NZHCS Highland News March 2010: issue 61

March 2010 Issue 61 $3.50

Page 2 - Highland News - March 2010 - Issue 61

Quality fullblood HighlandsHome of consistent show winners

Overseas GeneticsGreat variety of pedigrees on offer

Variety of coloursBlack, brindle, dun, red, yellow and white

Quiet and well handledMany already been out in the public

Parentage verifiedBy DNA or bloodtype

Sale to be held On-site at 73 Taotaoroa Rd, MatamataPGG Wrightsons Auctioneers

Full Sale Catalogue can be viewed at: www.braco.co.nzFor a Printed Catalogue contact: Ian or Shirley on Ph. 07 888 1919 or E-mail [email protected]

“Cattle can be viewed any time – but no sales prior to auction”

“Complete Dispersal Sale”Sunday, 11 April 2010, 11.30am

Retiring Vendors, Ian & Shirley Blanchard

All Fullblood CattleFemales Males18 x In-calf Cows 1 x 3 yr Bull

5 x Rsg 2 Yr Heifers 2 x 2 Yr Bulls3 x Weaner Heifers 5 x Weaners

Highland News - March 2010 - Issue 61 - Page 3

What’s been happening…..Area reports

Canterbury Westland Area Reportby Cynthia Christie

Things have been relatively quiet on the Highlandscene since the last report.

Highlanders were well represented at the Royal Showin Christchurch. The Highland classes were judgedby Ashburton highland breeder Willie Christie and hewas one of the panel of judges for the interbreedclasses as well. Congratulations to all those who weresuccessful on the day. It is a lot of work to bring ani-mals to a Royal event and your efforts are valued.

On the 28th November we held our annual dinner tocelebrate St Andrews Day. This year we were hostedby fellow Highland Breeder Gorg Spiteri at his res-taurant The Palazzo Del Mariniao'. We all enjoyedgreat food and hospitality and having the chance to“yarn” with other breeders. We welcomed severalnew members at this event.

South of the North Report By Ewen Grant andDoug McLean

It’s been a busy show season in the South of theNorth since the last update.The season started with the Wairarapa A&P show in Carterton late November. A great showing ofHighland Cattle in both the purebred all breeds sec-tion and the lifestyle classes with NZHCS membersout in force.Then it was on to the Fielding show in December –again a great turn out.The big event for the lower north island was the 150th

anniversary show at Stratford. NZHCS memberLloyd Putt has long been an able volunteer for theA&P Society and arranged for Highlands to be shownin force with NZHCS breeders coming from North-land, Auckland, Taranaki, Manawatu and the Waira-rapa. With so many highlands in the pure bred sectionjudge Judy Smythe and assistant Errol Clark had abusy day too.Then the Horowhenua’s AP&I show in Januaryplagued by rain, and more rain, had the NZHCSmembers up against Murray Greys, Herefords andDexters.It’s a bit of a breather and then the Masterton showin late February where again there is a good show-ing of Highland listed in the catalogue.Looking forward to Queen’s Birthday weekend theWairarapa members "East Coast Coos" are excited &looking forward to hosting this year’s AGM in Mas-terton - with a distinct Scottish theme. Make sureit’s in your diary.

Otago Southland Report by Janice Bulling

We have twenty one folds who have paid a sub and theirowners joined as members of our club .Anyone who stillwishes to join our local club and attend field days is wel-come to do so by paying a $10 sub. We look forward tomeeting new members.

In November our members met for a field day hosted byLindsay and Isla Jean Tregonning. We had a get togetherwith tea, coffee and muffins thanks to the Tregonningsbefore viewing their cattle and returning for a pot lucklunch. This followed with a meeting and discussion aboutperformance based recording. Something many of us maywish to consider.

Our next field day is to be held in March when we willvisit Stu and Jacqui Dreavers . They breed highland cattlefor beef. This is a farm visit to learn about their businessventure producing highland meat products e.g. highlandpies and their beef supply.

Show season is under way and I wish you all well for theupcoming shows. Congratulations to those of you whohave already gained success in the recent shows.

Welcome New Members Leonie Mateer Kaeo

Franz and Diane Edgar WarkworthBrentley Smith and Karin Austurian AucklandKirsten St George and Glenn Cooper ManukauKarina and Jon Stretton HamiltonAlison and Richard Jeffcoat RaglanM and M Toogood Te ArohaGunado Farms Ltd ThamesAnne O'Halloran and Emerald Barlow Te Awamutu

Christiane Schmidt WanganuiAndrew and Penny Meuli HaweraSjoerd Schotanus PictonMike Wilson and Janette Shaw Christchurch

Organisation is well in hand for the NZHCS South IslandShow being held in conjunction with The North OtagoA&P Show on 27th February. The organising committeehas been working hard to make this a successful eventand we hope for a great turnout.


2010 AGM and Council Nomination Deadlines

28th February: Early Bird Accommodation Bookingdeadline at Copthorne Hotel and ResortSolway,Masterton

24th April: Deadline for Nominations to stand forCouncil

24th April: Deadline for Remits to the 2010 AGM forchanges the NZHCS Constitution

10th May: Registrations due for the AGM (late feewill apply for registrations received afterthis date)

27th April: Applications to host the 2011 AGM to beput toward Council

30th May: Final date for receiving votes if an Elec-tion for Councillors is required

4th – 7th June AGM and Conference Weekend, Master-ton (hosted by East Coast Coos)

The Councillors that are retiring in 2010 after their threeyear term are:Judy BruertonIan BlanchardEwen Grant

All three Councillors are eligible for re election if they sowish.

Therefore nominations for these three New Zealand High-land Cattle Society Council positions are called for. Nomi-nations are to be received by the Secretary, 72 JacksonRoad, RD 6, Rotorua 3096 no later than 12 noon on Satur-day 24th April 2010. Forms are available from the Society’swebsite or from the Secretary [email protected] Officer: W A Cleghorn JP, 64 Oturoa Road,RD 2, Rotorua 3072

GLEN CANNICHA change of circumstances mean that Iregretfully offer for sale the remainder

of the Glen Cannich Fold

Braco Uranium -dun, 2 yrs

Fenella of Glen Cannich -dun, 5 yrs

Jaimee of Glen Cannich -red, 3 yrs with

black bull calf at footContact Jenny McDonald,

07 3323953See Society website

For further details

Ginni AlexanderParish Line Rd,R D 2, PapakuraPh 09 292 8004

Quality purebred heifers and cows—most halter broken—all quiet

Inquiries and visitors welcome

Presidents Report February 2010It is hard to believe we are already half way through thesecond month of the year.Weather in Canterbury has been very changeable, wehave had our log burner on for the last two days!There has been a plentiful supply of grass with a lot ofsecond cuts. North Canterbury is well set up for winterfeed.We had a very productive Council Meeting in Februaryand I would like to thank all the Councillors for theirhard work, dedication and input into discussion. I ap-preciate their support. Thank you once again Michelle,Jenny and Noelene.Other members I would like to take this opportunity tothank are;Those who are out competing in the show ring, it is agreat way to promote our breed. The members who pur-chased calendars and those who sent in photographs.The organisers of the Virtual Show and congratulationsto the prize winners.The Bull Assessors around the country for your timeand distances travel. All the branches through out thecountry who are organising field days.National Highland Day coming up on the 18 April willbe a great day to promote our breed. We would like toencourage members to Open their Folds to the public onthis day, perhaps from 10am to 4pm. There will be aneditorial in several publications and a list of OpenFolds. Please give your details to your local councilloror to our Secretary by phone or email. In some areaslocal camera clubs have been approached to visit on theOpen Day.Remember to send news items, articles, photos, recipes,and poems to Noelene for the magazine. The more in-formation she gets the better it is.Please also to get your cameras out and start clicking fornext years calendarI am always pleased to hear from members, with theirideas and concerns and from non members interested injoining our friendly and progressive Society.I would like to wish all the Branches well for their ac-tivities this year.

