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Upokorau Charo-cross

By Hugh Stringleman

The high growth rate Charolais Angus-cross weaners grown at Upokorau Farm, near KeriKeri, are keenly sought after at store sales in Northland. With bulls from Whananaki Coastal Charolais, Upokorau manager John Taaffe sets ambitious weaner target weights, although this season’s drought has interrupted his plans.

In his third year on the large property (1105ha, 675ha effective), John has no doubt that Charolais sires have boosted calf growth rates and delivered better store stock sales results - with the cross-bred weaner steers particularly keenly sought.

Upokorau farm, owned by the Gibbs family, used mostly Angus bulls before John arrived on the property. He went about setting up a small trial monitoring heifer growth rates; pure Angus versus Charolais Angus-cross, with interesting results. “I found the Charolais-cross heifers weighed 50kg-plus more at 20 months, which for our farm management and store sale focus, is a huge benefit,” John said.

The Upokorau Angus and Angus-cross cow herd is split into 400 spring calvers and 140 autumn calvers, a plan which better utilises the winter pasture growth and reduces the demand on the erratic spring flush of grass. John sets target weights of 400kg-plus for autumn-born steers at weaning, at around 250 days of age, and 340kg for the spring-born.

The largest number of sale stock goes to the Kauri weaner fairs in early March each year, which has a reputation as a great place to buy Charolais-cross cattle. Calves are weaned on to the truck for the fairs and John expects $2/kg LW and more for his top lines. Last year he topped the sale with spring-born steers at $735/head, but this year the autumn-born steers had to be sold early to Hawke’s Bay at 338kg and $748 because of drought pressure.

This year the spring-born weaner steers made $668 at the Kauri weaner steer fair on March 2. It is at Kauri that the Whananaki-bred reputation also pays dividends, he said.

Upokorau is moving up the Whananki bull sale catalogue, seeking out the better growth rate EBVs, along with an emphasis on calving ease for heifer mating. Four bulls were bought in June 2009, for an average of $4225, and four in 2008 for an average of $2850, plus three purchased from the same stud before the sale.

John cannot speak too highly of the advice and service given by Craig and Greta Harman at Whananaki Coastal Charolais. “We had a bull injured in an accident right after he went out to the cows and the next day Craig had two replacements here,” John said. “Whananaki has a very good name which is showing in the depth of Charolais-cross weaners put up for sale.”

Angus and whiteface heifers are sourced as herd replacements, and are run with the bull to calve for the first time as 30-month olds in autumn. The spring-born heifers are usually kept for finishing at 20-months, around about May, when the target CW is 300kg and the carcase yield is around 53-54%. However this class was also sold early this year as stores due to the drought, as were with the autumn-born steers and heifers.

The effective de-stocking strategy in the 2010 drought (although no capital stock have been sold) means that Upokorau heads into the next winter poised for a big bounce back when it rains. John will have the farm ready to capitalise on the long awaited grass production.

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