Sherwood Angus bred for tough terrain

In late spring, 200 breeding cows and their crop of calves are quietly grazing the river terraces on Sherwood Station, Alex and Lou Boissard’s North Canterbury hill country farm.

The scene could not be further from Alex’s previous life, serving 17 years with the British Army. He lists the world’s hot spots where he did his tours of duty including Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan – a world away from Waiau, his family and the sheep and beef business which are his focus now.

The family returned to New Zealand five years ago to take up the reins of the 650ha family farm which had been bought and farmed by Alex’s father.

Unlike much of North Canterbury, Sherwood’s aspect and heavy soils means that it is summer safe, but winters are long and access over the farm can be difficult. Spring growth really doesn’t start to come away until mid-October so consequently, lambing doesn’t start until the end of September and calving mid-October.

Sherwood Station is strictly a breeding property and all progeny is sold store, although the Boissards are hoping to add a finishing block to their land holding, which would enable them to add value to what they produce.

The farm carries 2800 Wairere Romney ewes and replacements along with the 200 Angus breeding cows with cattle making up 40 per cent of the farm income.

Alex says Angus suit their country – and they have a job to do – particularly as the family undertakes a pasture development programme on their hill country.

“They work really hard, they are certainly not fat all the time,” says Alex.

“We don’t just farm them to look beautiful.”

In the past, the family has run Friesian bulls, but unlike the hardy British breeds the Friesians didn’t do well in the cold, wet conditions. Angus are also in demand as store stock with finishers having a number of end-market options.

Alex says the Angus fit their system and environment, and economically they stack up better than any other stock class.

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.

Life isn’t always a picnic for the cows on Sherwood. While they spend the first part of winter on forage crops, from July onwards they are on undeveloped hill country – a mix of browntop, ryegrass and native grasses – and they need to draw on their own body reserves to feed their calves in early lactation.

It is their ability to bounce back and get back in calf in early December that is their real strength and the Sherwood cow herd is consistently calving at around 92 per cent with only a handful of dries.

The mixed-age cows go to the bull weighing around 500-550kg.

Alex says phenotypically they want hardy, compact hill country cows and the EBVs they are focusing on are 200-day weights and calving ease.

All replacements have to rear a calf as yearlings and get back in calf as a two-year-old. There are no second chances. It is a testament to both the genetics and management that Alex has never had to assist any of their homebred heifers at calving, although they are kept close-by over calving so Alex and Lou can keep an eye on them.

“I think its 25 years of having the right genetics and in building the herd, it has been survival of the fittest,” says Alex.

The cow herd has grown from 110 in line with the development of their hill country and while the Boissards have, in the past, bought in breeding stock, they have found their existing genetics have outperformed any imported lines.

Bred to perform

The calves are weaned in March and sold at the Culverden calf sale, although this year 60-70 have been carried through and will be exported to China.

Alex says the steer calves are usually snapped up by buyers from Banks Peninsula because of their reputation for going forward.

“It’s just because of their genetics”, says Alex

“They usually top the sale.”

Because Sherwood is well-off the beaten track and as the Boissards run a closed herd (apart from bulls), biosecurity risks are minimal.

When selecting replacement heifer calves, Alex enlists the services of livestock agent Michael Steel who casts a critical eye on conformation and structure.

The heifers winter on kale supplemented with baleage and get priority pasture in early spring as the couple feed to get them to their 340kg mating weight.

They now buy bulls specifically for heifer mating and they go out with the heifers for two and a half cycles on 10 December.

“We used to get loan bulls from Kakahu but no longer. Mycoplasma bovis put an end to that.”

The in-calf heifers are wintered on crop, calve on pasture and after weaning are typically integrated straight into the mixed-age cow herd. 

“They don’t get preferential treatment after calving as R2s and that’s the critical bit. If it’s a dry summer I will separate them out but otherwise they are part of the team.”

Inputs are minimal with the cows only receiving a copper bullet and selenium injection. The heifers are drenched, but that is the last drench they will see in their lifetime.

Focusing on forages

Alex says all the cows are on crop for the first 80 days of winter as are their ewes, so there are daily breaks to shift and supplementary to be carted.

He admits that in the depths of winter, it can be pretty miserable, particularly as the couple run the farm themselves, although a Lincoln University student is employed over summer.

Since returning home, the couple has been focusing on lifting productivity of their hill country. This has included focusing on fertility and sub-division and the cattle play an important role in grooming pastures to allow the clovers to flourish, particularly the subterranean clover that is endemic in their pasture.

The crop rotation on the 80ha of flats is short and they typically grow 19ha of kale for cattle, 10ha of fodder beet and sheep and 7ha of triticale, also for cattle.

They find the triticale to be a useful break crop as it helps break up the ground and, as it creates a bulk of feed, it can be intensively grazed which is good for building nutrients. 

The couple is also increasing the area they have in lucerne, which is now 24ha, as they find it a valuable feed for lambs at weaning.

Sheep performance has lifted in recent years, a combination of genetics and improved forages and while Alex says it is a work in progress, the ewes are scanning 155 per cent and tailing 135 per cent.

All the lambs are sold privately as store.

Financially, the beef cattle have been solid performers as prices have remained relatively firm and not subject to the same market fluctuations as lamb.

While the outlook for beef is positive, Alex says production costs continue to climb as do regulatory costs.

The recent Essential Freshwater regulations are a real concern to the family who have 8km of river frontage and the cost of fencing this off is eye-watering. Alex is also concerned about the inevitable infestation of weeds within the riparian margin.

While Alex did complete in Bachelor in Agriculture at Massey University before returning to the UK and joining the Army, he says a lot has changed in the years he has been away from the industry.

He was part of a discussion group which he enjoyed and is not afraid to seek advice from local farmers.

The couple, who are keen horse-riders, grab any opportunity to incorporate horses into their farm work.

“On a fine day just wondering along behind the cows and calves, it’s a real joy, I just love it.”

Article from Angus Magazine 2021

By Sandra Taylor