head here at The Wandle.
Category Archives: Bull Buying
WATCH: Introduction to angus.tech
Angus Australia have developed a YouTube video to assist New Zealand’s Angus breeders and AngusPRO clients with using their angus.tech database search tools. As we lead into the bull saleContinue reading “WATCH: Introduction to angus.tech”
More Angus Carcasses meeting Targets for Premium Supply Programmes
Angus farmers are well placed to reap the benefits of premium supply offers, with increasing numbers of carcases achieving the required criteria, says Darren Drury, category beef manager for AllianceContinue reading “More Angus Carcasses meeting Targets for Premium Supply Programmes”
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.
Using Angus SaleSELECT
The Angus SaleSELECT tool enables Angus breeders to search and sort the registered Angus animals that are currently available for sale and identify those animals that are most aligned with their breeding goals and objectives.
This modern, intuitive interface makes it easier for breeders to search, sort and compare animals, to pinpoint the exact genetics that are of interest to their enterprise.
AngusPRO Magazine 2023
It’s here — the magazine you’ve all been anticipating for the past 12 months. Our 2023 edition of the AngusPRO magazine is printed and in your rural mailboxes. This secondContinue reading “AngusPRO Magazine 2023”
Starting with the end in mind
Who eats beef, and what do they expect from it? Mark Mitchell is owner of Broadleaf. Established in 1988, Los Angeles-based Broadleaf is a niche protein supplier, importing New ZealandContinue reading “Starting with the end in mind”
Logical principles key to effective breeding programmes
Producing ‘better’ animals by improving their genetics is the goal of breeding. For most ‘better’ would be classified as more productive or generating higher returns.
Animal breeding programmes have three primary components: an objective, programme design and animal selection, which covers the ‘what,’ ‘how’ and ‘who’ necessary to improve your cattle.
AngusPRO Education Module – 4 May
It’s almost bull selling time. Careful selection of the most appropriate bulls offers a considerable opportunity to increase productivity and profitability within a beef breeding enterprise, with each bull having the potential to produce hundreds of progeny during its breeding life — The right decisions will pay their dividends!
Don’t be Quiet about Docility
During the recent Trans-Tasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE), a number of significant enhancements were made to the calculation of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), including the ability to calculate Docility EBVs on more than 60% more animals than had previously been available.