Tuesday, 29 March 2022 09:39

Elite young Jersey cows go under the hammer

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Herb Wuest's herd of Jersey cows will go on sale on 5th April. Herb Wuest's herd of Jersey cows will go on sale on 5th April.

The sale of a line of elite, high BW, young Jersey cows and heifers is attracting interest from farmers across the country.

The onfarm sale is being held by NZ Farmers Livestock on the vendor’s farm at Matamata on Tuesday (April 5th).

Vendor, Herb Wuest, said the cows have 22 years of selected breeding behind them.

“I bought the nucleus of the herd back in the mid 1990s and since then have personally selected and nominated AB sires (from the two big New Zealand genetics companies) which complement each cow.

“I never chased BW. My priority was to breed cows that have exceptional functional traits – capacity, fertility, stature, protein, temperament and udder conformation. The fact they have high BW is one indication of their quality,” Wuest said.

Several of the 96 x 2-5yr cows have indexes in the range of BW 345 and PW 746 with an overall average of BW of 255 and PW of 286.

The 26 x R2yr heifers average BW of 255 and PW of 253. Seventy five percent of the cows are A2A2 and 80% of the heifers are A2A2.

Herb Wuest said deciding to sell the young stock has been “tough but my head had to over-rule my heart. We are downsizing and I can’t take the entire herd with us.”

The onfarm auction will take place at the Wuest farm, 75 Rapurapu Road, Matamata at 12 noon on Tuesday 5 April. Farmers have the option to either attend the sale and bid ringside, or online via MyLivestock.co.nz.

More like this

Farmers embrace online bidding

When the door slammed shut on New Zealand in March 2020 it also closed the gate to one of the viability fundamentals of the country’s livestock industry – stock auctions.

A passion for the Jersey breed

The Horn family's Kuku and Allandale Jersey Studs are the oldest Jersey studs owned by one family in New Zealand, says Peter Horn recalling his great-grandfather started the Kuku Stud in 1914.

Featured

'Cheap seed comes with major risks'

Choosing pasture seed at bargain prices may seem an attractive way for farmers to reduce autumn or spring re-sowing costs, but it comes with significant risks, says the NZ Plant Breeders and Research Association (PBRA).

High commodity prices, farmer optimism bode well for event

The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.

National

Global wool marketplace to launch

Wools of New Zealand will soon launch the international version of an online global wool marketplace designed to bring farmers…

Machinery & Products

New seed drill tech coming

Incorporating Vaderstad's latest seed drill technology, the Proceed V 24, is said to improve precision and increase planting efficiencies for…

Foliar feeding 'lifts N efficiency'

Research findings published in Europe support the concept of foliar fertilisation or foliar feeding in improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)…

AGCO and SDF join hands

Tractor and machinery manufacturer AGCO has signed a supply agreement with the European-based SDF Group, best known for its SAME,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Waffle man

OPINION: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sometimes can't escape his own corporate instinct for evasion, and in what should have been…

Banks on notice

OPINION: Shane 'Matua' Jones, crusader against all things woke, including "woke banks", couldn't have scripted it better when his NZ…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter