Santa Gertrudis breeders meet

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 7, 15 July 1986, Page 14

Santa Gertrudis breeders meet

Cattle farmers from a!) over New Zealand attended a Santa Gertrudis field day at the Te Wheronui Stud on Windle's property in Middle Road Raetihi last Wednesday. Santa Gertrudis breeders from as far as Southland and Kaitaia were at the field day, which followed the AGM and council meeting of the Santa Gertrudis Breeders New Zealand Association in Palmerston North. ^ Field days are held in different areas so that breeders can get to know each other and what others are doing. Windle's property was chosen because of its central location and its reasonably large herd. Australian classifier Andrew McArthur from Queensland, with a 10-gallon hat and a good line of patter, was there. The widely experienced breeder spoke to farmers about breeding methods while referring to example animals from the Windle herd. It is necessary for Andrew or one of the other Austral-

ian classifiers who visit New Zealand every year, to examine the quality of local herds. Before New Zealand herds can call themselves studs the classifier must put the S brand on them. He spoke of looking for Bos Indicus characteristics when breeding because he said such beasts outstripped normal crosses in body weight, and hybrid vigour. Santa Gertrudis cattle are known to be a hardy, adaptable and fast maturing breed. They are originally a cross between a short-horn and a brahma, one of the equatorial hump-backed breeds. The whole breed evolved from a single bull at the King Ranch in Texas in 1922. It is now a well-docu-mented breed which was well established in the United States by the 1940s. It was first imported into Australia in the 1950s, where it is now one of the three biggest breeds, and into New Zealand in 1969. There are now 30 registered breeders in New Zealand and the breed is growing rapidly.