WHATS BEEN HAPPENING - AREA REPORTS NORTHLAND Report by Doug Sheldon What a winter we are having – I think this is the wettest we have had in the 19 years we have owned this farm. Calving has started – we have seven so far, and believe it or not, all heifers, and from three different bulls as well. Unfortunately the weather has meant that we don’t have much grass for the cows and their calves, but the cows are in good order, so I am sure we can get them through to the spring with the help of our baleage. Certainly looking forward to a spell of fine weather and much less mud!
AUCKLAND/HAURAKI PLANS/COROMANDEL Report by Martin McLeod Calving is all done (but restarted for many), and the show season is done (for a few months of preparation before we “go again”), so its back to the weather ! Our region has experienced a mild late summer and autumn, with this autumn recording some of the mildest temperatures in recent history. However over recent weeks the rain and winds have arrived to remind us that farming in winter can be a bit of a drag. I have finally commenced feeding out and have got the tractor stuck in the bottom paddock and await a window of opportunity to retrieve it. Many in the region are commenting on how wet it has become and conserving pasture is a priority. The April round of bull assessment (for the upper North Island) is complete, other than one by agreement. Due to a late Easter and the Royal Easter Show etc many were completed a little late – I appreciate the availability of the assessors and patience of the breeders in this regard. This process continues to be a source of information sharing and learning, particularly with the number of breeders completing assessments for the first time. If you have any feedback, comments, or questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Ginni and Catherine were again invited by L J Hooker to attend the National Fieldays at Mystery Creek in mid June. They had 4 very full on days answering many questions and confirming “no they are not Yaks”. Interest did seem to be up on recent years and many brochures / info packs were handed out. Thanks to LJ Hooker for allowing us to share the experience, we make a great team. I welcome all new members in the region to the society, whilst I have / will make contact with each of you – I do hope to see you in person in the coming weeks. In the meantime if there are any questions, or if I may be of any assistance please do hesitate to contact me – 09 2928225 / 027 4456050. On Saturday 23rd July we will have a mid winter Xmas themed pot luck dinner at Alison and Glenda’s farm at Glenbrook Beach (info in separate email), I encourage all to come along to discuss events etc for the coming year and get to know other members in your region, Ph Ginni Alexander 09 2928004 for further information. Good luck for the early calves, may heifers abound. WAIKATO, BAY OF PLENTY Report by Judy Smyth This region is in hibernation mode, not from eternal frosts but 9 weeks of constant rain “what on earth will happen late summer”?, we ask ourselves.
Given the bleakness of this winter, it’s hard to imagine that calves will soon be on the ground, Clarks look very forward to seeing the first A.I calves of Lord Montagu of Old Greenlaw in August. My understanding is that, U.K residents who had a Highland fold in Rotorua and subsequently went back to their English fold, have exported semen from 2 of their bulls into New Zealand, limited straws are still available from Allan Donald. For those of you, who as yet don’t know, it was decided at the 2011 A.G.M held in Invercargill, that the Waikato / Bay of Plenty region will host next years A.G.M. Two locations are at present being considered, either Rotorua or Tauranga. Time will have been set aside at July’s council meeting to discuss the merits of both and a decision will be made. As soon as this is known, a meeting will be convened to form a skeleton plan, and working group … you will all be kept notified of this regions plans for you in 2012!! Shortly, the next Virtual Highland cattle show organised by Trevor Perry will be launched on line. Each year New Zealand cattle, their respective Breeders and folds feature in many of the winning category line ups, perhaps you may like to enter your premier cattle and go global in this event?. … This years calendar also needs you to get your cameras out!!, “Suil a ghleidheas sealbh” A keen eye keeps the cattle
TARANAKI REPORT By Garth Gadsby Well the AGM has come and gone for another year and what a fabulous event was provided by the good people of the Deep South. Saturday night dinner and entertainment was second to none and good on the members who joined in and helped make for a continuous laugh fest. I've no doubt some revealing photos will emerge!! Hope so anyway. The Sunday trip was great, so well planned and timed, visiting folds, a museum, gardens and food! followed by more food and just when you thought the diet was under control more food! Followed of course by...you guessed it dinner at 7pm!! Shuttles provided to get us back to the lodgings. All flowed like clockwork, my hat goes off to the organisers and helpers for a very memorable weekend. Cheers guys and thanks. Monday saw us spreading out visiting folds, always nice to see the animals and the farms going together with the fold names and places. Thanks to everybody that opened their folds. Special thanks to Beth and Harry for putting up with us and taking us on a tour of Abberley Heights. After the great weather in the south we arrived home to a rain gauge with over 150 mils in it and rising. But then this is Taranaki!! Have been touching base with our local members since coming back and intend having a general get together later this month, probably 31st. We can have a debrief on the AGM happenings and our council's thinking as well as a good catch up.
LOWER NORTH ISLAND Report by Doug Maclean Looking back at the autumn report it seemed that we were going into winter in good farming conditions. Well winter has really hit the lower north island with vengeance this weekend. Snow to low levels, gale force winds, tornadoes, heavy rain all means pugged paddocks, sad looking cattle and, for us, calves due to be born in the middle of it all. A local club day is scheduled for Sunday 31st July at Alex de and Paul Simpson’s Strathnairn fold at Gladstone, Wairarapa. The day will include the usual pot luck lunch and a load of fun. The agenda will be sent to all local members. It has been a busy bull assessment round – eight bulls assessed on four properties. A good keen team with two new “trainees” shared the load across what is a large district. While not specific to just this area I did attend (with Cynthia) the RAS AGM in Hamilton where the Highland show entry rules were confirmed. A positive step forward particularly; as there appeared to be far stronger support for A&P Associations to adopt and enforce the RAS rules in general. Multiple breed society entries have been more evident in our area. The showing season is coming around soon – if you have not sent requests to the Registrar for show passports do so ASAP. Several of the area’s members travelled to the NZHCS AGM in Invercargill. Tim didn’t show but his cousin “Brian” did a great impersonation. It was good to catch up with old and new friends across the country. Thanks to the Southland team for their hospitality. CANTERBURY WESTLAND REPORT Report by Cynthia Christie Canterbury has experienced the warmest May/June period in many years. Grass has continued to grow until recently which is a welcome novelty for many in this district. It takes the pressure off feeding out – however it is important to keep an eye on feed levels and be prepared for any eventuality. We could well have a late spring! Bull assessments were finally completed in May – April was such an interrupted month and the local assessment team ran out of available weekends. Thank you to the assessment team and to the breeders for being patient. A meeting was held on the 2nd July in Oamaru to set up a committee to manage the NZHCS South Island Show which is held at the Oamaru A&P show in February of each year. Since inception the organisation had been done by the Canterbury Westland Branch Committee but as this Show is now a well established calendar date it was decided to pass responsibility on to a separate group and involve more people to spread the workload. The Show committee comprises Chairman - Grant Watts Secretary/Treasurer - Katrina Kelly Committee members - Pam Leslie, Kathy Watts, Lyn Samuels, Heather Cameron, Lynda Anderson and Cynthia Christie.
Show liaison – North Otago A&P committee member There were many great ideas mooted on promoting the show and creating an event that is the highlight of the showing calendar for South Island breeders. The aim is to make it a true South Island show and encourage Highland breeders from Nelson to Bluff to attend. The North Otago A&P are great hosts and are ready and willing to accommodate our needs. A successful event requires a lot of time and effort – many thanks to Heather Cameron and Lynda Anderson who for the last couple of years have been key to the success of this show. And also to our past sponsors – their support is highly valued by organisers and exhibitors alike. Prior to this meeting Lynda Anderson hosted a training session at her Langside Fold for those who were interested in getting to grips with showing cattle. Thanks to Grant and Kathy Watts for taking the lead and demonstrating how to prepare an animal for the show but also for answering some wide ranging questions on management and feeding of young stock, identifying some structural faults – like bad feed. There was a good discussion amongst the group on selecting animals for breeding and culling of poor performers. Thank you Lynda for hosting the training and the meeting. Future Events: St Andrews Day Dinner – 26th November in Geraldine
2011 Subscriptions are overdue Full $100 Associate and Junior $55 Unsure if you have paid contact the Treasurer 07 3323953
HERD RETURNS (Yellow form sent with April Magazine) Now overdue. Please return to the Registrar a.s.a.p.
Welcome New Members Michael & Janelle Kelly, Tammy Arbuckle, Kayla Houghton, Stuart Findlay,
Thames Hawera Feilding Rangiora
ANIMAL TAGS A submission to Government by Federated Farmers has seen a decision by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry delay legislation of National Animal and Identification and Tracing tag (NAIT) animal tagging to mid-late 2012. The 1st November date however is the starting timeline for all herds to be registered under the new data base, also for all calves to be tagged under the new system. Once legislation is in place only animals that are moving off the herd registered owners property must be NAIT tagged (unless the run off is more than 20 kilometres away), however the status quo still remains for animals direct to slaughter where a bar-coded AHB or direct to slaughter tag will suffice. The cost of NAIT approved tags will vary between $1.80 to $2.00 per head of cattle depending on what product you choose. There are two which are NAIT approved; HDX technology is higher performing than FDX and has a longer read range. It also has protection from outside acoustics that may interfere with tag reading in a noisy environment; for example, milking sheds, whereas FDX technology is a lower cost option and has a shorter read range than the HDX tags. It also has no protection from outside acoustics. You will also need to invest in a new tag applicator. The old applicators are not designed for RFID tags and could damage the tag during the application process. You do not need to invest in a reader or scanner. Application of the NAIT-approved RFID ear tag, it should be applied: to the inner part of the ear, preferably the right, between the two veins, close to the head with the white ‘female’ tag facing forward.
