Livestock report: A strong finish to an eventful bull season

Land use changes and a decline in cattle numbers have made this year's bull sales tricker than usual. File photo / Duncan Brown

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The bull season is drawing to a close and it has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, according to National Genetics Manager for PGG Wrightson, Callum Stewart.

In the beginning, it was tough and it didn’t seem as though it was going to get any better, Stewart told The Country’s Rowena Duncum.

“We were getting beaten up there at the start of the season, we were struggling a little bit to be honest with you.

“Everything that was in front of us was very challenging for the business ... and for our clients as well.”

Thankfully things started to pick up as the bull season progressed, he said.

“Over the last six weeks, it just got stronger and stronger and stronger.

“So overall ... the year’s wrapped up really, really well.”

Stewart said genetics played a big part in the sales this season - as always.

“Genetics are a number one influence in your breeding programmes.”

There were a few desirable traits buyers looked for at a sale, such as growth and weight, Stewart explained.

PGG Wrightson had also seen a real uptake in cattle with Intramuscular Fat (IMF), which was “all about eating quality,” and Stewart said people were paid premiums to finish good commercial cattle with this trait.

However, it was all subject to what a buyer looked for on the day.

“It just depends on what your breeding quality is and what you require - it could be fertility, growth, calving ease - you name it, you certainly see it when you’re selling a catalogue in front of you - what they’re chasing.”

Meanwhile, land use changes had caused a bit of disruption to the market, Stewart said.

“We’ve seen a reduction in beef cow numbers in New Zealand, and that has been a concern.”

As a result, PGG Wrightson pulled back some of its catalogues to ensure that the progeny on offer was “top-notch quality,” he said.

The move paid off.

“We got some solid results.”

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It wasn’t only beef cattle on the decline, dairy numbers were also dropping but Stewart reckoned the situation could be tackled with genetics and teamwork.

“I think with genetics and some of the working groups we’re putting together - I think we can value add and put our good quality genetics into the dairy world as well as the beef world ... and we can extract value out of that for everyone.

“That’s taken a bit of work at the moment but we’re pretty sure we can help everyone out and make up for the decrease in numbers.”

Overall, the changes to the market meant PGG Wrightson had to adapt to succeed and this flexible approach would be important for future challenges, Stewart said.

“We’ve managed to get through this year and our averages have lifted on price but what that has done, is given us an opportunity to look at our business and what that looks like going forward and how we can add value in different ways.”