Judy Bruerton


was accepted. Multiple ownership policy was accepted.Sale and Purchase Agreement Pro forma was ta-bled.A Sale and Purchase Agreement will be on the Website and there will be an article in the Maga-zine.Promotion A decision was made to advertise with the NZ Farmers Weekly/Country Wide and to approach Metservice.co.n.z.National Highland DayThere was discussion on how the day will be ad-vertised.Michelle is to co-ordinate approaches and editori-als. Michelle will also put together a small High-land Day kit for Open Fold members (PR, health and safety etc.).BannersSubject to quoted prices being confirmed 3 new banners will be purchased. AGM 2010 ReportA programme, registration form and castings were received from the organising committee. The pro-gramme and the registration form will be in this magazine issue. It was decided there should al-ways be a Council member on the organizingCommittee for Annual General Meetings. The Council is grateful for the work that is going in to the organisation of the AGM. A returning Officer was appointed for the 2010 election.Bull AssessmentDiscussion on the last round of Bull Assessments.DNAIt was proposed that as of 8 February 2010, it ishighly recommended that a hair sample suitable for DNA testing accompanies all application for registrations of all animals and that this will be-come compulsory from the 1 June 2010.RASA proposed meeting between the NZHCS,NZLHS, NHR and the RAS is planned for March.Beef Sub Committee Dehorning document is underway.Beef section to be put on website with business’snamed where Highland Beef can be purchased.Sale pages on the Web site to include Steers for sale.Michelle to organize a competition for recipes for Highland Stewing steak in the next magazine.General Business. There were several ideas put forward for investi-gation that are to be reported back to the next meeting.

Council Corner A Council meeting was held on the 6 & 7 Febru-ary. We were scheduled to start at 1pm, but a de-layed flight from Christchurch meant we did not get underway until 2pm. We worked until7.40pm, and then had discussion after dinner. On Monday we worked from 9am until 4.30pm. We covered a lot of ground.International GatheringA report was given from the meeting held in Christchurch on the 23 January 2010. There has been a good response. Thirty places have been booked with The Highland Cattle Soci-ety UK. These are being held until the end of March. Cynthia Christie reported that the plan to date is that people will make their own way to Glasgow the night before the gathering. After the official functions there is 6 days before the Oban show and sale. During this time there will be fold visits. Details of the Official functions are in this magazine.International Gathering 2012 The Council is giving serious consideration to bid-ding for the next International Gathering. We are thinking perhaps the start of the Gathering could be in Christchurch at the time of the 150 Anniver-sary of the Canterbury Show, moving further south and then functions in one or two spots in the North Island. It would be a great opportunity to promote our Society and Country.MagazineWe have received quotes for printing our maga-zine and from April it will be printed and posted with NZ Post verification of the database. This will make a considerable saving.NZHCS Herd Book ProposalA proposed procedure for bringing in animalsfrom the outside the herd book was tabled. There was very positive discussion. Interbreed Judges List In the last magazine it was reported that there had been a change of grading for two of our experi-enced judges. After submitting her CV, one of the judges has had her grading reinstated. The other has yet to submit her CV. ReportsThe following reports were received: MembershipMovements (new/resigned), Advertising, Work plan, Financial, Registrar, Area Reports and Sub-committees. Most of these reports are in the magazine.The Subcommittee Reports:PolicyConstitutional review. Doug MacLean tabled a planning document which


Harmony Update – Sue ColeI am sitting here at my desk working out the growth rates of cattle coming through the Harmony Beef venture andI am very pleased with the weight gains our finisher has been able to consistently achieve. On average he hasachieved 0.87 kg/day. We have had a couple of ‘odd ones’who have done poorly (for what reason is unclear) soif we remove them out of the equation our weigh gainsgo up to 0.99kg/day. Most of these cattle seem to bearound 3 to 3 ½ yrs old. A lot of the Heart of the Globe cattle prior this venture was also of a similar age but I didnot have weight data to ascertain growthrates. The hook weights would lead me to believe they were of a similarlive weight. It begs me to ask the question, why are ourcattle not making better weight gains up to this point?

Our own calves consistently growaround 1kg/day to weaning at 7months and have done for the 3 years we haveowned weigh scales (despite the droughts). We don’t feed them anything special but do feed out hay or haylagewhen grass growth stops, usually in Feb-March. Then theyare sold on, as we don’t have the area to complete thecycle to a finished product. When we have done home killsin the past our steers have been no older than 2yrsold and all had dead weights of 450kgs plus.

So we know they can achieve good growth rates at the beginning and the end so what is going on in the middle?

Of course we have winter to deal with where growth is bound to stumble a bit as shown in our Society growth rateguidelines.

We have all been told that they are slower growing than your standard modern cattle. But how slow is too slow?Most modern cattle finish at 18months and I was under the impression Highlanders would be able to finish ataround 24months. Are we feeding our cattle adequately or isit a genetic thing? Does anyone else have any datato shed some light on this? It would be very interesting todo some research on this, looking at NZ cattle in NZconditions.

Having a quick scan over various websites and articles specifically talking about highlanders, generally they alltalk about a finished steer at 2yr old weighing around450kg (0.58kg/day) or the live weight of their dam2. Ourown NZHCS growth rate chart for bulls is 500kg at 2yrs ( 0.65kg/day), heifer is 420kg at 2yrs (0.54kg/day).

One article I read on post weaning growth rates1 from a start weight of around 200kg to a pre-finished weight of400kg over 13ish months for breed groups showed as follows:

Breed Average daily gain (kg)Hereford 1.14Angus 1.08Hereford/Angus X 1.12Jersey X 1.04South Devon 1.2Limousin X 1.08Simmental X 1.25If a Jersey X can manage 1.04 average surely a highlander can do similar!?

Maybe it a matter of the perceived by-product of breeding stock ie steers, being undervalued because of their $value over scales is not that of our breeding stock.

All I am really pointing to is ‘Are we doing our cattlejustice?’ Most commercial farmers would not consider high-land cattle because of their perceived slow growth. But is itbecause the majority of us are novice or hobby farm-ers and just don’t know enough to get it right?

Now having had a glimpse of what weights these cattle canachieve on cow and at finishing surely we can get themiddle bit better managed so we can see more cattle sent tofinishing at 2yrs old with the same meat qualities. Ifit means feeding them more over 2 years or that same amount over 3years I know what I would rather do. Thespin offs could mean cattle rotations improve and more other farmers might use Highland bulls over their stock.Food for thought anyway!

Of news of how things are going in general, Harmony istargeting high-end restaurants and changes in menu areset for February-March so you may see your favourite cow on a menu near you soon. We have got an award win-ning restaurant in Wellington very interested in our product however we will only be able to supply the lunch menuat this stage. David is also working on a contract to movethe cheaper cuts through a well-known chain. I can’t yetgive you the names until the contracts are signed. I will post them on my website in due coursewww.heartoftheglobe.co.nz . Harmony is also supplying chefs in competitions with the Harmony product. So ifyou have cattle to move give us a call, things are starting to get very exciting!

For exampleIf you take an overall look at a 3yr old steer weighing 550kg finished, his overall growth rate is only 0.48kg/day

1095days / 525kg (550kg less birth weigh of 25kg) = 0.48kg/day

So if he makes 1kg/day to weaning and 1kg/day at finishing, the growth rate in the middle period must be downto 0.2-3kg/day.


Of the cattle coming to the finishers and going to theworks, the general quality has been excellent, and all havegraded P2 as suspected. Marbling has been awesome. Things to watch however are dehorning and castrationtechniques. We have had to send a couple of steers to the works early whose horns were growing into theirheads. Also some suspicious bullish behaviour has led usto discover a few rigs amongst the herds. These arenot eligible for our programme and have had to be moved on at market rates.With market rates now around the $3.20/kg mark, farmerswill be please with the $4/kg they receive back fromHarmony. On a 450kg animal, that’s a bonus of approx $150 per animal (including costs).