The Society suggests that you get your NAIT tags now to avoid re-tagging. Your usual tag supplier will have information about what may and may not be on the tags. You can also go to www.nait.org.nz. Please remember also that if you re-tag let the Registrar know so that the herdbook can be updated.
4th International Gathering Update That’s three years away, but time flies. Have your input – Give us your ideas. This is going to be an awesome event and opportunity to display how New Zealand deals with farming generally and Highland Cattle in particular. We need to put in lots of thought and suggestions are invited from everyone. Please contact:
Doug Sheldon
09 4204065 / 021 938641 Email: jenny.sheldon@xtra.co.nz,
N Z Highland Cattle A.G.M Queens Birthday weekend
2012
Will be hosted by ...
Waikato BOP Region, to be held in ...
Or: Jenny McDonald
Ph: 07 332 3953 Fx: 07 332 3954 Email: registrar@highlandcattle.org.nz
Tauranga
Details to follow in subsequent magazines
BVD still being overlooked by NEIL KEATING
With the bull sale season about to get into full swing, BVD remains the big animal health issue to watch for when buying, says VetSouth Southland veterinarian Neil Hume. This ‘hidden’ disease especially effects fertility, lowering conception rate, increasing embryo losses and abortions, stretching out calving, and raising empty rates, stillbirths and congenital birth defects. Unless a sure route is taken to get a good animal, the risk is great that bovine viral diahorrea – BVD – will be ‘imported’ into a herd. Hume says the message has still not got through to many farmers. “We have to keep saying it over and over again: BVD can turn up, especially if you haven’t followed the rules when buying.” Carrier bulls are the single biggest cause of infertility when they introduce the infection at mating. Blood test-positive bulls will be carrier bulls and should be culled. Negative bulls will be ‘clean’ and they should be vaccinated before mating to prevent them being infected by cows carrying the virus. “Bulls need to be blood sampled to establish they’re free of the disease, then vaccinated,” Hume explains. “There are huge implications in not taking a sure route to this expensive and important acquisition.” He says the risk is highest for the farmer who hires two or three bulls from a neighbour. “We see a lot of surprises: outbreaks of aborting heifers and empty heifers. And the worry is you can’t always trace it back to the source. Sometimes a bull will turn out to have been free of BVD, but maybe the virus has come in through faeces or on truck tyres. “We know of 30- 40 farms signed up for BVD monitoring through bulk milk. It can come as a complete surprise when you’ve signed an agreement for [annual monitoring] and the disease comes as a bolt out of the blue,” Hume adds. “In Southland the vast majority of herds have high antibodies. “You might, for example, see a herd of 200 heifers in which 50-60 abort and 40 turn out to be empty. Or you get a higher empty rate than anticipated.” Hume acknowledges the work of Control BVD, a campaign led by Wanganui vet and farmer John Pickering, which was launched in 2005 at a Wellington symposium that drew 100 people: practice vets, animal health industry reps, herd improvement groups and regulators. BVD was then reckoned to be present in 60% of the country’s dairy and beef herds. Where it’s headed remains to be seen but Pickering says eradicating BVD is believed possible and has nearly been achieved in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. BUYING A BULL Watch also for: • Leptospirosis, bovine tuberculosis and EDL (Escherichia coli 933). • Soundness of feet. • And be sure to check the bull’s ‘wedding tackle’: check genital soundness and size. Even ask to see a bull serving a cow. Says Neil Hume, “A small percentage of bulls may look fine but can be sub-fertile or infertile.”
First published in the national farming newspaper, Rural News. Read more at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz
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NZHCS South Island Show 2012 At a recent meeting a new committee was formed to organise this show. It has become a major event for Central South Island Highland breeders and the aim of the incoming committee is to increase participation and get members form further afield to attend. Committee members are: Grant Watts (chair), Katrina Kelly (secretary/treasurer), Lynda Anderson, Pam and David Leslie, Kathy Watts, Brian Hutton, Heather Cameron, Cynthia Christie and a North Otago A&P Beef Committee member. The North Otago A&P Committee are very keen to continue the relationship they have with the society and actively work with the SI Show committee to set up the Highland Ring and Associated activities exactly as exhibitors and organisers want. They see this event as a major draw card for the show and want it to have a high profile, particularly as they are coming up for their 150th Show in 2013. Background organisation for the 2012 Show is already under-
way, classes have been decided on. Sponsorship and fundraising to enable good prizes to be allocated to all classes are key activities for the next few months. This Show has been well supported by many businesses from Oamaru and the wider region and the committee is grateful for the support provided. A Highland judge has been invited and the committee hopes this invitation will be accepted. We also hope to have a junior judge involved on the day as well. A good marketing campaign is being organised to attract both exhibitors and visitors. New ideas for competition to encourage showing throughout the region have been mooted – so watch this space and ................ South Island breeders – mark Saturday the 25th February 2012 on your calendars and pick out your animals and keep an eye out for entry forms. The NZHCS South Island Show Committee.
HANDY HINTS Water Supply When we bought our present farm 19 years ago, one of the first things I discovered was that the water supply for the stock was diabolical. Some tips for repairing problems in a farm water supply. Broken string which holds the ball to the ball-cock lever. A temporary quick fix is to put the ball in a plastic shopping bag then push the lever through the bag. Will last for a few days, giving you time to get back and replace the broken string. Broken lever. The levers are made of soft malleable brass. Beat the end flat on an anvil – drill a new hole and shape the end with a file. Very easy – I can do one in 10 minutes. Might seem penny -pinching, but it can save a trip to town if you run out of spare levers.
Rusted and broken galvanised elbow going into the trough. Easy to remove to allow a new fitting to be fitted. Purchase a 3/4 “ BSP parallel primary tap from an engineer’s supply company. Cost about $40.00 and will last a lifetime if kept well greased (if they rust, the cutting edge is lost). Remove the complete ballcock from the trough. Screw the tap into the thread from inside the trough, being careful not to cross the thread. Keep screwing the tap and the broken/rusted remnants for the elbow or broken fitting will be screwed out and you will be left with a perfect thread in the brass socket which is inset into the through. Controlling thistles. We carry a plastic bottle with Tordon 2G or Triumph 2G in our pockets and spread a few granules in the centre of thistles as we walk past, mustering, shifting break fences, feeding out; we all walk over our paddocks frequently, and with a little organisation, can control these weeds very effectively and cheaply. Clearasill bottles are ideal – enlarge the hole to
Cattle Show Passport Scheme – Important Update At the Beef Breed Meeting held at the RAS Conference on 25 June 2011 there was unanimous approval of a process to inform A&P Societies of the rules for showing Highland Cattle. This resolution (see below) was then confirmed unanimously at the RAS Annual General Meeting That the RAS Executive Officer write to all A&P Show Secretaries advising of the introduction of the Highland Cattle Show passport scheme and that the following wording be included in show schedules and catalogues "A valid RAS Highland passport must accompany Highland Cattle entries in to RAS classes. Entries received without a passport will not be accepted." This rule applies to all RAS classes at all A&P shows. An animal without a passport may be exhibited in a lifestyle class if the A&P show has one. As an NZHCS member if you want to show you need to: Send a list of the animals you wish to show in 2011/12 to the Registrar as soon as possible. This will only be processed on request. It will be sent in groups of 10 or less as per RAS instructions. At this stage please only send requests for animals you intend to show.
A show passport is for the life of the animal. Once obtained it never has to be done again. It goes with the animal if it changes owner. Passports will be printed on blue paper and sent to the current owner as per the Register. Keep it in a safe place – perhaps with your registration documents. Send a photocopy of the passport attached to the entry form when entering a show. Entries without passports will be refused by the A&P Society. If you loose your passport ask the Registrar for another copy. Copies of all will be kept on the Society records. A passport is confirmation that an animal has at least four recorded generations on each side if it is female and five recorded and traceable generations if it is male. Therefore you can be assured that you will be showing in the ring with animals of similar standing.
