At 80 years old, Tony Thompson shows no sign of slowing down.
With five decades of breeding behind him, Thompson’s passion for cattle, particularly the Simmental breed, remains as strong as ever.
On a warm autumn afternoon in Central Hawke’s Bay, I made my way to Farm Road in Waipukurau to meet Thompson, one of Aotearoa’s oldest and most energetic stud breeders, and found more to the man than meets the eye, including a love of fine china.
Starting out as a young farmer, he pivoted into veterinary medicine, becoming the first graduate of Massey University’s veterinary school.
His education, partly funded through shearing, eventually took him to Cambridge, England, where he specialised in embryology and became an expert in embryo transfer, a skill that would prove transformational for his future in farming.
In the late 1960s, a visit to Switzerland’s Simmental Valley with his wife, Glennis Thompson, marked a turning point.
Enchanted by the robust, creamy-faced cattle of the region, they returned to New Zealand and established their own stud.
Merging their names, Glennis and Tony created Glen Anthony, a name that now carries a 50-year legacy in New Zealand beef breeding.
Thompson’s farm spans 93 hectares (230 acres), a scaled-down version of the 202ha (500-acre) property they once ran in Ongaonga.
With a more manageable herd of 70 cows, Glen Anthony now produces around 20 bulls for sale each year.
This season, Thompson has moved the sale forward to May, taking advantage of a newly available slot following the retirement of another breeder.
A strong advocate for animal welfare, he prioritises easy calving and calves his heifers at 3 years of age, going against the prevailing industry trend of calving at 2.
Simmental stud breeder Tony Thompson. Photo / RNZ, Maggie Tweedie
“You’ve got to think of the animal,” he said.
“Too many times, I was called in as a vet after poor decisions were made.
“I’d rather avoid the problem than fix it.”
Thompson’s dedication to innovation also led him to take up embryo transfer in the 1980s.
Since 2013, he has built an impressive collection of Belleek porcelain, an interest he once shared with his late wife, Glennis Thompson.
Today, “The China Museum”, as he calls it, boasts 40 display cabinets and is a passion he now lovingly shares with his partner, Laurelle Crosby.
Despite his age, Thompson remains active on the farm, supported by Grant Latimer, a former client turned colleague.
From pioneering embryo work to mentoring the next generation, Thompson’s legacy is not only measured in ribbons or accolades but in the lives and cattle he’s helped shape.