The Counties/ Manukau Club had a very enlightening field dayat our place in November talking about feed typeand quality, and dehorning techniques. It was very well received and we would consider running it again if anyonewas interested. We intend to have another field day in late March on something revolving around soil, fertiliserand grasses. The finer details are yet to be worked out. If you are interested in attending let me know. One of thespeakers has written a lead-in article for this quarters magazine.

Sue [email protected]

1 Characterization of Biological Types of Cattle II. Post weaning Growth and feed efficiency of steers –Gerald M Smith at al, Journal of Animal Science, 1976

2 Websites of - American Highland Cattle Society, Canadian Highland Cattle Society

Harmony is also offering Highland cattle society members a special deal. In the usual case of whenwe all home kill, we first run out of prime cuts. Harmony is offering you the opportunity to top upyour freezer from their chiller, prime cuts (when available) at wholesale price + GST.

“Its all about supporting each other to get the job done.”

HAWERA A& P SHOW Other Breeds: Cow with calf at foot1st Julie Neilson - Nadia of Berwick

2nd G & W Gadsby – Christina of Berwick

3rd Lloyd Putt – Trixie of Littlecreek

2 Year old Heifer1st Non Member

2nd Mandy Neilson – Kiki of Julzanda

Bull Yearling1st & 2nd Other Breed

3rd G & W Gadsby - Dundee of Berwick

Heifer Yearling1st Lloyd Putt – Tracey of Littlecreek

2nd Non Member

Bull Calf–1st Other Breed

2nd Julie Neilson – Mc Caw of Julzanda

Reserve ChampionJulie Neilson – Nadia of Berwick

Quality, quiet stock for sale, heifers and cows.Introducing our new fullblood sire

McIntyre of Glen Tannock(Sire Black Watch Emmett,Dam Alana of Braesteen)

First crop of progeny on the groundAvailable for lease -

bookings taken now for next season

Dave & Sue Cole94 Farm Park Rd, Glenbrook, Auckland

Ph 021 1348750

GLEN TANNOCKSCOTTISH HIGHLAND CATTLE


The 2009 Virtual Highland Cattle Show has been run and won. Congratulations to Gisela & Dr. Dietrich KlosnerFaugustenhof Fold, Germany who won the Supreme and Grand Champion Female and Grand Champion Bull. A total of 106 entries were received from Austria, Belg ium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Australia, New Zealandand the USA.Our panel of Judges consisted of Mr. Malcolm Moy (Senior Herdsman at the Pollock Fold, Glasgow City) Scotlandand past Councilor and on the panel of Judges In the UK. Mr. Eddie Mackay, Past President of the American High-land cattle Society, and Mrs. Sue Boland Past President of the Australian Highland Cattle Society.The show itself came about after a group of interested Highland Breeders started to discuss items on the internet.From those discussions, Nicola Almoosa form Wales in the UK, Noelene Gallagher from New Zealand and myselfput together an idea to host a Virtual show on the net. All th ree of us had run the shows for our societies in the past.Unfortunately as no society was interested in hosting the show it was decided to go it alone. A Domain name wasregistered and invitations sent out looking for entries and sponsors. The German and New Zealand Societies donatedCash a long with a donation from Bears Over there (Collectables) (Australia) to support the event (a sincere thanks).This allowed the purchase of rosettes that will shortly be sent to all winners. The entry for the show was free for allclasses with only a small fee charged to have a link to a home page. Only one entry was allowed for each class perfold thus restricting multiple entries. Another part of the show was the People’s Choice awards. The animals in theseclasses were chosen by breeders. To send in there choices, the persons had to be a registered fold, or a member ofthe Highland Breeders group on Face book. Entries in classes 7 and 8 did not require membership to a society to en-ter. All other entries had to be from official recognised herd books.The Judges had a difficult time coming to a consensus but eventfully they were able to pick there Champions andplace winners. A magnificent white cow was placed supr eme exhibit and Grand Champion cow Bonita von der Som-merleite. Grand Champion Bull went to Ceannard 4th of Glengorm also owned by Gisela & Dr. Dietrich Klosner. Winners & place getters came from around the globe. In total in the official judging five firsts went to Germany, andfirst place winners also from Finland, Austria, Denmark and Australia. Second place winners came from Australia,Austria, Finland Denmark and Germany. Third Place came from Australia, Austria, Germany and New Zealand.In the People’s choice award, the place winners were very similar despite 37 people passing judgment. In first place,Australia, Finland, Germany and New Zealand. Second placed were Denmark, Australia, and Germany.Third placed were from Australia, Austria, Belgium, New Zealand and the USA.It is hoped that the 2010 show may commence in the coming months and sponsors for the event will again be sort.A sincere thank you to all those that took part in the event, and for the messages of encouragement form breeders along the way. Without your support it would have been a non event. Such a show is the only way breeders can com-pete internationally without having to leave the farm., as it is impossible to have European, American, Australianand New Zealand cattle all in the ring at the same time. May be as the internet grows we can look at improving theevent by having classes of videos instead of photos, but that would be a long way down the track an a lot more than Iwish to take on at this time.So please keep an eye on the pages for further information at www.virtualcattleshow.com free entry will be repeatedso stay tuned and again Thank you.

2009 Virtual Highland Cattle Show By Trevor Perry—Australia

CEANNARD 4th of GlengormDOB 6.05.04

Sire: Campbell Ruadh of DalriadaDam: Mairina 4th of Glengorm

Exhibitor Gisela & Dr. Dietrich KlosnerAUGUSTENHOF FOLD

GERMANY

BONITA von der SommerleiteDOB 20.04.2005

Sire: Dylan Geal vom AugustenhofDam: Berta vom Frankenwald

Exhibitor Gisela & Dr. Dietrich KlosnerAUGUSTENHOF FOLD

GERMANY


PROGRAMMEFri 4th June 2010: An informal get together at Cafe Solway & Golf Range from 7pm for those arriving early.

Sat 5th June 2010:10:30am Registration

12:00pm Lunch 1:00pmNew Zealand Highland Cattle Society AGM 6:00pmNew Zealand Highland Cattle Society Gala Dinner - Seated 4 course dinner and dance with several diverse entertainments.

Sun 6th June 2010 “Mystery Manoooooooooeuvres” Bus Tour Including:Travel Arrangements.Refreshments: Morning Tea, Lunch, AfternoonTea, Wine Tasting and Dinner (with cash bar). Attractions:

The world's most colourful shells. One of 4 sites of International Significance in New Zealand. One of the '101 must dos for Kiwis'. Fold Visit. Presentations: DNA Profiling – its so much more than parentage verification. Electronic Stud Record Keeping – it doesn't have to be expensive or complicated.

Mon 7th June 2010 Make your own way around the open folds.

Join us for a Wonderful Wairarapa Weekend

Queen's Birthday Weekend

Fri 4th – Mon 7th June 2010

NZHCS AGM & Gatheringhosted by East Coast Coos

Across:2. Dangerous in a china shop with those horns. 3. Place to run naked with the driuds. 5. Once a year gathering. 7. Blow the bags don't smoke them. 8. A wee tot of au de vie. 9. A sour old grape. 10. Formal Italianate Clippings. 11. Too old for a heifer. 13. caned jitterbug. 16. Speeding along at 78, 45 or 33. 17. 7 across and

Down: 1. Double helix tells you who's your daddy. 2. Animal in black & yellow stripes, that is (abbrev). 4. God of sheep & cattle herds. 6. Having a Duchess for high tea. 7. Abalone retailer. 8. Sherlock Holmes' hat. 12. Great chieftan of the pudding race. 14. Scottish Family 15. A wrinkled gaelic stud


63 x Standard Hotel Studio Rooms

Comprises one room only with two queen beds, tea and coffee making facilities,fridge, mini-bar, flat screen TV with Sky channels, air conditioning and an en-suite bathroom:NZHCS Early Bird Rate:

Room Only - $130.00 per room per night.Bed & Breakfast - $159.00 per room per night.