WELCOME NEW COUNCILLORS Hi I’m James Brown, the new councillor for Otago/Southland region, I live in Otautau with my fiancée Jenni and two young children Mikaela and Jayden. I play rugby for the local rugby club and enjoy a bit of hunting I work on many sheep farms around the district when I’m not doing a lambing beat and a tailing run. Over the summer months you will find me in the shearing shed shearing and crutching for local farmers and also find me at the local A & P shows with my cattle. I am always keen to talk to anybody about Highland Cattle. I’m very much into the genetic side of them and import and sell semen. I'm excited about being a member of council and looking forward to the future. Happy Breeding James Brown
Hi, I’m Gary Campbell, as a new person on the council I have been asked to write a bit about myself, so hear goes. My wife (Justine) and I live in Ohoka, that is about 30 minutes from the centre of Christchurch. We have been involved in Highland Cattle since we moved to the South Island in 1999 and currently have 20 animals. A couple of years ago I decided to take a break from work, where I had been the managing director for a multinational company, and have been working, or as some would say, avoiding working, for myself since. So this has given me the opportunity to do more of the things that I enjoy like skiing, mountain bike riding, playing squash working around the property and working on computers. It has also give me time to be more involved with the things I enjoy which I why I stood for council. So if you are passing through North Canterbury and want to see some Highland Cattle then feel free to give us a call and see if we are home.
2011 Virtual Highland cattle Show The Highland breeders Group on Facebook was started by like minded Highland cattle breeders to promote traditional breeding practices within the Highland Breed. The Group allowed like minded breeders to discuss issues and at times exchange heated discussions on modern trends from those wanting change compared to those in the belief of keeping the breed as it has been. Two members of the group that joined from overseas were Nicole Almoosa from Wales in the UK, and Noelene Gallagher from New Zealand both of whom had been previous virtual show hosts masters for their own countries shows on the net. With their encouragement and due to the fact that no country was hosting a Virtual show it was decided that the Highland Breeders group would host a show. This year will see the third show run with some minor differences. Firstly we will continue with three Global Judges, we are fortunate to have this year Mr Robert Phillips of Hellifield Fold, from Yorkshire UK and a member of the UK Judging panel. Mrs Brenda Murray, Sunset Fold from Canada, and Judy Smyth of Rosemoor Fold New Zealand. It will be their task to choose from the entries the winners and champions of the event. This event also allows the people to have a say and choose their place winners and compare to those of the judges. The past couple of years the event has been partially sponsored by private folds and several societies to enable
Rosettes to be sent to winners and place getters. The entry will remain free to all the classes, however this year to assist in the increasing costs we will continue to look for Society support which is gratefully accepted from New Zealand, Germany and Australia, but will allow minimal advertising of Folds to cover costs and to increase the opportunities of trophies. This year will also see the increase of classes from the current eight to eleven classes with a photo class for Highland youth under 12 years of age, and a veteran class for cattle ten years an older . Only one entry per class per fold will be allowed. Last year’s event saw a yellow cow from Germany win Grand Champion. Australian entries were also placed in several classes. Entries last year were received from North America and Canada, throughout Europe, England, Scotland, and New Zealand. A total of 137 entries were received last year for the event with ever increasing interest.
For further information please go to either to the Highland Cattle Breeders Group on Facebook, and follow the link or to www.virtualcattleshow.com
By Trevor Perry
MORRINSVILLE SHOW Judge: Carl Botha
Senior female 1st Molly of Stornoway Yearling Heifer 1st Hattie of Hinterland 2nd Ruby Raey of Glen Elgin 3rd Sophie Raey of Glen Elgin 4th Isla of Stornoway Heifer Calf 1st Brechin of Craigower 2nd Tess of Glen Elgin 3rd Kendall of Glen Elgin
Jan Olsen John & Judy Doull Graham & Margaret Harvey Graham & Margaret Harvey Jan Olsen Jan & Alan Dudding John & Judy Doull John & Judy Doull
Junior Champion Hattie of Hinterland Reserve Champion Brechin of Craigower Champion Female Reserve Champion Bull Calf 1st Angus of Craigower 2nd Sir Gillie of Glenburn Champion Male Reserve Champion
Hattie of Hinterland Molly of Stornoway Jan & Alan Dudding Errol & Netta Clark Angus of Craigower Sir Gillie of Glenburn
SUPREME CHAMPION HATTIE OF HINTERLAND Best Two Yearlings 1st Ruby Raey & Sophie Raey of Glen Elgin Graham & Margaret Harvey
WAIHI SHOW:Sir Gordon of Glenburn; below: Serena and Tess of Glen Elgin
REGISTRAR’S REPORT Since the last magazine there have been:124 Cattle Registrations 49 Transfers 9 Herd registrations I will start with a plea to you all. PLEASE send in your annual herd returns! I am not sure why but these have been slow coming in this year. They are supposed to be returned by the end of May. If you are scratching your head thinking have I or haven’t I please get in touch and I can quickly tell you. The herd return is individual to you and your fold, is printed on yellow paper so that it can be easily identified from all the other paper that comes over your desk and was sent out with the April magazine. It is a very important document as it helps up date not only your mating programme but also deaths, culls, animals sold and for some reason not transferred and in some cases animals that you have not yet received your paper work for. Simply sending in a bull lease or AI dockets is not sufficient. So hopefully now I will be inundated with yellow forms! AUDIT 2010 The audit of the 2010 registrations is under way. Our previous auditor Shirley Blanchard has stepped down from the position and we extend a huge vote of thanks to her for helping to implement the system originally and overseeing its progress for the past few year. The system is running well and is most worthwhile. To date no major discrepancies have been found but it has helped to highlight a number of minor points to all concerned and in general breeders have told me that they have put more thought into their record keeping. Council approached Angus Anderson to be the new auditor and he has accepted the role. He has chosen at random the number 7030 which results in nine animals to be audited for the 2010 audit year. His random choice even resulted in one of his own animals being in the nine. SHOW PASSPORTS After the whole process having gone dead it seems it is now all on again and I am pleased to see the remit that went through at the RAS AGM reinforcing that show animals must have a passport to be included in Meat and Wool categories. The first 58 passports have been produced by the RAS and these all belong to NZHCS animals. In order to keep papers easily identifiable I have decided to print the passports on a blue paper before sending them to the members concerned. Hopefully this will keep them out of the muddle of other papers we all get. I do have copies of all
passports on file so if members say they have lost theirs I can print them another. I decided to print them and send them to owners so that they had a hard copy to take with them when showing. I could see having to copy off the email may present problems to some and as I have already said, the blue paper will indicate what they are (I hope). Please read about this elsewhere in the magazine. AGM The remits discussed at the meeting certainly gave rise to some interesting opinions. As a result of this year’s remit results Council has had to do some considerable groundwork to make them workable. This is an on-going process and at time of writing it is too soon to be able to report progress. However, watch this spot, as they, for further updates about decisions that may affect the way you register your animals. Our Southland/Invercargill members turned on a fabulous weekend for us all to journey south. Considering the logistics of travel I thought there was a good turnout – though more would always be wonderful. For a brief moment I thought I was not even going to make if off the ground at Rotorua. I arrived at the airport to check in and as you will realise I have special needs when flying. I always make sure this is loaded in the system at booking but when I bowled up to the check-in the lady politely informed she had no record of me and further more, no way of loading me on the plane! Even though Rotorua airport calls itself an international airport it is still very much a provincial airport and so the only way I get on a plane is by using a forklift. The forklift had broken down! Well there always has to be a plan B and I was all set to call up a few male friends from around Rotorua to give me lift – OSH doesn’t allow airline staff to do that. Mrs check-in lady wasn’t at all sure about that but gave me a voucher to go and have a cuppa while they thought about it. Lo and behold the forklift was fixed in time, Hazel and I had time for a free cuppa and sandwich and off we went. We were both very relieved also that Christchurch refrained from rocking and rolling coming and going so there were no further dramas. I would like through the magazine to extend a huge thank you to the Southland crew for arranging my own “private transport” which meant that I could enjoy the Sunday’s outing. And no visit to Invercargill is complete without the oysters. They were wonderful and I am only too happy to admit that I did eat more than my fair share but then there were a few people who turned their noses up at them, so I was just helping out by eating theirs. After all it would have been rude to leave them!
