We were very fortunate to have Jim Green of Greens Livestock Services out yesterday to scan and structurally assess our stock. Jim is highly regarded and is at the forefront of structural assessment, having guided the Te Mania Angus program for more than 25 years, as well as doing the structural assessments for the likes of Rennylea Angus, Welcome Swallow and Paringa Livestock. Structure was a priority when we established the Te Mooi Speckle Park program, and we believe an in

During this challenging time it's easy to lose focus on the forward trajectory of our own breeding programs, and the breed's advancement in general. There are plenty of more important matters to concern ourselves with right now, but if we do have the opportunity to plan and strategise, the benefits to our programs may be significant. As the great racehorse trainer C.S. Hayes said, “The future belongs to those who plan for it”, and I couldn’t agree more. Here at Te Mooi Speckl

Our maxim at Te Mooi Speckle Park is “Better Beef, Bigger Profits”. The key to bigger profits in a commercial beef enterprise is fertility. More calves on the ground mean more kilograms of beef produced. Calves born earlier in the season wean heavier, and improved fertility can also contribute to reduced labour cost through the shortening of the calving period. The real measure of fertility is days to calving as it brings together all the factors that contribute to the succes

An Australian record price was recently paid for an Angus bull when Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15 was knocked down for $160,000 to Oldfield Angus in WA. Millah Murrah Angus have a highly regarded program, and Paratrooper is obviously a great individual. One thing struck me when I looked at the catalogue. Paratrooper was a heifer’s first calf, as was his dam. Paratrooper’s dam calved at 24 months and his grand dam had calved at 22 months. Eight generations of this family have

What a joy to have such great partners... Te Mooi Speckle Park in partnership with Parkvale, Hanging Rock, Blueridge, Aleon, Lagoon and Glengarry Speckle Park cooperated to acquire the outstanding herd sire prospect Maungahina Nightlight. And he is truly something special. First and foremost he is a tremendous individual, structurally sound, a fluent mover with length, strength and capacity. Maungahina Nightlight (Photo Credit: Maungahina) At 18 months Maungahina Nightlight h

I love the aftermath of a sale and the review of what happened and why it happened. The JAD Sale is an interesting example of the value of d

A focus on fertility and carcase is a path to profitability and will be of significant benefit to commercial producers. Lifting the fertilit

I thought it might be interesting to have a look at the results/consequences of the massive embryo exodus from Canada over the last decade,

Being quite analytical, I have always held an interest in pedigrees. The analysis of success also fascinates me. Author Malcom Gladwell’s work, Outliers, Blink and David and Goliath shine a light on success from unexpected angles. Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner in Freakonomics use similar analysis to examine why drug dealers still live with their mums and why the Ku Klux Klan is like a group of Real Estate Agents. Really, they do. Analysis requires looking at things from un