The Westview Farming Partnership in the Pohangina Valley, north of Palmerston North consists of five equal partners, one being managing partners Nicola Shadbolt and Shane Carroll.
Shane says they sold some 15-month heifers recently for $800 which would have only made $30 as bobbies.
“That’s what I call adding value.”
The partnership owns the stock and plant. Each partner has an equal share in Pohangina Land Company (No 1), which owns the land and buildings. In addition it also owns 41.2% of another equity partnership in a 530-cow dairy farm near Ashhurst. As well as being a shareholder in this farm, the partnership operates a 50/50 sharemilking contract on it as well as a 50/50 sharefarming contract on a recently accessed finishing farm, Cape Horn, near Cheltenham north of Feilding.
Westview Farming Partnership was originally established in April 1987 with a land holding of 993ha. It now farms 2391ha (1865ha effective), of which 1590ha is freehold and 801ha is leasehold. Sheep, beef and grazing units are farmed on 1430ha, a deer unit occupies 81ha, forestry is 61ha and the two dairy platforms, 354ha.
Most of Westview’s calves from its predominantly Friesian-Jersey dairy herds had traditionally been sold as bobbies. Only some of the colostrum and waste milk was used to rear replacement heifers.
Using the colostrum and waste milk to rear more or all of the calves was not an option because it generated a further problem. If these calves were sold on the store market their value would be significantly discounted, especially if they displayed any signs of Jersey genetics.
Shane says they recently had a very experienced agent value two lines of 15-month steers. One line was Hereford-Friesians (black with a white head) and the second line, Hereford-Friesians showing some Jersey – “Taranaki Tigers” – striped body with a white head. They were of a similar liveweight (LW) – however, the Taranaki Tigers’ were discounted by 40c/kg LW. “We understand this is due to the risk of them producing yellow fat. However, we have never had cattle downgraded because of this.”
A two-month old Simmental calf from a Friesian-Hereford cow.
Shane Carroll used to select Hereford bulls for crossing with the dairy cows that were within the top 1% for calving ease in the Australasian Breedplan Genetic Evaluation. However, now that he is rearing most of his white-head calves his selection criteria has changed. He now selects bulls that are within the top 5% for calving ease with as high 600-day weight estimated breeding values as he can get.
He says the best for calving ease are only in the top 40% for 600-day weight.
“There are no great growth curve benders in the Hereford breed it seems.”
Shane gets his Hereford bulls from Mike Cranstone, near Wanganui.
The dairy cows mated to Hereford bulls are those with mastitis problems and of poorer type and production as well as those that have not got in-calf from artificial insemination.
The only mature cattle permanently on Westview is a herd of 130 Hereford-Friesian cows. Their traditional role of maintaining pasture quality is under threat because most of this is now performed by autumn-calving dairy cows. The beef cows are generated from the dairy herds and are mated to Simmental bulls.
Their male progeny, once sold in the autumn weaner sales in Feilding, are now finished on Cape Horn at about 300kg carcaseweight at 20-22 months of age.
Nicola and Shane obviously feel satisfaction in achieving one of their goals in reducing wastage in their business while finally closing the loop in their dairy-beef integration project.
Strategic purpose
The Westview Farming Partnership’s strategy is to profitably deliver quality products to diverse markets through combined sheep, dairy, beef, deer and forestry enterprises in an integrated closed system operation that best allocates available resources, minimises waste, enhances animal welfare and assets (land, labour and capital) while minimising environmental impact.