Australian Highland Cattle Society National Show The Australian Highland Cattle Society National Show was held in NSW recently. Numbers attending had been declining in Victoria in the recent past and the AHCS council has taken the brave decision to run a standalone show moving around the states to give all members a chance to show off their highlands. It paid off with a total of ten folds attending with 40 animals entering the ring in Cowra, Central Western NSW. These numbers have not been displayed for many years. NZHCS members Clive & Kay Shepherd of the Ennerdale Fold, blitzed the competition winning Supreme Exhibit, Grand Champion and Senior Champion Bull with the joint UK/Australian registered Bull Ceallach of Ennerdale, Grand Champion and Senior Champion Female, and Junior Champion Female displaying of the quality and depth of their fold and almost achieved a clean sweep, never seen before at the Australian National Show. NZHCS members Bairnsley were also successful; winning the Junior Bull Championship. Trevor Perry, Mac-Ladanae Fold travelled for 15 hours from South Australia with a junior bull and the Karen & Glen Hastie travelled for 8 hours with their show team from Victoria. Seven members from around a 300km radius of the show were able to exhibit animals at the National level for the first time which was excellent to see. The Highland Cattle were certainly a crowd pleaser and significant interest was generated from the large numbers of public in the crowd. The judge Mr Barry Waddell – a Highland Breeder with over 25 years experience - won the crowd with his commentary. As the day went on the general public learnt a lot about the Highland breed and its benefits to the greater beef industry. Highland Beef was available for sale both from the chiller and on the barbeque along with a good selection of Highland related merchandise. The Junior Judging, Junior Paraders and all the Pee Wee’s classes were the thrill of the day with the younger ones displaying their skills. Australia certainly has some young Highland breeders to watch out for in the future AHCS 2011 National Show Results Ennerdale Fold owned by Clive and Kay Shepherd won Supreme Exhibit, Grand Champion and Senior Champion Bull -
all Ceallach of Ennerdale, Grand Champion and Senior Champion Female Seonaid of Ennerdale, and Junior Champion Female Catherine the 3rd of Ennerdale Karen and Glen Hastie of Bairnsley won Junior Champion Bull – Brogach Beinn of Bairnsley Ennerdale won Reserve Senior Female - Isabella of Ennerdale and Durness won Reserve Junior Female Breeders Group 1st Ennerdale 2nd Bairnsley 3rd Durness Sire/Dams progeny Group 1st Ennerdale 2nd Durness Pair of Females 1st Ennerdale 2nd Bairnsley 3rd Durness Champion Led Purebred Steer went to Ennerdale Ceallach of Ennerdale Supreme Exhibit 2011 has also been placed 3rd in the Interbreed at the Royal Canberra Show this year, when up against 27 other breeds of Bulls. A total of 808 animals were exhibited at this year’s show, and the 2nd placing of Woodgee of Durness in 2008 in the female Interbreed also at a Royal Canberra Show is total recognition for the breeders that their Highland cattle are competitive in the Australian beef industry. Seonaid of Ennerdale who won the AHCS Supreme Exhibit in the 2006 National Show returned to the show ring after 5 years to win Grand Champion and Senior Cow for 2011 Clive Shepherd The Ennerdale Fold Bowning NSW Australia
RIGHT: Supreme Exhibit – Ceallach of Ennerdale LEFT: presenting of the ribbon—from left to right; Barry Waddell – Judge, Kay Shepherd –(breeder & owner) Ennerdale Highlands, Ceallach of Ennerdale –Supreme Exhibit, AHCS Councillors- John Hutt & Peter Henderson.
Council Corner Council met on 12 July at Rotorua Airport. Our two newly elected members James Brown and Gary Campbell were welcomed to their first meeting. Once again a very full agenda but with some forward planning using pre meeting conference calls and email discussions the agenda was completed by the end of the day. New members were briefed on administrative matters such as service contracts, insurance, financial planning and policy. An analysis of numbers of members and registrations to date indicates our membership numbers are holding up well and we welcome eight new members; while a downwards trend is evident in cattle registrations – however the registrar noted that many members had yet to complete their herd returns and that they often included their registrations along with these documents. It would be appreciated if members could get their returns back to the registrar – they were supposed to be completed by 31 May. The finance committee in particular will be keeping a close watch on this and also place increased emphasis on monitoring and reducing costs. Angus Anderson (South Canterbury) was confirmed as the auditor of the Herdbook for 2011. This process is now underway. Council reviewed a planning document designed to enable council members and subcommittees to more easily prioritise activities that should receive attention over the next year. Some are very routine; such as financial planning and management and others are very specific such as the International Gathering. Essentially our work is broken in to 3 broad groups – Society Management, Breed Management and Member Services. Sub committees were then formed with specific work objectives and a more planned structure for reporting back to council and membership on achievements. Subcommittee’s membership is listed elsewhere in this magazine. Council also believes that there are many NZHCS members who have skills or expertise that would be of immense value to our subcommittees and we will be more proactive in seeking to utilise these skills over the coming year. The investigation of the beef structural assessment scheme will fall under the responsibility of the breed management subcommittee. Council also considered “remit 3” implementation in detail. While at face value this seems simple there are a considerable number of clauses in the constitution that directly relate to the breeder and/or owners responsibilities which now conflict with the change to the wording proposed by “remit 3”. Legal advice suggests that until all such conflicts are amended “remit 3” cannot be implemented. It is important that this issue is resolved within a short time frame but council will also be very careful in its deliberations. A 4 person working group has been tasked with identifying the solutions to take back to council within the next month. Any amendments will require membership approval by way of a special general meeting. A review of the society assets has been undertaken. There is a need for some upgrading of our technology and we will be working on a staged process of upgrading over coming years. Our meeting schedule for the next year was determined and it has been decided to reduce the number of meetings by one and instead hold a 2 day meeting in March. As part of this review meeting venues were also investigated. The treasurer presented a report on the costs of several locations including Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton and Rotorua. Christchurch and Hamilton were the most expensive locations, Auckland Airport was the cheapest but the airport conference centre does not have disabled facilities and to go off site increased costs and decreased available time for meetings. Rotorua is still the most cost effective venue and every effort will be made to reduce costs by early booking of flights. The next meeting is scheduled for 8 November.
FOOD, FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD Great Haggis followed by many other meals, The early birds met on Friday evening for a meal. A great time of meeting friends and making new ones. Saturday night began with Roydon Brown piping in the Haggis. Terry Forde was the compere for the night and had us in fits of laughter from start to finish with his South stories, number one was the pigs from Auckland Islands. Between laughter, a lot of us were trying to avoid Terry’s eye as he used willing and unwilling people to demonstrate his stories. Harry dressed as a true Scotsman and Bruce MacNauthton as Tim Shadbolt added much entertainment to our evening. Sunday with Russell and Lockie’s guidance started with a trip down memory lane at a truck museum, then up the Catlins Coast seeing coal mine areas, Curio Bay, a talk about cheese making and Highland pies, not to mention oysters and the odd wee dram. A great day was had by all. Many thanks to Janice Bulling and Team for the very successful weekend and wasn’t the weather kind to us! Rosalie Hutton
AGM PHOTOS Photos courtesy of Glenda Stinson
CALVING - WHAT TO EXPECT! This is one of the most amazing and natural processes that you can witness in nature. Sadly, Highlands have their calves so easily and quickly that, more often than not, we do not get a chance to be a part of it. This article will discuss some of the normal, and abnormal things that can happen during and shortly after the calving process. It is by no means complete, but is meant to act as a guide, mainly for the less experienced, as to what to expect during this time, and most importantly, when to be concerned and intervene. Generally it is found that more people intervene too often or too soon (sometimes to the detriment of the animals or the cow-calf bond), than need to.
How do we know when calving is starting? If you have seen a natural mating or an AI (artificial insemination) has been performed, then you can refer to a gestation calendar to calculate the expected calving date. This will be approximately 283 days after service or AI, but can often vary by up to 5 and sometimes even 10 days either side of this expected time. Remember that if the cow missed from the mating that was noticed and actually conceived from their next season, they might well not calve for 3 weeks after this calculated date. If you are unsure, peace of mind can be sort by getting your vet out to do a pregnancy test. One good indicator is that in the 2-3 weeks prior to calving the udder will enlarge (bag up). In heifers this can start as early as 3-4 months prior, and in some cows, it may not be until a few days prior to calving. Their vulva will start to enlarge and soften in these last few weeks as well, and especially puff up in the last few days. During these last couple of days the abdomen will drop and the flanks will appear hollowed out. The tail head ligaments can soften causing the tail head to become slightly raised. Calving is normally only 24-48 hours away at this stage. When calving is imminent (the 2-6 hours prior to any straining), the cow or heifer will leave the fold and find a secluded and protected spot to calve. They are often restless and are best left well alone at this stage otherwise they will keep moving locations. They will get up and lay down a lot as the time draws closer and some discharge may be noticed from the vulva. Calving begins! Once straining starts, or the water bag is noticed, the whole process is normally over within 30 minutes to two hours. Some heifers may take a little longer than this. Cows will normally do all their pushing laying down, although some will stand to deliver. Most will get up and lay down a few times during this period, especially if disturbed. Initially an opaque water bad will show first bulging out between the vulval lips, but if this breaks the next thing that is seen is hopefully the front hooves. The soles of the hooves will be facing the ground if they are front feet. If they are facing the sky, this normally means that they are back feet—a 'breech' delivery, and there will be a significantly higher risk of complications. These front legs may go in and out a few times as the animal strains and may even disappear if they stand up. From the time the hooves are first noticed, definite progress should be noted within 30 minutes. The next stage will be the progression to the head (or nose) protruding. This is normally the time of maximal straining as the shoulders start coming through the pelvic canal - now is when you are glad you chose a bull that was not too heavy through the shoulders. Once the head and chest comes through, the cow will often take a break for a few
breaths to a few minutes, and can even get up & walk around with the calf hanging out. The last stage is a final few pushes to get past the hips. This can often look a little violent, especially if the cow stands up during the expulsion of the calf and the calf sometimes hits the ground with a bit of a thud. At this moment the umbilical cord breaks and the cow normally immediately rises to her feet, turns around and starts licking the calf. She will often make some very nurturing grunts, and will sometimes even bellow. By now most of the rest of the fold will be gathered around to see what all the fuss is about. More dominant cows will often come and sniff the newborn calf. The calf will take its first breaths causing the lungs to expand (they were previously full of fluid) not long after it hits the ground. This first breath is aided by the stimulation of the intense licking of the dam. Most Highland calves will be up and have suckled within 30-60 minutes, providing the birth was not difficult. Sometimes an over zealous mother will lick her calf so much that it will have trouble balancing on four legs. They naturally seem to find their way to the udder, although this appears a bit hit and miss and they will end up sucking under a front leg or on a tail sometimes. As long as they get a good suckle in the first 6-12 hours, they will absorb enough colostrum (which has antibodies in it for immunity to disease) to get them by.
