Farmer King Country
FRIDAY MAY 15, 2025
King Country Farmer | 1
May 2025
Homework pays off By Chris Gardner
Wayne Fraser manages the Mangaokewa Road property near Benneydale.
Winter is coming. So are the deals.
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Photo: Chris Gardner
The price received for weaner cattle on Tiroa Station has soared under the tenure of manager Wayne Fraser. Fraser has managed the Mangaokewa Road property near Benneydale on behalf of the Tiroa E Trust and Te Hape B trust for 14 years. He has seen weaner cattle prices continue to rise since he switched to exclusively using bulls from Rock-End Herefords in the nearby Paraheka Valley, in what he calls the “back blocks” of Aria, put over their traditional Angus herd. “We were getting $500 to $700 per head. Now we are getting more than $1000 per head. A strong market helps, but if you haven’t done your homework looking for those areas that can improve your bottom line you miss out.” The station winters 36,000 stock units on 3170 hectares. When Fraser started at the station on a farm cadet scheme in 1983 the farm wintered 70 percent sheep and 30 percent Angus cattle. He’s changed that balance to 35 per cent Hereford-Angus-cross cattle and he is looking to increase that ratio to a 60-40 per cent sheep to cattle ratio. “That means fewer sheep, improving the condition of the available grass feed, and more cattle bred from Hereford bulls over the Angus herd.” About a quarter of the cattle on the station now have Hereford genetics. Wayne puts the massive leap in profitability mostly down to the genetics from Rock–End’s Hereford bulls over the traditional Angus herd. “We get good muscle and bone structure in our weaners, and that has improved over time,” he said. “A big plus is good temperament.” Words like “do-ability” and “constitution” spring to mind when describing the station’s moderate-framed, masculinelooking Hereford bulls. They arrive at Tiroa Station in prime condition, having been raised and grazed on the steep back blocks of the Aria hills. “They come off quite hard country down there,” Fraser said. “It is very steep, compared with the station, which is a lot flatter than rolling country.” He credited his six staff for their animal management skills on the mixture of flat to rolling land and hill country. “We use the Hereford bulls to put across our older cows and tail off with the first-year calves.” Bull ratio is one bull to 30 to the heifers and one bull to 40 to the older cows. Continued on page 3
Bryan Ferguson Branch Manager 027 551 1621 bryan.ferguson@gaz.co.nz
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