Weight is certainly paying at the sale yards and heavy carcase weight is also proving to be more profitable than pursuing high marbling cattle. Every year we see demand for Charolais cross cattle calves as they perform for the finisher and if fed well, will easily finish before the second winter.We have always aimed for high growth with high carcase bulls that will provide for both the cow-calf operator and the finisher.

Years go by quickly, and this year is like no other. And that is why it’s so important to continue in a very aggressive way to breed the way you intend to finish, as that finish will arrive faster than you think. We have only eight generations of breeding in our farming lives, so putting up with substandard genetics will only hinder your future generations of cattle production.

As we are all experiencing a new error in farming — inflation costs, interest rates and low schedules, along with unprecedented weather, it’s a very challenging environment for us as farmers. Everything just mentioned is out of our control — we’ve had to ride out these challenges before and we will do it again.

While the 980ha hill country farm on the outskirts of Waimate has been home to the Studholme family for generations, it is their ability to adapt to ever-changing market demands, economic environments and weather patterns that have enabled them to remain productive and profitable.

Henry Studholme is at the helm of Te Waimate, which he farms alongside his parents Mike and Jan. Three years ago, in response to two consecutive years of extremely dry weather, the family made the decision to build more flexibility and safety valves into their farm system.

I'm in my 15th year of being home at Kakahu and I can very confidently tell you our mission statement is more profound now than it ever was — ethical, sustainable, next generation. This encapsulates everything that Kakahu stands for.
Tom Hargreaves

Angus bulls sold within New Zealand are registered in two different databases — Angus Australia (AngusPRO animals) and Angus New Zealand. 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.

Kakahu has a strong stance on aligning themselves with great reputable companies, and LIC is one they respect greatly. They currently have four Charolais bulls with LIC and are about to send another four. Tom says that LIC sold around 5000 Charolais straws per annum five years ago and today this number has grown to approximately 130,000. Tom is anticipating that Charolais genetics sold to the dairy industry could one day rival Hereford.

Kakahu is breeding to make Angus cattle more profitable. They need to be fertile, calve easily, mature early, and taste terrific!

This year all but 7 of our spring yearling bulls quality for an A+ endorsement from AngusPure. The rest all qualify for an A. In other words, they are potential sires for top production across entire herds.

If breeders want higher returns, they must look at marbling.

Our move to Australia has run smoothly thanks to Dale’s help and the very supportive team in Angus Australia. We now have access to many advanced projects that Australia runs. Kakahu Pivotal is one of two New Zealand bulls to have been accepted into the latest cohort for progeny testing.

This is by far is my most favourite part of the year, however it's been a challenging start to the spring for most; the start of winter brought unprecedented floods, now the winds, I have not experienced for many years. I'm told, 'this is farming', as farmers we are resilient and adapt with whatever is thrown at us... Well, that is true, we do, and we will.

The family has been loyally using Kakahu Angus genetics for 25 years now and find they perform well on all levels.
Alex says he used to play polo with Tom Hargreaves and through the connection got to see how the Hargreaves family was using estimated breeding values (EBVs), which in those days was considered revolutionary.
The couple usually buys two bulls every year and find they last at least four or five years.

Located south of Geraldine, the property is 1200 hectares, ranging from river flats to steeper hills. 250 hectares of the property sits under irrigation.

Kakahu is committed as a team to growing our client’s profitability whilst growing their herds to be environmentally sustainable.

Educational feed from the AngusPRO group.