What about the afterbirth (placenta)? This will normally be expelled within 2-8 hours, but may be as long as 24 hours for some. The cow will normally eat the afterbirth - this is quite natural as it makes sense to avoid any trace of the calf from any potential predators. If the placenta is seen hanging down from the vulva and doesn't come away within 24 hours, then the vet should be contacted. Often nothing more is needed other than close monitoring, as some placentas will not detach for 72 hours (amazingly, no harm generally comes of this). If they are still there 3 days after calving, then veterinary attention will definitely be required. At no time should the visible membranes be shortened or cut off as their weight of this helps them to fall out naturally.
The calf's first days For the first 12-24 hours the calf will be quite trusting of you and less coordinated so is relatively easy to catch. It is a great opportunity to weigh your calf and perhaps even put the relevant ear tags in. This can usually be done in front of the dam if they are trusting enough and we also check the sex, check ears for crop ear and check for any other abnormalities. In the first few days you will notice that the calf is either sleeping, suckling or running around kicking it's legs out. When they are awake they can be quite active, especially if there are other calves around. When they sleep they can often become very difficult to find, being able to camouflage themselves very easily up against a tuft of grass. During this time you can check that the calf is suckling from all 4 teats. If there are one or two larger ('bottle') teats then it may have trouble getting its mouth around them. Also check that they have passed their first faeces (meconium). This often sticks to their tail. Mis-mothering The cow can sometimes reject the calf if you have interfered too much, or you needed to pull the calf or do a caesarean. Some dams will abandon the calf (more so first calf heifers) for no obvious reason - this is not good maternal instinct and is a strong reason to cull that cow. In this situation you need to get the cow into the crush and let the calf suckle without being butted or kicked away (sometimes you might need to tie a back leg down so she can not kick). The first suckle of colostrum is the most important and occasionally it is necessary to milk the cow out by hand (1-2 litres is adequate) and give it to the calf via a stomach tube or teat and bottle. This should be done a minimum of three times a day but between times they need to be kept separate because the cow may still injure the calf. Once the placenta is passed, you may want to smear some of this on the calf to help with recognition. Usually by the 3rd or 4th day the cow is starting to make progress and may be starting to accept the calf - listen for those maternal grunting noises that they start to make when the calf is suckling. At this stage you can leave them together under supervision and once the bonding is complete, they can go back into the paddock. When to intervene or call the vet Although calving problems are not common with Highlands, they still occur. The fact that we rarely need to intervene is probably why we have less experience with calving difficulties than owners of most other breeds. But remember, the best outcomes for mother and calf come with early recognition of problems and appropriate action being taken. If there are any doubts at all, call the vet, or at least an appropriately experienced neighbour for the following circumstances: ♠ any straining when they are not within 10 days of calving, ♠ more than 7-10 days overdue (without any signs of imminent calving), ♠ feet protruding and the soles of the hooves are facing the sky (back legs), ♠ when feet are protruding from the vulva and no progression is seen for more than 45 minutes, ♠ any labour lasting more than 2-3 hours, ♠ if you have tried to pull with 2 people for 20 minutes & had no luck, ♠ if the placenta is retained (still hanging) for more than 24 hours after calving, ♠ if the calf is slow - not up in 2-3 hours or not suckled in 6-8 hours. Many thanks to Glen Hastie of Bairnsley Fold, Australia for this article
PRESIDENT’S REPORT—2011 NZHCS AGM It was distressing to everyone to learn that Judy Bruerton suffered from a debilitating stroke in late June. It is gratifying to see the Society get behind and support Judy in her recovery - a true reflection of the generous spirit and fellowship of our members. Until Judy resigned in late October the Society Vice President’s Gavin Reid and Doug Sheldon ably shared the acting Presidents role. An election to fill the vacant position was held at November’s Council meeting. As outlined at the 2010 AGM our constitution, rules and regulations and the breed standard has undergone a review process. Following a suggestion from the 2010 AGM a web forum was set up to enable members to easily participate in the consultative process and while the total number of members using this was not great it did prove to be a useful way of communicating progress and allowing for member input alongside the more traditional ways of communication. Thanks you to those members who took the time to consider the various drafts and make comment. There has been a tremendous effort made to ensure that the draft document is ready for consideration at this meeting and I would like to thank Doug Maclean for managing this project and council too for their constructive input. The message from members was clear that the breed standard should remain closely aligned to that of the 1885 Highland Cattle Society Breed Standard. This standard is universal globally and member feedback indicated that there was little appetite for change. The remit proposed by the NZHCS to the RAS membership preventing multiple breed affiliation was successful. While this is good for the future of breed societies in NZ. It however did not prevent multiple membership of Highland Societies. As has been reported in our magazine and communication to members the NZHCS and NHR thrashed out an agreement to allow animals to be shown on an equal footing. A Show verification Liaison committee was formed representing the 3 Highland Cattle organisations and the RAS. A format and process was agreed to in September to verify pedigrees for entry in to the show ring. Within a matter of days however the goalposts began to shift and it very quickly be-
came clear that while on paper it was a reasonable system in practise it would prove difficult to implement. The historical issues arose once again and when followed by the RAS taking exception to the December magazine article on the subject the whole thing ground to a halt with their refusal to continue until the NZHCS answered their concerns regarding perceived legal threats to their organisation. It was your council’s belief that while being to the point the article was not threatening - nevertheless we once again called upon the legal expertise of one of our members to support our response to these allegations. This was successful – and show verifications should now proceed as agreed. It is suspected that progress will not be as fast as our society would like however. I would like to thank those members whose advice has been provided willingly and freely over the past 12 months. Shirley Blanchard’s continued support must also be acknowledged. Shirley was seconded for a short time to the Liaison sub Committee to provide technical support. Having ready access to the knowledge of a retired breeder, Registrar and foundation member of the society as we have looked for solutions to this issue has been has been invaluable. This matter has taken up years of your council’s time and the unfortunate consequence is that many other activities have had to be given a lower priority. There is a lot of catching up to do. In September 7 Society members travelled to Glasgow to attend the 3rd International Highland Gathering. The 4 day conference was taken up with seminars and presentations, field trips, a major show and various social activities. The following week of fold visits culminated in the Oban show and sale – plenty of opportunity to look, listen, learn and participate. Your Society presented a proposal to hold the 4th gathering in NZ which was greeted with approval. Doug Sheldon will be presenting more detail to you on this matter later this afternoon. This will be a large undertaking for the Society and member support will be essential. In January 2011 Michelle Urquhart made the decision to take up law studies at Waikato University. As a consequence she chose to relinquish her secretarial duties. She is currently still assisting with website maintenance and undertaking some promotional and marketing activities as directed by council. Council is taking this change as a timely opportunity to look at options for administrative management. The
Secretarial duties have been taken on by Jenny McDonald until any potential changes have been decided upon. It is hoped that any structural changes if decided on will be in place within the next few months and if required a position may be advertised. The Society must always be looking to operate as efficiently as possible to provide the services required by members. For example video conferencing options are currently being investigated with a view to reducing costs and travel for council activities. On behalf of the Society I would like to thank Michelle for her work. Her experience in business administration and promotional & marketing expertise has been of significant benefit to the Society and to council in particular. The website as we see it is almost wholly attributable to her efforts – I have received many favourable comments on both the content and ease of use and it would be hard to deny that it was a major step forward for the NZHCS. Our 2nd Highland Open Fold Day was held on 17th April 2011. Reported turnouts have been variable. With one fold reporting no visitors with other’s reporting good numbers. The weather in the South Island was poor and at least one fold cancelled because of this. It seemed that the date was squeezed with several other breeds having open days at about the same time – Welsh Blacks and Alpacas to name a couple. Competing against other organisations and events will be inevitable – it is joint effort between the society and those members participating to have a good marketing angle to attract in the public. In February council devoted some time to a strategic planning process. This is ongoing and should be picked up again by the incoming council. The aim is to identify concepts that can be achieved in both the short and long term. Re engagement with members, support in achieving a sustainable and profitable beef breed have been identified as important. I note here the demise of the Harmony Highland Beef venture – simply because they could not maintain supply of suitable quality highland carcasses for the venture to be profitable. Why is this? – highlands are a beef breed – and statements regarding the high quality beef it produces are made regularly. Something is not quite right and some tough questions need to be addressed for Highlanders to have a sustainable future – NZ does not have this on our own – these same issues were the topic for discussion at the gathering. It is not up to the Society to find solutions on its own – only by collaborative joint efforts between members and the organisation can any headway be made. Performance recording – the NZHCS has a long way
