New Zealand Agricultural Show: Waikato bull Axl Rose makes his debut

Shaye Roskam, 16, brought her Belgian Blue, Axl Rose, all the way down from Te Aroha in Waikato. Photo / Eve Hyslop / RNZ

RNZ

There were really strong entries in the beef category at this year’s New Zealand Agriculture Show, with a Belgian Blue making an appearance for the first time.

The show got under way in Christchurch on Wednesday with thousands streaming through the gate to get a glimpse of what was on offer.

All the normal bells and whistles were there - wood chopping, dog trials, equestrian events and the ever so popular farm yard, where children can interact with animals.

But for those involved in farming, the event was more than a day out - it was a chance to showcase their best animals, win accolades and catch the eye of potential buyers.

“There are really strong entries in the beef sector because it’s a Royal Agricultural Society event this year,” chairman of the cattle committee Andrew Stokes said.

“We’ve got 12 different breeds and 110 animals in total.

“People come from all over the country, but being a royal event, we do have more from the North Island this year.”

A huge amount of work went into preparing the animals for the show, he said.

“It goes back to the autumn when you start selecting your animals, you spend a lot of time making sure they’re eating the best feed, teaching them how to lead and making sure they’re nice and clean for the show.

“Most of the cattle have come straight out of herds because we’re really here trying to sell our studs to the clients and that’s what they want to see is just regular cattle.”

Stokes who runs a Belted Galloway stud in Oxford said the judges were looking for all sorts of traits, but put simply they have to be able to walk, eat and breed.

“They also look at where the meat is on the animal, how they place their feet, how their jawline is for eating, and then they check out the reproductive organs as well.”

Dealing with the animals was not always an easy task, with some of the large bulls too big to move around.

“There’s a big black bull that’s just under two tonnes, we couldn’t actually get him down the ramp of the truck so we had to go find another loading bay to unload him, just because he was too big.”

Shaye Roskam, 16, bought her Belgian Blue, Axl Rose, all the way down from Te Aroha in Waikato - it was believed to be the first time the breed has been shown at the New Zealand Agricultural Show.

“We put him in a trailer, we had to stop in Shannon where someone lent us a paddock, we got the ferry, then we stopped in Ward to give him a bit of a break and some feed so he didn’t lose any weight, and then drove the rest of the way here.”

Roskam bought Axl’s grandma and dad from Sir Lockwood Smith years ago and has been breeding them ever since.

“I just really love the breed - they are calm and they have a quiet nature.”

- RNZ