MAHUTA ADVANTAGE
Mahuta cattle are first and foremost functional. The herd is highly fertile, bull breakdowns are almost unheard off and herd sires are selected from large herds where feminine traits are paramount. Calving ease is a selection priority in both sections of the herd and all cows are expected to rear a good calf each year and those not performing are culled. This means that less bulls should be required, that more live calves should be born and that the young stock are more likely to survive environmental stresses.
The cattle are very quiet with any animal showing flightiness culled. All these attributes make for cattle who are a pleasure to handle and have the potential to improve profit.
All our sires are selected with the aim of increasing financial returns for our clients. Cosmetics are a secondary consideration. We use bulls with high indexes [which are an estiamte of potential for profitability for prime beef production]. Both Campese are Koanui Spy are in the top 10% for Australasian Herefords and our new bulls [Flagstaff Emperor and Okawa Cowan] are both in the top 1%. This means that Mahuta bulls have a high potential to improve the profit for our clients.
Calving ease EBVs are a calculated figure aimed at predicting calving ease. The are based on birth weight, gestation, and history of calving problems in the family. Many Mahuta bulls have calving ease in the top 1% for the breed and the average calving ease EBV for Mahuta is 4.0 while the average for the breed is 0.5. Calving ease means more live calves, less maternal trauma, and thus more profit.
Annual Yearling bull sale are held each year when 70-75 bulls are offered.
These represent the best of each years crop (with the possible exception of a bull for Beef Expo).
MAHUTA HEIFER MATING BULLS
“Mahuta hereford Stud has a specialist heifer mating program. The stud has been breeding bulls for yearling heifer mating in the dairy industry for more than 20 years. Based on client follow up, we have developed strict criteria for those bulls we recommend for the dairy industry. We select only those bulls with several generations of very low birthweight, with good shoulder conformation, and a relatively narrow body. Our clients have been using these bulls for many years with a minimum of problems. There are very few studs in New Zealand who can match ours for consistency of low birthweight. We recommend discussion about individual choices as there is a range of calving ease among the bulls we offer.”