NZ Agriculture Show Meat and Wool Cup winner holding up well

Blenheim police constable Richard van Asch (second from left) was pleased to win the supreme animal title at the New Zealand Agricultural Show with his 9-year-old South Devon cow with calf at foot, led by Greg Cottam (left), of Springbank, near Rangiora. He was congratulated by Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, and Canterbury A&P Association president Tim Black and his wife, Brooke. Photo: David Hill

Police constable Richard van Asch says cattle are easier to manage than people.

The Blenheim man, who works the beat by night and runs cattle by day, said cattle were ''more predictable''.

Mr van Asch certainly had no trouble managing his cattle at the New Zealand Agricultural Show earlier this month, winning supreme animal in show and the ''Meat and Wool Cup'' for supreme champion beef cattle with his 9-year-old South Devon cow with calf at foot from his Burtergill stud.

Jane Jenkins (right) was pleased to win runner-up to the supreme champion beef cattle with her Angus cow with calf at foot, led by her adult children Tim and Ruby Hauschild.

He also won the ''Junior Meat and Wool Cup'' with the granddaughter of his champion cow.

''I'm absolutely thrilled to win today. I believe it's the fourth time the stud has won the 'Meat and Wool Cup'; I've won it once previously and my father won it twice.

''The cow is a 9-year-old cow and she's sired by an Australian bull I imported semen from some years ago and as the judges said, she's holding up well for her age. She's a very functional cow. She moves very well and she's not showing any of the normal age-related ailments.''

Mr van Asch said he was impressed with the efforts of the Canterbury A&P Association cattle committee in pulling off a cattle competition with a ''workable'' biosecurity protocol.

''The show's gone very, very well. The cattle committee should be congratulated on the work they've done to safeguard exhibitors from the unlikely event of contracting Mycoplasma bovis.''

Mr van Asch and wife Denise manage 50 South Devon stud cows on their property near Blenheim.

-By David Hill

Central Rural Life