NZHCS Rate:Room Only - $140.00 per room per night.Bed & Breakfast - $169.00 per room per night.

23 x Superior Hotel Studio Rooms

Comprises one room only with one king bed, tea and coffee making facilities,fridge, mini bar, flat screen TV with Sky channels plus DVD player, slippers androbes, air-conditioning and an ensuite bathroom.NZHCS Early Bird Rate:

Room Only - $180.00 per room per nightBed & Breakfast – $209 per room per night

NZHCS Rate:Room Only Rate $190.00 per room per nightBed & Breakfast - $219.00 per room per night

5 x Junior Suites

Comprises two bedrooms with one king sized bed in the front bedroom, flat screen TV with Sky channels, tea and coffee making facilities, air-conditioning,separate toilet and bathroom with shower box. The back bedroom has two sin-gle beds and a flat screen TV with sky channels.

NZHCS Rate: Room Only - $200.00 per room per night

3 x Executive Suites

Consists of one separate bedroom withone king bed, separate lounge with din-ing table and chairs, leather lounge suite, tea and coffee making facilities, fridge,mini bar, slippers and robes. Flat screen TV with Sky channels, DVD player and air conditioning in both bedroom and lounge. Separate bathroom with spa bathand separate shower box.

NZHCS Rate: Room Only $220.00 per room per night

There are also 7 x economy rooms available at a special room only rate of $99.00 per room per night.They consist of one queen & one single bed, tea and coffee making facilities, TV with sky channels andan ensuite bathroom

East Coast Coos in the Wairarapa are continuing to work on the2010 AGM. The room rates & “Early Bird Specials” at the Cop-thorne Hotel & Resort in Masterton are given below; sonow you can get mooooving and book your accommodation.

Copthorne Hotel & Resort Solway Park Room Types & Rates forNew Zealand Highland Cattle Society 04-Jun-2010 to 07-Jun-2010

• All rates include GST.• All rates are for a maximum of two adults and two children under 14 years per room.• Any other person sharing the same accommodation room are charged at $35.00 per person per night.• Same rate for single occupancy as for double/twin share• Early Bird Rates available for bookings made prior to 28-Feb-2010.• To receive these special rates please Quote Booking Reference Number 66170• Booking can be made by calling 0800 SOLWAY (0800 765 929) or email [email protected]


Biological Farming forbeef farmersby Clive Sinclair and Jacalyn Reynolds

On the surface, soils might appear to only be an inert mass of min-erals and organic matter that our grasses/ crops either flourish orfail in. Taking a closer look reveals an incredibly complex web oforganic molecules, and minerals. In a healthy and functionallyactive soil these are all intertwined with microbiology and numer-ous water and air filled pores l. Maintaining and growing the biol-ogy of the soil requires careful, thoughtful farming practices thatenhance rather than harming the physical and biological elements inthis complex relationship – this is the approach commonly nowbeing referred to as Biological farming.

Biological farming is not new. Generations of farmers have suc-cessfully followed many biological farming methods. The aim ofbiological farming is to work together with the microbiology inyour soils in order to produce economic returns from healthy, nutri-tious pasture and crops.

Biological farming means farming to maximize productivity andprofits over time by understanding and working with biologicalprocesses (whereas conventional practices focus on maximum pro-ductivity and profits ASAP, and don’t give a @#$% about biologi-cal processes) G.Zimmer

During all management decisions, Biological Farmers place thegreatest emphasis on enhancing the health of the soil and all themicrobiology that live in it. Think of soils as a housing complexfor microbes. They need food, water and air to breath. The healthand productivity of your farm is in direct proportion to the number, activity and balance of soil organisms consisting of bacteria, fungi,algae and larger organisms such as earth worms.

If you have good populations of earth worms this is a pretty goodindication that you also have good numbers of the much smallerand harder to quantify microbiology. Biological farmers recognisethat these minute helpers are critical. Healthy soils containing theright balance of nutrients, along with the right communities of mi-crobes to cycle and deliver them, will produce healthy, nutritionallybalanced and nutrient dense pastures and in turn healthier stock andpeople. Therefore, every day to day decision that is made considersthe effects on the soil. For example:

Everything applied to the pasture or soil has the potentialto impact on the soil biology. All fertilisers (such asphosphate, potassium, sulphur etc) and soil improv-ers (such as lime, and fish nutrient) should be con-sidered in terms of the quality of food they providefor the microbes, not just theirmineral content.

Herbicides and pesticides have thepotential to damage soil flora(minute plants) and fauna(minute animals). Creating im-balances in the soil biology canreduce your soils ability to keeppopulations of pest organisms inbalance. The use of agriculturalchemicals that disrupt the mi-crobes is extremely negative andshould be used with care.

Grazing strategies need to considerthe soils inherent susceptibility tosoil compaction. You don’t wantto break down the soil structure,which are the microbes livingquarters, as this will reduce thepores that are filled with air andwater. Many of the microbes livehere and work away for free cy-cling nutrients and delivering

them to your plants roots.Just one episode of overgraz-ing can significantly reduce your below ground workerswith long term implications on your pasture. Biologicallydiverse soils have a better capacity to resist damageand also to repair themselves, compared to soils withlow numbers of inhabitants.

In terms of grazing residuals, it should be remembered thatplants not only feed your cattle but also exude sugarsinto the soil, from their roots. These sugars feed themicrobes, building their populations which in turn cycleincreased amounts of nutrients and deliver them back tothe roots to feed the pasture. Plants often struggle toobtain the minerals and trace elements the microbiologydeliver, with out this close and beneficial relationship.Chemical regimes can disrupt, or even entirely destroy,critical elements in these relationships. The plants in achemical regime would often struggle to obtain enoughminerals and trace elements to produce dry matter with-out this close and beneficial relationship with the soilmicrobial biomass. Bare soils and very hard grazed pas-ture starve the microbes. You don’t want to do anythingthat reduces the populationsof these beneficial mi-crobes in your soil.

Cultivating soils seriously disrupts the structure of soilswhereas pastoral farming is by comparison, far more soilfriendly, as long as inappropriate inputs are not used.One key aim of biological farmers is to facilitate biologi-cal processing and protection of organic matter to buildtop soils.. This in turn maintains and builds soil carbon,soil structure and long term fertility whilst reducing nutri-ent losses. Soils have to be treated with the utmost careto protect the productive capacity of the soil.

Increasing numbers of farmers are examining alternative managementoptions and products that exist in the market place, in particular theirreliance on pesticides and high analysis and salt-based fertilisers.

By building your biology within your soil it has been proven that youcan, over time, increase your phosphate and nitrogen levels, lessen un-wanted weeds that flourish under sub optimal conditions, balance bene-ficial verses harmful fungus and bacteria leading to less unwanted ani-mal health problems like facial eczema. In general, by spending a littlemore time to tread carefully over the soil can reap benefits to the soil,farmer, livestock, pasture and bank balance.

