Anna Boyd is on a mission to help New Zealand's beef industry maximise profitability - in a sustainable way - through the uptake of good genetics. She talks to Otago Daily Times rural editor Sally Rae about her passion for cattle.
Anna Boyd reckons she could work with cattle all day, every day.
It is a passion that stemmed from her exposure to livestock growing up on remote Haldon Station, on the northern shores of Lake Benmore, in the Mackenzie Country.
The 22,000ha property, which has been managed by her father Paddy for many years, is both diverse and innovative and she has had the opportunity to work with sheep, deer and cattle.
"I think I was allowed to kind of find my feet and find out what interested me the most and where my passions lay," Boyd said.
Her father was particularly well known in the deer industry which was where his particular passion was, she said.
She was surprised it did not rub off on her, but that was also probably good in a way as it meant they had different niches on the station, she said.
Coupled with her passion for cattle was a love of data which meant her latest role as Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics operations specialist ticked all the boxes.
"This is my thing," she said.
Boyd studied by correspondence until she was 12 and went to boarding school in Timaru.
She worked on the station during her school holidays and also her university holidays. She completed a science degree, in zoology, at the University of Otago.
Asked why she did not take the more traditional path of Lincoln, Boyd said she wanted to find her feet and not necessarily do something she had been immersed in for the previous 17 years.
Initially, she had studied a double degree in physical education - she had been very sporty at school - and marketing. But she ended up finding those feet and studying for a degree in something she believed she was always going to fall into anyway.
After graduating, she travelled for close to 10 years, returning to work on the station each year from October to the end of February.
Boyd worked in hospitality overseas and she believed the exposure to that industry gave her a skill set she had not had before.
"Haldon is quite isolated still, probably more so then. I don't think my people skills were that great. I do believe working in hospitality strengthened my ability to interact with people of all diverse groups."
She believed that ability to interact with people - and subsequently establishing and maintaining relationships - was now her strongest skill.
When she took her first role with Beef + Lamb New Zealand as an extension manager, she questioned whether she had the skill set for the job.
But her father told her the farming industry and agriculture needed people like her who understood farming from the "ground level".
"I understand what it is like to work on a farm. The ability to be able to have a conversation with farmers and build that level of trust as well. Farmers trust other farmers," she said.
She had also worked in five-star steak restaurants in Australia and England and seen first-hand the power of a superior eating experience and how much a customer was willing to pay for a steak - albeit a very small steak - that tasted great.
She recognised the importance of consumer and market signals. Meat quality was a topic that was not going to go away and that could be utilised at on-farm level through breeding and genetics, she said.
Boyd's first "real" job was working for AgResearch as part of the animal genomics team at Invermay, where she was exposed to the power of research and data collection.
As a field technician, she loved being out on farms recording data and she got to learn about the "nitty-gritty" side of genetics and genomics. She was involved with sheep as well as cattle.
She ran the central progeny test for about four years, and also a maternal longevity project in cattle which saw her body condition scoring and weighing cattle on properties throughout the South Island.
In 2018, Boyd moved to Christchurch for a role with B+LNZ as northern South Island extension manager.
After two years, the opportunity arose for her current role, and she would mark her two-year anniversary in the position in May. Her role meant she was operational head for any beef research projects.
At the moment, a large part of her role was the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme, a $16.7 million programme launched at Pamu's Kepler Farm at Te Anau in 2020, aimed at generating more income for beef farmers.
Ultimately, the programme aimed to help beef farmers to improve their herds and make the best decisions on genetics, she said. The seven-year across-breed progeny test run by B+ LNZ would support that.
Boyd said it was an exciting project to be involved with.
The sheep industry in New Zealand was "world-leading" and a lot of research had gone into it, which was evident in where it was placed in terms of productivity and profitability.
While there had been some research projects in the beef industry, it was probably "lagging" and INZB was an opportunity to "really give the New Zealand beef industry a good kick in the right direction".
"We want to boost the sector's profit and boost farmers' profitability as well," she said.
A big part of it was also helping farmers breed animals that were also sustainable. The crux of the programme was to maximise profitability in a sustainable way, by increased use and uptake of good genetics.
Among the components of Boyd's role, she believed the most important parts for her were data collection and extension and education.
"I'm very much a doer. I like to get things done but as efficiently and effectively as possible," she said.
That, she believed, was inherited from her father - "a lot of people say I'm a replica of him".
When it came to data collection, she relished being out on-farm and working on progeny test sites such as Kepler Farm.
While on properties, she would also do her bit to pass on cattle tips and tricks, whether it was the structural assessment of an animal, through to training on trait measurement, or body condition scoring.
It had been found that most beef breeders were aware of estimated breeding values (EBVs) but the limiting factor in the use of them was their understanding.
She saw a big part of her role to educate farmers about how to interpret those EBVs and the understanding behind those trait measurements.
Haldon had a fully performance-recorded Hereford herd and she had been exposed to quality performance recording, and subsequently, to the "true power" that came from analysis of that data, she said.
"I can stand there and hopefully, whether through workshops or even one-on-one, do my best to help farmers interpret the figures," she said.
One part of the programme was the opportunity to look at what was presented to bull buyers in catalogues at sales and see if there was anything to make it easier to understand and make more sense at farm level.
Some EBVs did make sense - growth and carcass traits were quite well known - but there were other traits that might not be presented the right way, like female fertility, so a better job needed to be done to get key messages out and educate farmers.
For some, genetics could be a scary and overwhelming subject. But it was fascinating if presented the right way.
"I love the fact I think you can be the best farmer you can be in terms of your skillset and knowledge and management. If you really want to take that next step on-farm and pass that line, you need something else.
"You can do your best with a group of animals but they will only perform to their potential if you can increase that potential."
While Boyd loved data, analysing things and the power of figures and what you could do with them, structure was equally as important and she referred to it as a happy marriage.
"I do believe you can have both."
Her dream was to have her own cattle stud but she quipped she might need to win Lotto first.
"If I'm not in this role in six months, it's because I've won Lotto."
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