Page 10 - Shorthorn Profile
P. 10

601 Papatotara Road
                   Tuatapere RD, 9691








              WESTWOOD










                                                                SHORTHORN


















































               he Erskine Family have been   everyone’s ideas.  In the 1930s a mob   the steers doing a carcass weight of at
            Tfarming in Papatotara for four   of all sorts of cows and a Shorthorn   least 285kgs and the cull bulls doing
            generations with the original block   bull were purchased. But it wasn’t   a carcass weight of at least 325kgs.
            leased in 1885 then purchased from   until the early 1950s that a mob   In the mid-1990s Anita decided she
            the crown. In 1997 and 2016 another   of Purebred Shorthorn cows were   would like to have a Shorthorn stud,
            three blocks were added. It is a family   purchased at a clearing sale. This was   so some of the commercial AI bred
            farm that has been passed down   the start of the purebred Shorthorns   cattle were inspected for registration
            through the generations, with three   at Westwood and it is a breed that   and some stud cows from the Austin’s
            siblings running it at the moment,   has served us well. All cattle that are   were purchased. Over the years cows
            which can cause a few challenges, but   not kept as a replacement or sold   have been purchased from a variety
            we all get along very well. Decisions   for breeding, are sent to the works   of studs. With both the stud and
            are made by everyone putting in their   between the age of 18 and 21 months,   commercial mob the aim is to have
            penny’s worth, then you mix it up   with the aim to have cull heifers doing   easy doing cattle that will thrive in all
            and the result is often a mixture of   a carcass weight of at least 250kgs,   conditions.


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