NEW ZEALAND-ABERDEEN ANGUS.
Third generation Angus cattle breeder Richard Lowes and his wife Emma see the breed as having a strong and exciting future.
The couple own Fairburn Stud, covering approximately 380ha of flat stony land, 10km south east of Masterton in the Wairarapa.
Formed by Mr Lowes’ grandfather in the 1960s, Fairburn Stud was later passed on to his father, David, before Richard took it over eight years ago.
In addition to breeding and raising Angus cattle, Mr and Mrs Lowes run 1000 breeding ewes. And in recent years, the couple has also started to graze dairy cows, taking on around 750 cows over the winter and another 150 through the summer months.
The Wairarapa region tends to be prone to drought,
experiencing hot, dry summers. In contrast the winter months are cold and frosts are common. Rainfall on the Lowes’ property averages around 838mm.
"The bulls are run in one mob and given some baleage in winter and during dry summers," said Mr Lowes. "The cows are given some silage over winter."
Mr Lowes said although last year’s drought hit the region hard, stock on the property maintained condition.
"We managed to get through that with more supplementary feed.
"There were no excessive dry cows," he said.
The couple said the Angus have the hardiness and ability to thrive in the conditions found in the Wairarapa. And they’ve also found the breed able to calve unassisted with good maternal instincts and good growth rates.
Mr Lowes said all their stud heifers have to calve as
yearlings and they use specialised bulls for this purpose.
Two bulls, the rising six-year-old Te Whanga C30 and rising four-year-old Turihaua A93, bought from the Angus Bull Evaluation Unit near Palmerston North, have proven to be very successful additions to Fairburn Stud.