to go to get close to having the amount of performance data that other breeds do. Clearly recording has resulted in major improvements in animal performance and enabled other breeds to be successful beyond the stud gate. In reality the future of the highland breed is no different. Interestingly other Highland Societies have been slow to pick up these systems with the UK Society only embarking on formal recording to create EBV’s as we speak. In our February magazine council proposed that some simple weight recording be undertaken – I hope that members made an effort to do this. Without knowing where we are at progress cannot be identified. Breeders have been actively participating in A&P shows around the country. Showing while requiring a lot of time and effort is a great way to be more involved with other like minded people to celebrate the Highland breed. The society has held 2 shows – the NZHCS South Island Show in conjunction with the North Otago A&P in Oamaru in February and the North Island Show which was held last month in conjunction with the Waikato Winter Show. Both very successful. I would like to encourage more breeders to be involved and also anyone who may be interested in judging to contact the society regarding how to get started. The promotions committee has been actively working behind the scenes to improve the quality and content of our magazine and starting next issue you should see some changes for the good. The magazine does need the support of membership via advertising and I would encourage you to look to it as a vehicle to market your stock amongst other things. Council is embarking on a trial of a different concept of bull assessment involving vets. Looking for opportunity to improve systems should be ongoing and concepts must be thoroughly tested for robustness to ensure the desired aims are met - before changes are instigated. Lastly I would like to thank council for their effort over the past year, there has been a heavy and somewhat challenging workload which has been met with a great commitment by council. To Jenny and Michelle and Noelene the magazine editor for their input to administration, herd book and now show verification management and promotions. Often we take for granted the things that seem to just happen such as the magazine or herd returns turning up in the mail – but they don’t just happen they require a lot of input – so thank you. Cynthia Christie
REGISTRAR’S REPORT NZHCS AGM 4th JUNE 2011, INVERCARGILL For the purposes of this report I would just like to remind you that the figures I use are from AGM to AGM which corresponds with the year letter. There have been: 32 herd registrations
2009/2010 55
214 transfers 2009/2010 308 339 registrations comprising:2009/2010 505 B grade 0 2009/2010 4 A grade 19 2009/2010 37 P1 43 2009/2010 79 P2 50 2009/2010 91 P3 45 2009/2010 85 P4 36 2009/2010 52 PX 26 2009/2010 23 Fullblood 120 2009/2010 134 Of the registrations 39 were by AI 2009/2010 49 9 ET 6 bulls & 3 heifers 2009/2010 13 = 7 bulls & 6 heifers. 28 bulls registered 2009/2010 41 This time last year I reported to you that I was changing the UK Society herd book numbers over to their new ones. This has been completed though there are a handful of animals contained within pedigrees for which I do not seem to be able to trace a new number. This is one of those jobs that I work on as time permits. While on the subject of UK animals it is timely to mention that you are now able to find the New Zealand born and registered progeny of all overseas sires used in New Zealand in the on-line herdbook. This was a request at the last AGM. There have been two meetings of the Registration Liaison Committee at which some 14 cases were discussed. One query was recently referred directly to the full Council to get their opinion on the interpretation of our constitution rules. This concerned at what point is a transfer considered to have occurred and is important in that it changes who is considered to be the breeder of the animal. HERD BOOK With the changing of the magazine printing and packaging there was some confusion as to when and how the 2010 herd book was to be issued. This has been sorted and next year it should appear with the first magazine for the year.
BULL ASSESSMENT There were 44 bull assessments requested over the two main sessions with 6 of these being held over from the first session to the second for several different reasons. Council continues to monitor the entire bull assessment procedure but on the whole during the past two sessions things have flowed relatively well. The only glitches have occurred in the paperwork trail which is something for the co-ordinators and I to work out. DNA Some members are still getting to grips with this and I have fielded a lot of questions about the taking of samples. However, usually one on one discussions with myself or a Councillor sort out grey areas for most people. Currently female samples are held on the members file unless they need to be used. ON-LINE FORMS On-line form filling is proving to be popular with those who are computer literate but there are still many who quail at the thought. This is something that the Society needs to be mindful of as we push to keep up with the times and the use of electronic transfer of information. The incidence of errors using on-line forms is certainly reduced with the use of drop down boxes and fields that must be complete or else the form doesn’t go. However, the down side is the number of people who do not pay their fees at the same time with on-line banking. I know it is easy to forget so just remember this little saying - no fees, no transaction. Also can I please make a plea for identifying on-line payments clearly. Most times I can guess but with more of you making payments this way it is getting harder to be sure I have the right money for the right job. You may have seen my small plea for help in the last magazine – this has since been sorted when the appropriate person came forward. AUDIT The 2009 Audit did not highlight any serious issues but remains a valuable tool for checking but I am sure the auditor will make comment in her report. Lastly you may not all be aware that I have taken over a good portion of the secretarial work from Michelle. Certain aspects of this work fit in well with the Registrar role. However, I have had to re-think some processes in order to stream-line the work flow but I believe they will work better in the long run. Jenny McDonald, Registrar
NZHCS TREASURER’S REPORT AGM 4th JUNE 2011 INVERCARGILL It is my privilege to present to you the accounts for the financial year ending 31st December 2010. Following AGM 2010 the membership asked that the accounts be presented to you alongside the budget for that year. Please be mindful that the budget while based on known factors is also an expression of where the Council would like to aim during the forthcoming year. At first glance at the Income & Expenditure Statement the concern is the operating loss of almost $9000.00 for the 2010 year. There are three main factors contributing this figure and a number of lesser issues. In total for the year we paid $3831.11 for lawyers’ fees. Council has usually only allowed a nominal figure of $500 for this. These fees are all to do with seeking legal advice over the RAS allowing multiple affiliation of highland societies. Certainly a sum we did not expect to have to find. The combined RAS expenses and subs came to approximately $2500 more than Council would normally have allowed for. This extra reflects the cost of travel for attending meetings to try to make the liaison process work, the extra cost of sending our full entitlement of delegates to the RAS conference and the cost of travel for councilors to attend the regional meetings. The need to alter our liability insurance to bring us in line with current needs resulted in the late issuing and subsequent payment of the insurance policy meaning that we ended up with two years worth showing in the 2010 accounts. In fact our usual account is $1500 per annum. Other areas that added to increased expenses in no particular order:The increase in telephone conference calls over previous years. Again, this was primarily caused by the RAS issues Website development of on-line form filling was completed Committee Expenses were a little higher as certain flights were unable to be booked far
enough ahead of time to grab the cheaper rates And finally the increase in registration expenses is entirely due to the amount of DNA testing done. This includes the profiling of all bulls registered. On the income side there was a small decrease in the amount of subs received this year of approximately $800. Bearing in mind the economic situation of the country this is not an unexpected result. Nor is the decrease in registration income. However, the difference between 2010 and 2009 registration income is not so much that there were fewer animals registered as the number registered for each year was exactly the same. It is rather the make up of the categories of animals registered. For instance I have noticed a trend for breeders not to register a bull immediately after approval at assessment but to do so when the animal sells. Members have also been far more prompt in registering their female animals and so there have not been as many late fees incurred. The AGM profit for 2010 was $2262.35. You will notice on Balance sheet that we no longer have a separate AGM bank account. Council agreed that it should be closed and a tally kept of the AGM profits for future reference. Transferring funds back and forward between the AGM and general accounts was causing a lot of unnecessary confusion for members and the treasurer. Considering the economic climate and the unexpected expenses incurred during 2010, while there was an overall loss in the operational figures for the year, I am pleased to be able to report that reserves were not affected and continued to earn us a moderate amount of interest. I have pleasure in moving the adoption of my report and am happy to answer any questions. Jenny McDonald Treasurer
REPORT ON 2010/2011 ACTIVITIES AS THEY RELATE TO THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND The New Zealand Highland Society Through the last year NZHCS members have continued to demonstrate their commitment to development of highland cattle in New Zealand and to the RAS/A&P movement. NZHCS membership of around 400 members (alongside our New Zealand stud herd book of some 6,500 entries) remains strong in spite of tough economic times.
Protecting those heritage values, in a breed that has been considered several times to be endangered, while still driving forward the qualities that make the breed a valued beef producer is the challenge for all the international highland cattle societies, Entry criteria of Highland Cattle to shows affiliated to the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (established in 1784) requires animal registration with the [UK] Highland Cattle Society who retain, as their breed standard, the 1885 description mentioned above. NZHCS’s attention to the on-going integrity of it’s herd book and our adherence to the same breed standard ensures access to a broader pool of genetics.
