02Kakahu Angus Bull Sale 15 June 2020All bulls are guaranteed for a period of three years for fertility and soundness. If a bullfor some reason does not perform as a result of his fertility or structural defect, we willrefund the purcahse price or part thereof as arranged with the breeder. Please notify usbefore disposing of the bull.
Kakahu Angus Bull Sale 15 June 202003Follow us onFacebook andInstagramBETTER RETURN ONINVESTMENT THROUGHOUR GENETICSGreat carcase weights – not a bigcow, but it is weight that pays thebills.Whilst the maternal traits are generally good inour breed, weight of carcase is lacking, that aswell as retail beef yield. We need animals to killup to 60% of their weight, not at 55% which ismost common at present. With more efficientanimals we can increase our productionwithout increasing cattle numbers – a big tickfor the environment.Many breeders have fallen into the trap ofselecting for growth whilst forgetting the cow.They have inadvertently bred animals that canbe considered terminal type sires. In otherwords, they have high growth, high carcaseweight and high mature cow weight. Wesearch the USA and Australia for bulls becausethey have many more Angus cattle than NewZealand do, giving us far greater selectionopportunities.At Kakahu we are constantly seeking outantagonistic traits. We are looking for bullswith high carcase weights and low mature cowweight. i.e. The Mature Cow Weight as near aspossible to the 400 Day Weight, and carcaseweight near to the Mature Cow Weight. Thosebulls are not always easy to find, but they areout there and the answer to our breedingprogram. A big cow is NOT what we want.They cost more to feed and do not cope withhigh country conditions the way the moremoderate cow does.The McLay Institute in USA has found thereis a correlation between big cows and lackof longevity. We still want them to grow fast,but not end up as big cows. Unless you findthe bulls with antagonistic traits you will getHigh growth, high carcase and then big cows.At Kakahu we have been weighing our cowsat weaning for many years, as well as bodyscoring them as is recommended by ABRI. Arecent walk through our first calving heiferspleased me enormously. They are nearly as bigas the line a year older. The latter have grownto an optimum size and stopped.Add eating quality to the mix. If we want thediscerning markets to buy our meat, we mustimprove the consistency or out meat. MarkMitchell of Broadleaf who imports Angus PureReserve into USA tells us ‘marbling, marbling,marbling! I can sell the beef much more easilywhen it’s marbled’.We have always selected for traits overall, andthere are bulls that suit our criteria, bulls withcalving ease, maternal traits of low birth andgestation length together with low mature cowweights and great carcase, with marbling, andof course good structure.EBVs don’t lie. By listening to them you cantrack a path which has long time gains ofenvironmental sustainability and profitablecattle that have longevity.Breeding is like building a brick wall. Startwith a solid foundation and add to that wallbrick by brick. The foundation of Kakahu is thecow herd. You will see in our catalogue damswith as many as their 12th calf in the sale. Ourprogress has been steady though out thewhole spectrum. Annually we inspect everycow for structure and temperament relying onBill Austin, as an expert, for his advice.With the onslaught of Covid-19 virus we areall wondering when the world will recoverand indeed what it will look like in the future.Fortunately for New Zealand, people need toeat, and farmers have the tools to continue tofeed many people efficiently.It is our job to keep breeding for efficiency,breeding for quality whilst protecting ourfarms for future generations.— Gerald Hargreaves
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