We will be speaking more on this subject at a Counties/ Manukau fieldday in March. Any one interested should contact Sue Cole [email protected] or Martin McLeod [email protected]

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Cory Neilson in young handlers section of Stratford Show

SUNDAY 29th NOVEMBER2009Judges: Judy Smyth & Errol Clarke

Handler 14 Yrs & Under Cory Neilson Mccaw of Julzanda

Cow with or without calf at foot 1st M & C Mcleod/Atkinson Gilleana of Te Mata Hills 2nd L Putt Trixie of Littlecreek 3rd J Neilson Nadia of Berwick

2 year old heifer with or without calf at foot 1st D & S MacLean Mollie of Kellean 2nd D & J Sheldon Eadon Suisaidh 3rd D & J Sheldon Eadon Moranda

Bull Yearling 1st G & W Gadsby Dundee of Berwick 2nd D & J Sheldon Eadon Vaughan 3rd R Thorpe Niallan of Selsorahc

Heifer Yearling 1st M & C McLeod/Atkinson Sorrento of Te Mata Hills 2nd L Putt Tracey of Littlecreek 3rd B Driffill Bella of Kellean

Heifer Calf 1st G & W Gadsby Fleur de Lis of Berwick 2nd M & C McLeod/Atkinson Jade of Te Mata Hills

Bull Calf 1st J Neilson Mccaw of Julzanda

NOVICE ANIMAL – NEVER WON A FIRST PLACING AT ANY A&P SHOW 1st L Putt Tracey of Littlecreek 2nd M & C McLeod/Atkinson Jade of Te Mata Hills 3rd J Neilson Mccaw of Julzanda

NORTH ISLAND CHAMPION FEMALE M & C McLeod Atkinson Gilleana of Te Mata Hills

RESERVE CHAMPION FEMALE D & S MacLean Mollie of Kellean

NORTH ISLAND CHAMPION MALE G & W Gadsby Dundee of Berwick

RESERVE CHAMPION MALE J Neilson Mccaw of Julzanda

NORTH ISLAND SUPREME CHAMPION HIGHLAND

G & W Gadsby Dundee of Berwick

RESULTS FROM STRATFORD CENTENARY A & P SHOW Inc NZHCS NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS


Royal New Zealand Show—Canterbury This show was a great way to start the “Show Season”. A busy week,but an enjoyable one. A big thank you to Willie Christie, who judgednot only the Highland Cattle, but also the Interbred Classes.

Champion Senior FemaleCeit Geal of Glenburn Grant and Cathy Watts

Reserve Champion FemaleChiquitita of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts

Champion Yearling HeiferShanase of Abberley Harry and Beth Prescott-Ballagh

Reserve ChampionDundee of Abberley Harry and Beth Precott-Ballagh

Champion Senior BullHunter of Trelissick Harry and Beth Prescott-Ballagh

Reserve ChampionKillwillie of Middlebank Downs Harry and Beth Prescott-Ballagh

Champion Yearling BullBarack of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts

Reserve ChampionArmunn Duidhe of Strathburn James Brown

SUPREME CHAMPION CEIT GEAL OF GLENBURN

SOUTH OTAGO SHOW RESULTSCow 3 years and over1st Dexter entry2nd Ceit Geal of Glenburn Grant and Cathy Watts3rd Dexter entry

Cow 2 years1st Chiquitita of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts2nd Dexter entry3rd Aimee of Pottidoon Lyn Samuels

Champion Senior Cow Chiquitita of Pottidoon

Yearling Heifer1st MacKenzie of Pottidoon Brian and Rosalie Hutton2nd Chianti of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts3rd Morag of Pottidoon Brian and Rosalie Hutton

Pair of Yearlings1st 1st MacKenzie and Morag of Pottidoon Brian and RosalieHutton

Yearling Bull1st Barack of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts

Champion Yearling Barack of PottidoonReserve Champion Yearling MacKenzie of Pottidoon

SUPREME HIGHLANDER OF SHOWBARACK OF POTTIDOON

Senior Meat & Wool Cup against traditional beef breeds—South Devon entry

Reserve—Chiquitita of Pottidoon

Junior Meat & Wool Cup—South Devon entry

Reserve—Barack of Pottidoon

Grant Watts with Barack of Pottidoon, whowon Supreme Highlander at this show

Rosalie Hutton with her winning yearlingMacKenzie of Pottidoon


FULL BLOOD YEARLING BULLS FOR SALE Check website for details

EADON HIGHLAND FOLD

Doug and Jenny Sheldon Kanohi Road, Kaukapakapa Phone 09 4204065 / 021 938641 Email: [email protected] Web: www.eadon.co.nz

Fold size approx. 30 breeding cows plus young stock

Stud Bulls are:Black Bear of Ruatiti—sire of many champions Braco Tempest—sired by Rushmore Bracken Eadon Cailean—from Glen Cannich / Braeburn Folds

Visitors Welcome—please phone first

FOR SALE

Eadon Victor - Full brother to Braco Ulster, the Supreme Champion of the NZHCS North Island Win-ter Show in 2009.

Cows and heifers also available for sale, vetted in-calf if appropriate


Timetable

Wednesday 29th September 2010Registration9.00 a.m - 12 noon at designated hotels within Glasgow. Burrell Collection, Pollok Park, Glasgow1.00p.m. Welcome from the President of the Highland CattleSociety1.30 p.m. Afternoon Seminar - The role of Highland Cattle inthe 21st CenturySpeakersJacquelyn Becker Chotkowski, President of American High-land Cattle Association, Dr. St ephan Janz, Jiggel Fold, Ger-many, Iain MacKay, Cnoc-na-Sith Fold, Isle of Mull, RobertPhillip, Hellifield Fold, Yorkshire2.30 p.m. Coffee 3.00 p.m. QuestionsFinish approximately 3.45 p.m.5.30 p.m. Coaches leave Glasgow at designated pick uppoints for dinner7.00 p.m. Delegate Dinner at Stirling Castle (first 240 appli-cants only)Formal Dress – Highland Dress, National Dress, Tuxedos, Black Tie12 midnight return to Glasgow to hotels

Thursday 30th September 2010Burrell Collection, Pollok Park, Glasgow10.00 a.m. Welcome – Archie Mc Arthur, past president ofHighland Cattle SocietyCoffee10.30 a.m. How to Breed the right cattleA chance to put your questions to the panel William Lipsey,Editor of The Bagpipe – Journal American Highland CattleAssociation, Dr Basil Lowman, Scottish Agricultural Col-lege, Jack Ramsay, Millerston Fold, Ayrshire, David Soutar, Farms Director, Strathmore Farming Company, Glamis Cas-tle, Angus12.30p.m. All delegates will be picked up from the BurrellCollection to attend the fold of their choice.Killochries Fold, Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire by kind permis-sion of Mr & Mrs I Graham www.killochriesfold.comWoodneuk Fold, Barrhead, Glasgow by kind permission ofthe Thomson Family www.woodneuk.com6.00 p.m. Return to hotels in Glasgow7.00 p.m. Civic Reception in Glasgow City Chambers bykind permission of the Lord Provost ofGlasgow and a tour round the chambers.8.00 p.m. Evening freeFriday 1st October 20108.00 a.m. Pick up from designated pick up points in GlasgowVisit Glamis Castle, one of Scotland’s most important andiconic historic buildings and view both the pedigree High-land Cow and the first cross Highland x Simmental on thehill farms.Return to Glasgow for a free evening.

Saturday 2nd October 20109.30 a.m. Pick up from designated pick up points in GlasgowVisit Pollok Park for the day and attend the City of GlasgowInternational Highland CattleShow. 5.00 p.m. Return to hotels7.00 p.m. Picked up from designated pick up pointsCeilidh & Supper – Glasgow Science CentreWelcome – The President of the Highland Cattle SocietyOpen to allCoaches to return to hotelsMain Gathering EndsCosts to delegates £100Includes the full conference, all travel, delegate dinner andtravel to Stirling Castle, fold visitsand evening ceilidh & supper on Saturday 2nd October. Full information packs and booking forms available fromwww.highlandcattlesociety.com [email protected]