Organisationally I am pleased to advise that the Council of the NZHCS has re-elected Cynthia Christie (Canterbury) to the position of President and that the Council continues to focus on protecting the integrity, openness and value of the Herdbook (the stud value of live animals in our Herdbook is estimated to be between $10-$15 million and is available publically, online) and on activities that enable members to increase the quality of cattle bred and on delivering greater Clearly any action that challenges the New Zealand breed value from their investment.. standard in relation to the international standard (and here we specifically refer to highlands as a horned breed) needs Anecdotal comments from show judges across the country much caution. attest to on-going improvement in the quality of cattle entered into the ring over the last ten years. It is not surprising therefore that our members were approached to support the United Nations Food and AgriculA&P Show Participation ture Organisation’s 2010 year of bio diversity. Under this programme the Birchwood conservancy arranged for semen Participation in the A&P shows during this last year appears from premier bull, Lord Montague Of Old Greenlaw, to be to have been down on previous years. Some of this downturn available to breeders in different countries and thus ensure will be in common with all show entries and some due to the preservation of the attributes of this bull’s unique pedigree. uncertainty about the process for multiple breed society af- He was the sire of many champions in Scotland and most filiation. Notwithstanding this general reduction in show num- notably sire of Crubach of Redrullion the all-time undefeated bers last year we do know from our regional club discussions Highland Bull. We expect to see that semen being used this that there is serious intent, across the country, to lift partici- coming year. pation in the 2011/12 A&P shows. th 4 International Gathering of Highland Cattle Breeders NZHCS does not keep records on our member participation at A&P shows. This may be a role that the RAS Executive A number of our members attended the 3rd International could take. It would be useful to have analysed information of Gathering of Highland Cattle Breeders in Glasgow. This is a show entries, by class, by breed, by show presented annu- very important event for sharing ideas, experiences and ally. This would allow better monitoring of participation trends hospitality. The gathering is held every four years or so; between classes, breeds and A&P shows and more strategic alternating between the UK and other countries. action to increase overall participation and quality of entries NZHCS has been invited to host the 4th international gatherto be developed. ing. The Highland Cattle Breed Standard: a heritage beef It is our intention to hold the event in November 2014 breed around the time of the Canterbury Royal Show, allowing The breed standard for highland cattle is unique. Not only international breeders to experience a major A&P event as has it the normal structural/confirmation aspects (in common well as the highland cattle gathering. The hard work will with other beef breeds) but includes the traits specific to high- now begin! land cattle that must be considered when appraising highlands. Internationally the breed standard remains based on On-going breed beef development that developed in 1885 and is supported by the UK register which started around that time. A comprehensive report to There are obvious statistical limitations in implementing the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland in 1876 on EPVs in small herds but there is value is systematic rethe state of Highland Cattle in Scotland summarises it nicely: cording of key performance indicators with some NZHCS members already using structural scoring, muscle eye mass and fat depth as part of their dam and sire selection proc“The beautiful and imposing colour of brindle, esses. dun, cream, red, or black; the finely-arched ribs and level back; the deep and well-formed chest; Highland cattle beef performance was a major topic at the the splendid horn; the lively, quick, and fearless Glasgow gathering. The UK and US Societies are beginning eye; the broad muzzle; and the shaggy coat, imperformance recording schemes and are both running sucpart to the Kyloes [Highland Cattle] charms cessful accredited beef marketing and traceability prowhich are not to be found in any other British grammes. During 2011/12 NZHCS Council will fully investibreed.” gate the implementation of similar schemes.
Multiple Highland Cattle Breed Society Affiliation We can’t discount the impact multiple highland breed society affiliation has had on our Society. You will know that we reached agreement in principal with the National Highland Register at the last RAS AGM to a process that would allow the three highland societies to show in the ring on an equitable basis. This process had the full support of the Council of NZHCS and the majority of our members. The Council worked with speed and sincerity to ensure all NZHCS members were informed of the background and the recommended process, such that we could move to implement to scheme for the 2010/11 show season. We consulted widely; our members generally supported the process and we confirmed to the National Highland Register and the RAS Executive of our ability to move ahead with the agreement. The path from that point to now, a finalised passport scheme across the three societies, supported by the RAS, has been rocky. But we have got there. It is critical that the scheme is fully functional for the coming show season such that members can re-engage with the showing circuit with confidence. An appeal for help. The last four years has been a testing time for the relationship between the NZHCS members, the NZHCS Council and the RAS executive. Through that time we have remained committed to the
RAS and A&P movement and while the majority of our members have supported our agreement to establish the highland cattle show passport scheme we have, in the process, left a section of our membership feeling very disillusioned with the RAS. Many of these members have previously been active supporters of A&P shows: exhibiting, judging and working. The NZHCS Council, with the RAS and A&P Societies need to rebuild their confidence in the RAS/A&P movement and to share the majority of our membership’s on-going commitment to support of the RAS. Acknowledgement Lastly I would like to recognise the significant contributions that Ian and Shirley Blanchard have made to the establishment and development of the New Zealand Highland Cattle Society, the promotion and development of Highland Cattle breeding in New Zealand and their active involvement with A&P Societies. Ian and Shirley have sold their Highland Cattle fold and they are moving back to their family base in Taranaki. With a life membership of the NZHCS they will, no doubt, continue to watch-over the breed, the NZHCS and the A&P movement. We wish them well. On behalf of the New Zealand Highland Cattle Society thank you Doug Maclean 25/06/11
Presidents Report Willie and I enjoyed the AGM and Sunday activities down South over Queens Birthday Weekend. Unfortunately due to work commitments we had to head home on Monday so could not take the opportunity to visit the Southland Folds. With so many new dairy conversions in the Southland region (as we observed from the bus on the Sunday) the opportunity for breeders to supply bulls into that market must continue to grow. I would like to thank the organisers of the 2011 AGM in Invercargill for the fantastic job they did to make the weekend a great one for those attending. Southern hospitality was really on show including the weather and the feed back has been excellent. Doug McLean and I attended the RAS AGM and conference and AGM in Hamilton during the last weekend of June. The main purpose for us was to ensure that the NZHCS was able to actively participate in discussions not only around beef breed issues but also in the wider aspect of A&P Show and RAS management. It is important that we continue to build relationships with fellow members and to some extend rebuild faith in the relationship between the NZHCS and the RAS after the tense times we have had and I would like to see the NZHCS commit to being represented at this meeting in future years. It surprised me how many breed societies do not participate actively given their significant breed presence at many shows. The process for applying the show passport system at A&P Shows and ensuring that all were well informed on the matter was agreed unanimously at the breed meeting and carried through for agreement at the AGM itself. Please read the notice in this magazine for more details. I ask that
all NZHCS members respect the decisions that have been made. I am well aware that not all agree - but the rules have been set and we have made a commitment to the RAS that we will abide by them. I do not want to see any of our members turned away from a show for being non compliant. I recently attended a meeting to set up a dedicated show committee to run the South Island NZHCS Show. Since inception this show has been organised by the Canterbury Westland Branch however as interest has gown it made sense to have a dedicated group for this event. I believe that the incoming committee will take the Show, which is held in Oamaru at the North Otago A&P Show, to a new level. Some good ideas to encourage participation and competition were proposed and I certainly hope to see them come to fruition. The 4th International Gathering will be a major commitment for our organisation. It has been advertised in the UK Highland Breeders Journal and we expect interest to be high. This is also our event and we must make the most of the opportunity to showcase our cattle in our farming environment. The organising committee is seeking participation from members around the country – if you have experience in organising events or an idea for a theme or activity or simply want to be involved please contact Doug Sheldon. Calving is well underway in many areas – I hope that the winter weather does not cause too many issues. Feed is in plentiful supply in many places but it could be a long time til spring. If any members have questions about feed management, animal health or any other highland matter please just pick up the phone and call your local councillor. We are all more than willing to provide guidance or point you in the direction of someone who can assist. Cynthia Christie
