A snip from the ear of young heifer calves could be the key to bridging the meat quality consistency gap between New Zealand Angus beef cattle and the best American animals, South Canterbury stud breeder Tom Hargreaves says.
For the last couple of years his Kakahu Stud has sent samples to a United States laboratory for DNA testing to show the calves’ genetic make-up.
“In the past we’ve had to breed from a heifer to see what it can do for us but this test is supposed to be equal to having 15 calves on the ground.”
US consumers wanted to eat beef from grass-fed cattle so bought prime NZ product but there was still a gap in the flavour and tenderness consistency between that and what they could buy domestically, Hargreaves said.
“It’s narrowing but we’re still a long way behind and DNA testing before we breed from heifers could help rocket us ahead again.
“We do produce good tender meat but we do need to do more and there is progress being made, including the independent trials being done around the country by Beef + Lamb Genetics.”
Kakahu Stud, near Geraldine, imported Angus bulls from the US to give its home-bred cows a genetics boost and the stud’s operation was totally performance-driven to attain that all-the-time flavour excellence.
Hargreaves had just come from a record spring yearling bull sale with the average price jumping about $1100 over last year to above $4800 a head, providing encouragement for the main sale of 18-month bulls next June.
The yearling bulls were sold to be mated with heifers, highlighting the Kakahu strategy begun by Gerald Hargreaves when he started going to the US 25 years ago to buy Angus bulls and now carried on by son Tom, who has taken over management of the 1200ha property with sheep and a smaller Charolais stud as well.
Gerald was a stalwart for the NZ breed before he saw what was on offer in the US and was quickly converted.
There were just so many proven bulls to choose from.
They’ve believed for years now that the NZ breed would remain static without the outside influence.
“It’s all about the end-game, the end-product and the consumer. That and having progeny bred to last, with fertility and structure,’’ Tom said.
The programme was data-rich with carcase detail, growth rates, breeding values and the IMF ratio, which described the marbling effect giving the meat its flavour.
The objective was a breed with a shorter gestation, by just a few days, with easy (unassisted) calving of a resulting smaller calf, which had not grown out fully in the womb but then had a fast growth rate once it was born.
“If you have a calf born 10 days early and it grows 1kg a day and if you have a hundred or so them then you’re really talking.”
They work to sell calves to commercial farmers confident they can kill out a steer at 16 to 18 months with a processing carcase at 58% of live weight, rather than waiting till 24 months and having a 52% to 54% carcase.
“You’re talking more meat and that’s more money for doing nothing extra.”
Tom combines his farming business with an architectural practice operated from home.
The work mix was about 70% farming, including the paper work, and 30% on house designing.
He worked in commercial design in Christchurch then Melbourne before returning to the farm.
Wife Anna was a graphic designer and they would have stayed in Melbourne if they hadn’t had the farm to come back to.
“We love living here and architecture is my passion,’’ he said.
They work as a team on residential projects with Tom doing the shell and floor plan and Anna all the interior design. Current work includes homes at Tekapo and in North Canterbury.
Anna also operated the stud farm’s website.
Hargreaves said he had very good staff doing the day-to-day farm work – two on stock work, a tractor driver and a general hand.
Kakahu Stud also sold about 100 in-calf heifers each year to help commercial farmers upgrade their herds quicker than they could otherwise.
The June sale of 18-month bulls for mating with adult cows would remain the main bull sale though numbers would be kept around the current level of 100 to 120.
After this year’s success growth was likely in the yearling sale numbers, probably up to 40 next year from the 30 this year.
He keeps on coming back
West Otago farmer Harry Brennsell has been buying bulls off Kakahu for 25 years, buying every year at the main June sale and the yearling bulls in the spring.
The genetic quality of the animals had improved every year.
“I think they’re the top bulls in NZ for genetics,” the 76-year-old lifetime farmer said.
He bought two bulls at the latest sale, following his usual system.
He went through the sale catalogue to work out all the bulls that had the genetic requirements he wanted.
“We sorted out six this time and when we got there to see them, two had the confirmation that suited us so we bid on them.
“We had to work hard for them and got them at about the average price.”
Brennsell’s view was that farmers must keep improving their herds and that could be done only through the genetics programme.
“It’s no use just buying the prettiest bull.”
Brennsell was a believer in the use of American bulls in the breed because of the diversity and proven results they brought.
He’d also had a long-term practice of mating the heifers.
“That’s very important because you’re here to make money and there’s no point having them running around not producing and if they calf as heifers their milk is better as they get older.”
Brennsell still worked the cattle though his son Lloyd had taken over most of the running of their sheep and cattle farm.
They would be mating 300 heifers with the yearling bulls he bought.