Fold Information for Thursday 30th September 2010KILLOCHRIES FOLDThe Killochries Fold of Scottish Highland Cattle came into being when in 1995the Highland Cow Seud Bhuidhe 215 of Benmore was bought in calf at thePedigree Highland Cattle Show at Oban. This cow’s first calf, Seamus of Kil-lochries, became our first stock bull, we do know that his calves were fast grow-ing, sweet cattle of the highest quality. Soon we were expanding, preferring toembrace organic farming we aimed to provide a habitat that benefited not onlyour newly emerging Fold but also the local wildlife, in particular protected birdsand the rare Brown Hare. The Fold is now in its fourteenth year, includes aspecialist Black Fold of Highland Cattle and has gained a reputation of breedingonly high quality Highland Cows, Calves and Bulls. We now have over 300animals based between Killochries Fold and Drumcross Farm. You can take atour of our Fold through the pages of our website, www.killochriesfold.co.uk andtrace the Killochries lineage through many other Highland Folds in the UK. Viewthe progress of our organic policy and how we are implementing our objectivesto improve the habitat for bird life, including protected birds and the BlackGrouse here in Scotland. We look forward to welcoming you to Killochries inSeptember.WOODNEUK FOLDThe Thomson family is delighted to be one of the Fold visits on Thursday 30thSeptember 2010 as part of the International Highland Cattle Gathering. The foldwas founded in 1954 with only 9 Pedigree Highlanders and today numbers over250 Highland Cattle of all ages. Woodneuk is a family operated farm with 250Highland and 100 Shorthorn Cross cattle. Woodneuk is an exposed hill farmwith marginal ground overlooking the city of Glasgow and much of west centralScotland. Some of the ground is situated in a country park where people haveopen access, and the local council benefit from the conservation grazing of thecattle. Over the years we have shown Pedigree Highland Cattle at local andnational shows with success and some of the cattle we have exported have alsodone well abroad. In 2006 and 2008 we were the UK large show fold winners.2009 was also a successful year with 5 show championships with various cattle.The cattle are not here just to look good but have a function as a fantastic beefanimal producing quality beef. Our highland beef is mainly sold locally, thereforereducing our carbon footprint, with low food miles from farm to customer. On thevisit we will have Highland Beef prepared for you to taste having seen the condi-tions they are kept on. We were one of the early farms to be registered in theFarm Assurance Scheme run by Quality Meat Scotland. As one of the oldestand largest folds in the UK, we would be delighted to share our experiences andshow a wide range of cattle in there natural surroundings. If you would like moredetails please visit our web site www.woodneuk.com or contact us by e-mail [email protected] We look forward to seeing you during this fantastic event.William, Tom & the Thomson family


REGISTRAR’S REPORT—APRIL 2010Since the last magazine there have been:-

53 Cattle Registrations 73 Transfers 9 Herd registrations No meetings off the RLC but a number of items circulated via

e-mail for comments and have proceeded from there with the appropriate action.

There has been a steady number of registrations coming over my desk during the holiday season and it has been very pleasing to note that few have had to be referred back for more information or verifi-cation. It would make my job a breeze if this were always the case! BULL ASSESSMENTS The last round of bull assessments saw 32 bulls being assessed plus four more out of season, a total of 36 altogether representing 14 breeders. At the latest Council meeting it has been agreed to appoint two Bull Assessment Co-ordinators for each island. Their role will be to co-ordinate each round of assessments and hopefully better utilise the assessors’ time. The North Island Co-ordinators are Martin McLeod and Doug Maclean with the South Island being looked after by Judy Bruerton and Gavin Reid. Members will need to fill out a bull as-sessment request form and post it to the Registrar along with the appropriate fees as per usual. The Registrar will then collate the lists and send them to the appropriate co-ordinator. If you like you may also advise the co-ordinator but in the end, if there is no form and fee, then there is no assessment. It is time again to be sending in bull assessment request forms for the April round. After I receive these I send the person requesting an assessment an information sheet listing the guidelines of things they need to see to in order to make it a smooth process for them and the assessors. During the last round a new owner took the instructions literally to the letter and thus arrived at the conclusion that the bull was not sufficiently prepared to be assessed. They thought the bull should be more or less “eating out of your hand” and if it wasn’t then it would be penalised during the assessment. The guidelines are just that – a guide. The bull does need to be able to be handled, as in getting it into suitable yards. Standing still in the paddock while a whole bunch of strangers move around it trying to take measure-ments and read tags will upset even the quietest animal - not to men-tion safety issues. Grooming is your choice. Whether the bull is well groomed or not makes no difference when it is doing its job. So as long as there are suitable facilities and the bull is able to be con-tained for the purposes of reading tags and taking measurements, then there is no problem. If you are at all unsure, rather than worrying, please contact either myself, the North or South Island Co-ordinators or your local coun-cillor. All will be able to explain what is necessary and sometimes it is easier to talk to someone than go by something written down. MULTIPLE OWNERSHIP OF ONE ANIMAL From time to time I have been asked how we deal with two or more existing Society members owning one animal. To date this has usu-ally been a bull. With the introduction of the new database systems it was impossible to list multiple owners of one animal without that group of people taking out a new membership. Obviously this was an expense that was not warranted, not wanted and would have cre-ated much unnecessary duplication of paperwork. Michelle and I have now been able to work out a way of recording the multiple ownership without all the unwanted bits going with it. The following points should be taken into account if you wish to record an animal as being in multiple ownership:-

The multiple owners must all be current financial members of the New Zealand Highland Cattle Society (A member can be a single person, a partnership, a husband and wife, a business entity or a syndicate. In the case of the latter four they may

already have joint ownership of all animals in their posses-sion but they have just one membership of the Society. The purpose of what we are recording here is if two or more of these memberships wish to own an animal between them.)

One person must be nominated as the main contact person for pur-poses of correspondence

Any animal already registered in the New Zealand Highland Cattle Society Herdbook or which qualifies to be registered in the NZHCS Herdbook may have multiple ownership.

All multiple owners will receive a copy of the registration certifi-cates.

The multiple owners will not receive any additional newsletters, registers or other Society publications

The nominated contact person will be responsible for completing the annual Herd Return.

To date we have three animals recorded in this way since we were able to do it. I realise there are other animals out there which would qualify to be recorded in this way. If you wish to have the multiple ownership of an animal recorded please contact me. If you are selling an animal and the purchasers wish to have it re-corded as multiple ownership then simply write the owners names on the transfer certificate. Unless advised otherwise, the name which appears first will be taken as the nominated contact person. BEEF RECORDS As an off-shoot of some of the discussions held around the council table about Bull Assessments it was noted that many beef breeds now require their members to hold far more extensive records of their animals’ growth. It is hoped to have an article in the next magazine about this and its advantages. In brief, part of this record keeping requires regular checks on weight gain rather than taking a yearly figure and working out a daily average as we at present do. This entails actual birth weight (not an arbitrary figure) and then weight checks at regular intervals there after, e.g. every six weeks or three months, etc. These results would help to show which cows and sires are best for producing heavier animals and those with better feed conversion rates thus leading to better information to base breeding and culling on. If you are expanding the beef side of your herd then this is worth considering and is not an expensive exercise. It only requires a little more of your time. WEB SITE It was agreed at the recent council meeting that from now on steers may be advertised on the web site for sale. Contact the secretary if you wish to list. And to finish this report a little story of highland cattle folk. I re-cently attended our past Secretary Jane’s birthday party. (It was one of those significant numbers that we all have every 10 years or so.) It was a good old fashioned shindig in the local hall with a great celtic band and guests were asked to “dress formally”. There was a small core of us “hairy moo” people and I would have to say that the best dressed gents there were none other than John Doull and Phil McCarthy – hats, bow ties and tails. As always, we highland cattle people know how to do things! The ladies were stunning too, of course! Who did the most dancing – why, those hairy moo people, who else? And I am quietly wondering whether we shouldn’t also be incorpo-rating a motor home society. It seems they are a very popular method of getting about with our members these days. What with our past president Shane and magazine editor Noelene travelling the countryside in one, councillor Doug Sheldon and his wife Jenny touring when they get the chance, and the two couples mentioned in the previous paragraph both retired gracefully to their motor homes parked out the back of the hall after the do was over. No having to appoint a sober driver or risk D.I.C. for them. They even provided bacon and eggs for us the next morning while we had a chat about what bought us all together in the first place many years ago – high-land cattle. I think that fulfils one of the aims of our Society beauti-fully!