AGM BALANCE SHEET Income and Expenditure Statement For The Year Ending 2010 Jan-Dec 2009
Income
Expenses
Jan-Dec 2010
2010 Budget
FULL SUBSCRIPTIONS
$
31,909.18 $
31,101.14
$
35,500.00
ASSOC./JUNIOR SUBSCRIPTIONS
$
2,260.04 $
2,217.86
$
2,150.00
INTEREST
$
1,015.75 $
1,335.11
$
900.00
AGM & GATHERING INCOME
$
10,001.73 $
11,650.46
$
15,000.00
SHOW INCOME
$
915.55 $
SALES ITEMS/MERCHANDISE
$
7,736.53 $
ADVERTISING INCOME
$
HERD REGISTRATIONS
$
CATTLE REGISTRATIONS
-
$
800.00
4,036.28
$
5,000.00
2,705.60 $
2,065.14
$
2,000.00
2,225.51 $
2,296.47
$
2,500.00
$
20,163.20 $
17,280.83
$
23,000.00
CATTLE TRANSFER FEES
$
12,258.18 $
12,845.60
$
12,000.00
BULL ASSESSMENT INCOME
$
3,583.35 $
1,952.43
$
2,500.00
DNA
$
325.01 $
382.01
$
350.00
TOTAL INCOME $
95,099.63 $
87,163.33
$
101,700.00
STATIONERY,OFFICE
$
1,080.10 $
605.98
$
1,500.00
TELEPHONE, TOLLS
$
733.05 $
1,456.46
$
500.00
GEN.ADMIN./PHOTOCOPY
$
9.00 $
POSTAGE
$
3,079.72 $
1,501.88
$
100.00
$
5,500.00
LIABILITY INSURANCE
$
1,015.07 $
3,000.00
$
1,500.00
WEBSITE - Development
$
1,748.08 $
3,250.00
$
3,000.00
$
513.56
AGM EXPENSES
$
8,898.13 $
10,882.08
$
15,000.00
SHOW EXPENSES
$
1,074.12 $
$
1,000.00
CLUB FUNDING
$
431.11 $
237.78
$
5,000.00
ROYAL SOCIETY - Expenses
$
3,158.38 $
4,384.87
$
3,000.00
$
1,115.56
ACCOUNTANTS FEES
$
525.00 $
590.00
$
600.00
NEWSLETTER EXPENSES
$
8,333.77 $
8,929.94
$
8,000.00
WEBSITE - Hosting
ROYAL SOCIETY - Subs
-
PUBLICITY EXPENSES
$
7,982.84 $
7,295.49
$
8,000.00
MEMBERSHIP PACKS
$
1,456.57 $
2,266.54
$
2,000.00
COMMITTEE EXPENSES
$
8,844.94 $
10,792.20
$
11,000.00
SECRETARY CONTRACT
$
8,505.96 $
9,102.96
$
10,000.00
REGISTRAR CONTRACT
$
10,812.00 $
11,409.00
$
13,000.00
NEWSLETTER CONTRACT
$
2,753.40 $
2,753.40
$
3,000.00
MERCHANDISE
$
4,320.09 $
4,985.54
$
2,500.00
HERD REGISTER EXPENSES
$
1,090.00 $
864.00
$
1,500.00
BULL ASSESSMENT EXPENSES
$
4,309.66 $
2,293.58
$
2,500.00
REGISTRATION EXPENSES
$
901.16 $
3,125.27
$
750.00
DNA
$
925.01 $
384.08
$
300.00
AUDIT
$
476.00 $
393.53
$
500.00
$
3,831.11
$
500.00
$
272.22 $
133.33
TOTAL EXPENSES $
82,735.38 $
96,098.14
$
100,250.00
NET INCOME/EXPENDITURE $
12,364.25 $
(8,934.81)
$
1,450.00
LAWYERS FEES VIRTUAL SHOW
BALANCE SHEET As at 31st December 2010
2009
ACCUMULATED FUNDS Balance brought forward Plus/Less surplus Income This is represented by: Assets TSB Bank Investment A/c TSB Bank Cheque A/c AGM Account Accounts Receivable Stock On Hand GST Receivable Less Liabilities Membership Paid In Advance Accounts Payable Unpresented Cheques
$ 23,374.29 $ 12,364.25
2010 $ 35,738.54 $ (8,934.81)
Net cash surplus $ 35,738.54
$ 26,803.73
$ 20,000.00 $ 10,494.43 $ 3,187.29 $ 2,166.99 $ 3,980.50 $ 222.38 Total Assets $ 40,051.59
$ 20,000.00 $ 7,966.79 $ $ 752.17 $ 2,276.34 $ 954.30 $ 31,949.60
Total Liabilities Total Capital
$ $ $
2,542.24 1,255.06 515.75
$ $ $
3,111.11 1,035.63 999.13
$
4,313.05
$
5,145.87
$ 35,738.54
$ 26,803.73
SORGHUM SEQUEL This venture was only partially successful, and consequently was a fairly expensive trial. We ended by only getting two cuts from the crop – the main reason for this was that we were a month late in planting (not our fault – couldn’t get the contractor to perform when required) therefore the first cut was late. The baleage from this cut is absolutely beautiful and the cattle love it. We then had a dry spell, resulting in slow regrowth for the second cut. Eventually I cut and raked and had it ready to bale, and wouldn’t you know it – the baling contractor didn’t turn up as promised and it rained the next day!! We did manage to bale it a couple of days later, but because the crop does not have a thick soil cover as does grass pasture, we ended up with a lot of soil contamination through the bales. We will try it again and will attempt to eliminate the errors from last season; planting early (early to mid November) and having reliable contractors who have back-up plans in case of machinery break-downs should make a huge difference. By all accounts, and by our own first years experience, this Sorgham an awesome crop, but there is a learning curve to undertake to optimise the value. By Doug Sheldon
NZHCS Council 2011
President
Cynthia Christie
Vice Presidents
Doug Sheldon Doug Maclean
09 420 4065 06 328 8778
Martin McLeod Judy Smyth James Brown Gary Campbell Garth Gadsby David Leslie NZHCS Registrar/Secretary/Treasurer Jenny McDonald 220B Oturoa Road, RD2, Rotorua, 3072 Ph: 07 332 3953 Fx: 07 332 3954 Email: registrar@highlandcattle.org.nz
09 292 8225 07 543 0925 03 2258014 03 3273600 06 756 6495 03 693 7499
Councillors
03 302 2656
wcchristie@ruralinzone.net
09 420 4085
jenny.sheldon@xtra.co.nz maclean@xtra.co.nz
martin.mcleod@portacom.co.nz rosemoor@maxnet.co.nz jenni_mcgillen@farmside.co.nz gary@traken.co.nz overbraecroft@xtra.co.nz graliedwpk@hotmail.com NZHCS Magazine Noelene Gallagher PO Box 136 Drury, 2247 Ph: 09 292 7923 Email: editor@highlandcattle.org.nz
Sub Committee Members Policy: Doug Maclean (Chair) , Garth Gadsby, Cynthia Christie Finance: Martin McLeod (Chair), Doug MacLean, Jenny McDonald Breed Management (covering aspects of herdbook management, bull assessment and beef): Cynthia Christie (Chair), Doug Sheldon, Doug MacLean, James Brown, Judy Symth, Jenny McDonald, David Leslie Bull Assessment co-ordinators: Martin McLeod and Doug Maclean—North Island co-ordinators. James Brown and David Leslie—South Island co-ordinators Promotions, Magazine and Marketing: Dough Sheldon (Chair), Gary Campbell, Garth Gadsby, International Gathering: Doug Sheldon, Michelle Urquhart, Judy Smyth, Martin McLeod
Advertising (including GST) 1/8 page ¼ page ½ page Full
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Articles for newsletter to: Noelene Gallagher PO Box 136 DRURY 2247 editor@highlandcattle.org.nz Phone 021 211 9456 Deadlines—1st of each month: 1st February 1st April 1st July 1st November
Year Letter 1 Jun'11-30 May'12
Back copies of Herd Registers available for $25.00 Contact: Registrar
Fees (inclusive of GST) Full membership If paid before 31st March Associate/Junior If paid before 31st March Herd registration Bull assessment - home Bull assessment – away Bull assessment – out of season
Magazine Extra Copies Available $3.50 Contact:secretary
$100 $90 $55 $50 $60 $60 $170 $565
AI assessment $115 Registration – female $35 Registration – male $135 Registration – late female only —over 12 months $70 Transfers $40 Transfer from a non-member - application fee $80
Pay directly to the New Zealand Highland Cattle Society bank account number 15 3953 0511620 00. Please ensure your name and service ie, transfer, registration, etc appears as reference
PLEASE NOTE
The New Zealand Highland Cattle Society animal registration certificates, member lists and herd registers are the intellectual property of the Society and are therefore copyright. Paper or electronic copies of our herd register should only be shared with Society members. The specific animal information contained on the registration certificates remains the property of the breeders who have supplied that information. At your discretion a copy may be provided to others provided the copyright of the certificate to the Society is noted. When you transfer an animal to a New Zealand Highland Cattle Society member they will be issued with a new certificate. For members’ privacy (as required under the Privacy Act) paper or electronic copies of member lists should not be handed over to anyone other than New Zealand Highland Cattle Society members.
Members Kit $15.00
Umbrella $22.50
Updated members kits in leather like folder with gold embossing with easy reference tab dividers
White and blue with Society logo on two panels
NZHCS shirts
Blue shirts available in various sizes Mens short sleeve $52.00 Mens long sleeve $52.00 and Womans 3/4 sleeve $52.00
Polar fleece vest $40.00
Various mens and womens sizes—great for chilly days in the show ring
NZHCS caps $20.00 each (one size)
Sets of 6 Cards $16.00 incl postage
2 different sets of landscape blank cards with Highland Cattle on the front
Shower proof outer, fleece lined long sleeved Jacket Size: xs/s/m/l/xl/xxl Colour: Black/Blue $115.00 including postage
Glass Paperweight, approx 10cm diameter, with a black felt bottom, comes in a presentation box, $25 plus postage. If you are a member pay directly to the New Zealand Highland Cattle Society bank account number 15 3953 0511620 00. Please ensure your name and product ie, shirt, cap etc appears as reference
If you wish to purchase any of these products contact the secretary on secretary@highlandcattle.org.nz or 07 3323303
All prices include GST. Postage extra unless indicated.
1st Annual On-Farm Auction Selection from Fold of over 120 Cattle 11am, Sunday, 9 October, 2011
FULL BLOOD and PUREBRED We are offering for sale by auction a selection of 25 animals: cows (possibly with calves at foot), calves, heifers, and bulls from our Fold. Very quiet cattle. All registered with NZHCS. Cattle can be viewed any time but no sales prior to auction. Catalogue will be available by mail and online on 6 September.
Doug and Jenny Sheldon 108 Kanohi Road, Kaukapakapa, North Auckland Phone 09 4204065 / 021 938641 Email: jenny.sheldon@xtra.co.nz, Web: www.eadon.co.nz