A Hereford bull bred in Fiordland has achieved the top price at the Herefords National Show and Sale held in conjunction with the Beef & Lamb NZ Beef Expo in Feilding last week.
Eiffel Tower, bred by Chris and Jayne Douglas’s Monymusk Polled Hereford Stud in Gillespie Road, The Key, commanded $12,000while a second bull, Edison, sold for $9500 and was named the South Island super sire.
Eiffel Tower was sold to Laurie and Sharon Paterson of the Waikaka stud, near Gore, while Edison was bought by Peter and Christine Reeves, of the Mokairau stud near Gisborne. The Douglases also bought a bull at the national sale, paying $7000 for a sire from Matariki Stud, just above Kaikoura.
While the sale didn’t reach the heady heights of the past, there were signs of a returning confidence in the industry with consistency to the prices. The average price for two-year-old bulls was $6895 and the overall sale average (including the yearling bull and females) was $5970.
Numerous hereford bulls sold between $6000 and $9000. The average price last year was $5346.
The Douglases last topped the national sale in 1993 with a bull that sold for $34,000. They sold another at the same sale for $18,000. However, prices since had been nowhere close to that level, which was indicative of depressed beef prices.
“That’s a reflection of what’s been happening with the seed stock industry,” Mr Douglas said.
It was heartening, therefore, to see some confi dence returning to the industry. As beef prices strengthened it traditionally took some time before farmers spent more on quality breeding stock. Nationally there was still a way to go as the North Island, in particular, was still struggling with a succession of droughts which had seen a lot of stock killed. However, things were more positive in Otago and Southland which had enjoyed a good season, Mr Douglas said.
“Everyone’s very positive about sheep and cattle and one of the quickest ways they can improve their flocks and herds is through good genetics,” Mr Douglas said. “And we believe that we’ve got as good genetics as anyone.”
The Otago-Southland bull sale season began last week and Monymusk holds its 24th annual sale – the 6th to be held onfarm – on June 2, where 27 commercial bulls are catalogued.
Meanwhile, the south has an extra reason to celebrate with a Hereford Prime sirloin processed by Bowmont Wholesale Meats in Invercargill judged the Grand Champion Brand in New Zealand at the highly contended Steak of Origin Awards. The Bowmont cut was chosen from more than 400 entries, with each steak assessed on aroma, juiciness, tenderness, texture and taste. It is served at several restaurants around Southland. The Bowmont team and Flynn family are also believed to be the only butchers to implement the dry aging technique on beef carcases. Dry aging means carcarses are hung on the bone in a chiller to heighten tenderness and flavour consistently throughout the cut. Dry aging draws about 2 percent moisture from the carcase which prevents the pooling of bloody fluid on plates often noticeable after cooking lower quality cuts.