On Beef Breeds

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 9

On Beef Breeds

In the view of Mr M. M. Chisholm, who has been manager of the Lands and Survey Department’s Molesworth station for the last 24 years, there seems little likelihood of imported or mixed breeds of cattle replacing the traditional beef breeds, for the reason that these latter breeds are able to withstand the rigours of the climate in the back country and are able to convert roughage for maintenance and also production of bone and meat.

“However I do think that within the traditional beef breeds the breeders themselves are going to have to seriously consider exploiting the blood lines which show substantial weight gains and the conversion of food to meat rather than to a high ratio of fat,” he said. “As far as I am concerned this can well be done in the existing beef breeds that we have got in the country.” Mr Chisholm observed that ' the running of more beef cattle on the higher country in the South Island was taking place only very slowly. He felt that one of the reasons for this was that perhaps a lot of people did not realise the benefits that could be derived from cattle. Apart from being quite lucrative they were also like workmen on their properties. They were able to shift seed after the seed set and put seed into

the country. They reduced the necessity for using the match and did not damage the country. Stock increases could be made without harming the country. Cattle would reflect the condition of the country quicker than anything. Their owners would lose them before they damaged the country. There was also probably a mistaken feeling that cattle required flat and easy country. They would in fact forage and live on quite steep country. They would go up to 6000 ft. He did not think that they restricted a sheep population and could in fact be run to advantage on sheep properties. If there was a reduction in sheep numbers to make a place for them, there was an increase in wool weight and in quite a number of instances it was found that the cattle about covered the working expenses leaving the wool unencumbered apart from taxation. This was also a diversification. On country like Molesworth, Mr Chisholm said, feeding cattle supplementary feed could not be contemplated. He said that even if it was possible to make considerable quantities of hay the runholder would be faced with the almost insurmountable task of getting the feed to cattle. And even if this could be done for two or three years a type of cattle would be developed that had lost the instinct of survival and which was dependent on man.

Mr Chisholm said that the flats on Molesworth were snowbound in winter, cold and exposed and for this reason there was no merit in developing this part of the country and of trying to provide supplementary feed.