Jenny McDonald, NZHCS Registrar


yearly figure and working out a daily average as we at present do.

and is not an expensive exercise.

all have every 10 years or so.)

1. MostEconomical

2. Healthiest

3. Tastiest

Each winner will receive aHealthy Food Guide recipebook and a free 6 monthsubscription to the HealthyFood Guide magazine.

Conditions:

There is no restriction on whocan enter this competition.The “Most Economical” and“Healthiest” categories will bejudged by the nutritionists atthe Healthy Food Guide. The“Tastiest “recipe will bejudged by a professionalchef. The Judge’s decisionwill be final and nocorrespondence will beentered into.

Winners will be announcedat the NZHCS 2010 AGMand Conference.

Send your entries to the Secretary, 72 Jackson Road, RD 6, Rotorua 3096, or [email protected] the 31st of March 2010

“Best Recipe for Highland Gravy or Stewing Steak”

CompetitionKindly Sponsored by

It always seems to be the last cut of beef left in the freezer—gravy beef and stewing steak.Here is your chance to dig out your recipe books, some Highland beefand an apron to come up with creative recipes to use these wonderful cuts of beef. Whether its a gourmet taste delight, a healthy low fat option or atraditionally economical Scottish dish, send in your entries and prove yourself a real Highland beef expert.

Three Categories


OTAGO/TAIERI SHOW RESULTSCow 3 years and over 1st Ceit Geal of Glenburn Grant and Cathy Watts Heifer 2 years 1st Chiquitita of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts 2nd Aimee of Pottidoon Lyn Samuels Yearling Heifer 1st MacKenzie of Pottidoon Brian and Rosalie Hutton 2nd Chianti of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts Senior Heifer Calf 1st Caitlin of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts 2nd Selina of MacRose Brian and Rosalie Hutton Junior Heifer Calf1st Edelweiss of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts 2nd Beitidh Og of Benromach Nick Speirs and Elaine Munro

Female Champion Ceit Geal of Glenburn Female Reserve Chiquitita of Pottidoon

Two animals, any age, progeny of same sire or dam1st Caitlin and Edelweiss of Pottidoon 2nd Beitidh Og and Brogach Og of Benromach

Yearling Bull1st Barack of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts

Bull Calf1st Matheson of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts 2nd Brogach of Benromach Nick Speirs and Elaine Munro 3rd MacPherson of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts

Male Champion Barack of Pottidoon Male Reserve Matheson of Pottidoon

BEST HIGHLAND OF SHOW & NH & MR WATTS FAMILY TROPHY

CEIT GEAL OF GLENBURN

TOKOMIRO (Milton) SHOW RESULTS

Cow 3 years and over 1st Ceit Geal of Glenburn Grant and Cathy Watts 2nd Mull of Hinterland Rob and Katrina Kelly Heifer 2 years1st Chiquitita of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts Yearling Heifer 1st Morag of Pottidoon Brian and Rosalie Hutton Heifer Calf1st Caitlin of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts 2nd Telula of Kailee Rob and Katrina Kelly 3rd Selina of MacRose Brian and Rosalie Hutton 4th Edelweiss of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts Yearling Bull1st Barack of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts Bull Calf 1st MacPherson of Pottidoon Grant and Cathy Watts

SUPREME CHAMPION CEIT GEAL OF GLENBURN RESERVE CHAMPION BARACK OF POTTIDOON

Grant Watts receiving the Supreme Highland of Show Trophy the N H & M R Watts Family Trophy of Ceit Geal of Glenburn presented by Grants father Mr Norman Watts

Champion female class

Chiquitita of Pottidoon with calf Edelweiss

Tokomiro Show - Heifer Calf section


TOKOMIRO (Milton)

3rd Selina of MacRose Brian and Rosalie Hutton

SUPREME CHAMPION CEIT GEAL OF GLENBURN

DNA SAMPLESAN IMPORTANT NOTICEAt the February meeting of the NZHCS Council it was agreed that the taking of DNA samples from bulls at bull assessment time was one of the most useful tools employed in recent times. With this is mind further discussion resulted in Council agreeing that as from the Febru-ary2010 meeting members are strongly urged to include a DNA sam-ple of every animal – male and female - they wish to register and from the 1st of June 2010 it will be compulsory. To begin with samples will be stored with the registration in the breeder’s file and will only be processed should it be needed. In these cases the cost (currently $25 plus GST) will be invoiced to the breeder. This is no different from what happens now in the case of DNA testing being needed to complete a registration. The easiest way to store DNA in the long term is as a hard copy and/or electronic copy of the test result but this would incur considerable cost. Council will monitor the situation with a view to eventually moving to that option at the best value we can obtain. In the meantime here is a reminder of how easy it is to take a DNA sample. Remember that it is important to take a pencil thickness tuft of hair to have enough to test and that the hair roots must be attached.

How to collect hair samples for DNA testingGathering hair root samples is easy, but collecting good ones is cru-cial. To improve accuracy of test results, please follow these simple steps. Neglecting these steps may affect the accuracy of results.

1. Verify the animal’s tag number and write this number on the hair sample collector/plastic bag /envelope. This ID will be used for reporting results so it’s important to dou-ble-check for accuracy.

2. Always wash your hands or use clean gloves. Then, while holding the end of the tail switch with one hand, pull a pencil-thickness tuft of hair (at least 20 – 25 hairs from adult animals and 40 – 50 hairs from young animals) from the switch, making sure hair roots are attached. The hair follicles are under the skin and easily come out of the tail when pulled correctly. Pull the hair “up and away” to get as many follicles as possible. Always collect samples from dry hairs and make sure the follicles are not contami-nated with faeces. If you are pulling hair with pliers, wipe pliers clean between animals. The more follicles that are in your sample, the better, as this will give plenty of mate-rial to test, and will mean there is sufficient sample in storage if you would ever like to use the sample for another test.

3. Samples can be placed in either:- A sample collector available from the Registrar.

Open the hair sample collector completely, as you would to bend back the spine of a book. Place the hair on the back of the printed flap of the collector as shown, with follicles close to the joined end. Peel off the backing paper, starting from the joined end, to expose the sticky back-ing of the other flap. Include the follicles with the hairs. . Press the sticky plastic side down on top of the hair to seal the sample. Make sure the edges of the plastic are sealed around the col-lector. Trim the excess hair to the edges of the sample collector or

A clear plastic snap lock bag without holes and clearly labeled or

An envelope that can be sealed securely all around and clearly labeled

4. Post hair sample with your registrations to:-

The Registrar, NZHCS, 220B Oturoa Rd, R D 2, Rotorua 3072

HIGHLAND SUPREME CHAMPION AT TAURANGA A 2 year old Highland cow won the All Breeds Supreme Cham-pion sash at the Tauranga A&P Show in January 2010. Out-doing competition from a good line-up of Charolias and Angus cattle John Doull & Judy Lee’s Rosslyn of Glen Elgin was a clear winner with the Judge. It was the first time that the Glen Elgin Highlands have entered the Tauranga Show and their three two year old cows shown were a popular addition to the cattle section.

