NZ's Ngputahi Station: Angus run under pressure for good carcase traits

Ngputahi, in the picturesque Pohangina Valley on the lower end of the North Island, runs 6000 ewes and 600 breeding cows, including 320 stud Angus.

Owned and managed by Forbes and Angus Cameron, all livestock are treated commercially and it's all about efficiency and profitability.

"Beef are second-rate livestock citizens here, and that's how it is for the majority of farmers in NZ," Forbes Cameron said.

"So they're on clean-up duties. The sheep get the lush pasture and the cattle mop up the rest.

"When weaned, the calves go straight to the steep country and they have to eat everything and not only survive but thrive.

"In a carcase we want eatability, large eye muscle area and a marble score of 3 to 6; but we have to breed doability into the cattle at the same time."

So it's a 'take no prisoners' policy.

"We sell bulls to clients on some hard country, so they have to handle everything," Mr Cameron said.

"We have clients on country that doesn't grow good grass for nine months of the year.

"As soon as something packs up, we take it out, feed it and send it to slaughter. Our cattle are bred to thrive under harsh conditions."

The cattle utilise all of the 2000 hectare Ngputahi Station, parts of which are so steep a horse can't be ridden up it.

It has around 400ha of flat to rolling country, with improved pasture - mostly ryegrass and clovers, but also cocksfoot, chicory and plantain.

The rest is medium to steep hilly ground. Under 100ha is all but upright.

The average annual rainfall is 1200mm but this season has been very wet, so much so that weaning has not yet been possible.

Both meat and wool is produced from the sheep and the cattle are all Angus, apart from around 100 head of Salers.

The Angus stud started in 1999.

"When we started there were quite a few Angus dispersal sales happening in NZ so we bought 20 heifers from one stud and 10 from another," Mr Cameron said.

"By the end of the first year we had 50pc still alive. They couldn't handle our conditions but the ones that hung in there are strong, with good survivability and an awareness of their surroundings."

That gave them the foundations for a breeding program based on valuable carcase traits rolled into an animal that can survive harsh conditions.

The Camerons back their eating quality claims with a swag of award wins including NZ's famous Steak of Origin.

"Docility has a lot to do with it and we measure for marble score, with some cows up to 7," Mr Cameron said.

"We keep our cows medium. Those over 700 kilograms are probably too big for us.

"We need them to grow fast to a medium level. We need a mature cow weight similar to a 400-day weight.

"We also need good yields and we are getting yields of 58pc off native grass in two-year-old steers."

Cull heifers and steer calves are typically finished at 18 to 26 months.

"The ideal is to kill them before their second winter. It's a big cost taking them through a second winter," Mr Cameron said.

"We also take a low-input approach, working towards only two lifetime drenches.

"In NZ, the drench families are breaking down and no new chemicals are coming on the market.

"We've been doing drench resistance in sheep since the 1990s. If they need dipping or fly control we cull them.

"We are using the same approach with our cattle."

The cattle retained - bulls for sale and heifers to go in calf - might get a third drench but those being finished, at 300-320kg carcase weight, only ever get two drenches.

"Anything on our farm that needs extra treatment for anything is culled," Mr Cameron said.

"It's a tough regime but it is working for us."