Simmental bull breeders Garry and Julene McCorkindale, of Waitahuna in South Otago, will offer 18 rising 2-year-old bulls at their 34th annual sale on their 750ha farm Glenside in Waitahuna next week.
The bull sale season in New Zealand starts in the South.
"Our winters are longer down here and we like to get rid of the bulls," Mr McCorkindale laughs.
Mr McCorkindale said his offering of bulls this year included two bulls with black coats.
To produce the black bulls, he bred up traditional Simmental cattle with red coats.
"We have been breeding a line of black Simmentals for the past 12 years. It is a long game we are playing."
The main motivation for breeding black Simmental cattle was a belief they had a bigger part to play in New Zealand’s beef sector.
Traditionally Simmental were used as a terminal breed in New Zealand, whereas black Simmental were a maternal breed, with a smaller frame and as good growth rates.
"I think there’s a real place for them in New Zealand as another maternal breed."
A black Simmental’s moderate mature size and top-end carcass traits made them an exciting alternative, particularly over Angus cows, he said.
"You get the hybrid vigour and it keeps the animals black."
Angus and Black Simmental were the most crossed cattle breeds in North America, he said.
The crossing of the two breeds was rapidly increasing in Australia.
"The black Simmentals are going gangbusters over there."
There had never been a better time to be in the beef game, as carcass values were more than $7 per kg and weaner prices more than $5 per kg.
The rising beef prices combined with rising lamb prices were giving sheep and beef farmers a much-needed high, he said.
He hoped the rise in confidence would translate to higher prices being paid for bulls at auctions this season, a reversal on when lower commodity prices were biting last season and buyers capped how much they were willing to spend on a bull.
"With more money in people’s pockets, there’s more incentive to have another bid and get the bull you want."
The worst season financially on Glenside during his tenure was last season and the best was this season.
A new revenue stream this season was a premium paid for a pure Simmental heifer hitting a marbling score at Alliance meatworks.
A 2-year-old heifer he killed at 384kg on the hook in November last year produced a marbling score of four, a meat-eating quality insight shows.
"That attracts a 60 cents per kg premium at the moment so she was worth $320 more than schedule."
The insight was the first time he had got marbling data from his meat processor and got paid a premium for it.
Traditionally, Simmental were known for growing faster than other breeds and producing heavier weaners, rather than their ability to marble.
The insight showed Simmentals did marble, he said.
A couple of years ago, the biggest concern for a beef farmer was being able to grow cattle quickly, while not producing too much fat.
However, as the traditional red Simmental breed was a terminal breed it did not produce enough fat for cows to be left unattended on a hill during winter.
When a Simmental was crossed with breeds which had enough fat to be left unattended, such as Hereford and Angus, its genetics would not detract from the marbling scores.
If he was a commercial beef breeder, he would be utilising "hybrid vigour" as much as possible.
"We do it with our sheep."
About 85% of the stock units on Glenside were sheep, about 4500 Romdale ewes and 1400 hoggets.
A third of the ewes were put to a terminal ram.
"They have more meat, they grow faster, they yield better, they’re worth more."
On the day Southern Rural Life visited Glenside, bales of wool were being collected and five calves were being delivered.
For decades, the McCorkindales have been one of the families taking part in a fundraiser accepting some of the 50 beef calves to grow so they could be sold to help pay for some of the maintenance and development of Simpson Park Function and Sporting Complex in Lawrence.
The calves would run with their Simmental herd, about 110 cows and 95 calves, and be fed well for about 18 months to ensure they did not need to spend two winters at Glenside.