Results:-

2 Year Old Female All Breeds:- 1st Rosslyn of Glen Elgin 2nd Serena of Glen Elgin 3rd Rowena of Glen Elgin

Champion Female All Breeds:Rosslyn of Glen Elgin Supreme Champion All Breeds: Rosslyn of Glen Elgin

SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW DUE

2010 subscriptions are now due. Pay before the end of

March and receive a discount. ALSO remember to send in

your privacy document which accompanied your subscrip-

tion notice. If you have lost ei-ther contact the Treasurer or

Secretary


Yard Weaning Improves ProfitRussell Priest

Meat & Wool New Zealand Beef Genetics Coordinator

With significant numbers of weaner cattle produced in N.Z. now finding themselves ending up on feedlots, it is appropriatethat producers and growers are made aware of the increasingly popular practice in Australia of yard weaning. The reason forthis is the significant profit advantage yard-weaned cattle display at slaughter compared with their paddock-weaned counter-parts. Instead of separating calves at weaning and placing them on the opposite side of a fence to their mothers in a paddock situa-tion, the calves are weaned into yards. These yards must be secure, spacious (180 – 260 kg calves need an average of 4 squaremeters each), have good drainage and high quality water and supplementary feed. Calves generally stay in the yards for 10 daysand are regularly exposed to humans.A trial to assess the effectiveness of the practice was conducted by the Beef CRC of which Meat and Wool New Zealand arefinancial partners. The study involved splitting 200 Angus x Hereford steer calves at weaning (7-9 months of age) into 3 groups:

1. A paddock-weaned group that received no supplementation or handling.

2. A yard-weaned group that were fed high quality hay and silage but received no handling.A yard-trained group that was fed high quality hay and silage and also training to find grain in a trough.The three groups were all vaccinated for Bovine Respiratory Disease, a major cause of sickness and death on Australian feed-lots. Following weaning all the trial steers spent a 6-9 month growing-out period on pasture before being transferred to a feed-lot for 90 days before being slaughtered.While there was very little difference in performance between the yard-weaned and yard-trained groups, there was a significantdifference between the yard-weaned and paddock-weaned groups. After 90 days on the feedlot the yard-weaned calves were18kg heavier than the paddock-weaned ones and they had also suffered 10% less sickness. This is probably because when cattle arrive on a feedlot their immune systems are severely challenged. Yard weaning exposes animals to a variety of external stressorssuch as vehicles, people and yard noises. They become used to these and are able to adapt to new conditions more quickly re-ducing the possibility of sickness and even death. Cattle also benefit from pre-feedlot vaccination with growth rates improvingby 8% when compared with non-vaccinated animals. Vaccination should ideally take place a minimum of two weeks prior toentering the feedlot.Yard weaning also helps the cattle cope with finding food in a pen. If this is done at an early age, animals will adapt morequickly to the feedlot environment and animal health issues are kept to a minimum.Yard-weaning is practiced very rarely in N.Z. however one producer who has tried it reports a 9.5kg per head live weight gainadvantage after 7 days, coupled with a significant improvement in temperament. This alone would have to make the exercisevery worthwhile. Summary:

• Yard-weaning of calves is becoming an increasingly popular practice in the Australian beef industry.Feedlotters report that yard-weaned calves compared with their paddock-weaned counterparts:

are healthier are quietersettle more quickly in the feedlotare significantly more profitable

• Research by the Beef CRC has supported these claims.Since a significant number of calves in N.Z. are destined for feedlots, this research has implications for the N.Z. beef industry.This and other articles written by the author can be found on the Meat & Wool New Zealand website atwww.meatandwoolnz.com .

For further information contact :Russell Priest Ph. 06 324 0346Fax. 06 324 0347Mb. 0274 369 372Email. [email protected] : meatandwoolnz.com

MEAT & WOOLN E W Z E A L A N D


Quiet Cattle Produce Better BeefRussell Priest

Meat & Wool New Zealand Be ef Genetics Coordinator

Genetically quieter cattle not only grow more quickly than flighty ones but also produce heavier, better finished carcasses andmore tender beef.These are some of the findings of a research project carried out by the Beef CRC, of which Meat & Wool New Zealand are partners, andthe N.S.W. Department of Primary Industries. The results, if applied, not only have the potential to improve productivity and meat qualitybut also improve the safety of cattle and their human handlers as well.All animals when confronted with a dangerous situation can either fight or flee. Cattle are prey animals, so their natural instinct is to fleefrom the danger. In situations where this is not an option, for example where they are being handled by humans in small confined areas, we know that they are capable of making behavioral changes. It is well known for instance that an animal’s temperament can be modifiedby the quality and degree of handling. But is this a permanent or just a superficial change? This project was designed to provide the answer.Animals involved in the research were yard-weaned (weaned into cattle yards and fed on supplements for a short period) and any withunacceptable temperament were removed from the trial. This was to ensure that those involved in the trial could cope with the intensehandling required to collect the necessary samples. Once these cattle were removed, the remaining ones were divided into three tempera-ment categories based on their ‘flight speeds’ and ‘crush scores’. ‘Flight speed’ is an electronic measure of the time taken for an animal to cover a short distance after leaving a cattle crush. The ‘crush score’ is a subjective measure of how agitated an animal becomes while stand-ing in a crush. Both these measures of temperament were recorded on several occasions throughout the duration of the trial.Following yard-weaning, the cattle were grown out on pasture for most of the trial, then feedlotted for the final 120 days before slaughter.It was noticeable how all the cattle appeared to become quieter as the trial progressed, however in spite of this their temperament ranking,as measured by their flight times, did not change.The more flighty cattle grew more slowly due to their lower feed intakes, however there was no difference between the three groups in feed efficiency. The more flight y cattle were just less motivated to eat.At the completion of the trial all cattle were slaughtered. The more flighty cattle produced carcasses that were 10% lighter than the lessflighty ones. They also had 18% less rib fat and the meat was not as tender. The difference in tenderness was the result of greater levels ofthe stress hormone cortisol, which promotes mobilization of muscle and fat. The trial showed that when comparing these quietlyhandled,outwardly docile groups of animals, the genetically more flighty ones still responded more to the stresses of routine handling. During timesof high stress, such as during transportation, the stress response can be an even bigger drain on an animal’s body reserves, using up glyco-gen (muscle sugar), increasing meat pH and reducing meat quality. This trial provides a perfect example of how genetics can be modified by non-genetic (environmental) effects. There is a large variation intemperament (flightiness) between cattle. However temperament can be modified by regular exposure to what cattle think is a danger(often humans). If this exposure proves always to be a pleasant experience, most cattle will quieten down to the extent that it is difficult topick any temperament differences between them. Genetically however there may be huge differences.These genetic differences, not the modified ones are what are showing up in the productivity and meat quality variation in thetrial above. This is a similar situation that can occur when buying a herd sire. The sire you choose may appear to be very quiet when you buy him,however his progeny are mad. What you saw when you purchased him was a combination of his true (genetic) and modified (non-genetic)temperament not just his true temperament.The moral of the story is that parents only pass their genes (genetics) for a trait on to their progeny not the modified effect s ofthe trait.Summary

Cattle that are genetically more flighty have lower growth rates, lighter and more poorly finished carcasses and poorer meat quality. Even if the temperament of flighty animals is modified by handling so they appear to be quiet, their performance and meat quality

will still be inferior to genetically less flighty animals.Therefore selecting cattle with better temperaments as well as culling those with poor temperaments can improve productivity and

meat quality, as well as improving safety for the cattle and their handlers.It is important to be able to distinguish between genetic and non-genetic differences when undertaking a breeding programme, other-

wise you can be misled during the selection process.

This and other articles written by the author can be found on the Meat & Wool New Zealand website at www.meatandwoolnz.com .

For further information contact :Russell PriestPh. 06 324 0346Fax. 06 324 0347Mb. 0274 369 372Email. [email protected] : meatandwoolnz.com

MEAT & WOOLN E W Z E A L A N D


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Gavin Reid showing bull calf Matheson of Pottidoon behalf of the Watts at the Taieri/Otago A&P Show.

Cory Neilson with calf McCaw at the Stratford A&P Show.

Rob and Katrina Kelly with Mull of Hinterland and calf Telula at the Tokomiro (Milton) Show.

Congratulations Gail Simons whose “Scenic” photo was judged 3rd and 1st in People’s choice and “Funny Photo” judged 3rd - see the full results at www.virtualcattleshow.com

Bull calf lineup at the Taieri/Otago A&P Show.

NZHCS Highland News March 2010: issue 61

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