This year there are 29 poll Hereford sires for sale on the Porangahau farm on May 30.
The sale will feature the first sons of senior herd sires Matariki 255 and Grassmere Gallant 996, both powerful bulls.
Data shows bulls from Glenbrae are the most powerful in the country in terms of growth, Martin said.
However, it’s important not to focus on any one trait but to take them all into account.
Maternal traits are very high with 90% of cows in the top 10% of the breed in the country for maternal excellence.
Emphasis is also put on carcase traits while the bulls are structurally correct.
Though EBVs are a fundamental part of the approach at Glenbrae, eye appeal and structure are not forgotten.
It’s a policy that is paying dividends with bulls from the stud performing well at the recent national Hereford sale at Kiwitea.
Norton 1716 was the top priced bull at the sale, attracting a price of $13,000.
The stud’s other bull at the national sale was Glenbrae Navigator 1711, which won reserve champion Hereford.
Together, the two bulls mean Glenbrae won the best two entries award.
Martin has held a bull sale for about 35 years, previously in Dannevirke before he and Mary moved to Porangahau. Farmers from all over the North Island attend the event with some from the South Island also making the trip.
The bulls always seem to shift well with most clients returning buyers, some of whom have been going back for a long time.
Martin usually contacts previous buyers presale to see if there have been any issues with bulls they have brought previously so if there have been problems they can be dealt with quickly.
There has been good interest in this year’s sale, he said.
Over the years Martin has worked with a variety of breeds but he’s sold on Herefords.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s he worked on the farm that ran the Angus test station and he has also played around with Charolais and Simmental cattle.
But he likes the temperament of Herefords and the growth they are capable of because even with all the hype around Charolais and Simmental growth rates they don’t outgrow high-performing Herefords.
