Efficiency is everything
Efficiency is the clear, unwavering focus for Mahuta Herefords, right across their breeding programme. Words Sarah Perriam-Lampp.
At Mahuta Poll Herefords, efficiency is viewed in three key ways: feed efficiency, reproductive efficiency and carcase efficiency. Feed efficiency is about the conversion of grass to meat – getting more high-quality beef from the same feed.
John Allen, who breeds Mahuta Poll Herefords at Glen Murray, South of the Bombay Hills, with wife Mary, is after moderate-sized cattle with smaller mature weights that he says leads to good early growth rates that in turn allow animals to be finished earlier.
John highlights that the progeny from Mahuta Herefords can be finished before a second winter, with less methane produced but more importantly it’s a more efficient use of farm feed and pasture.
“Efficiency is the answer to almost every major challenge facing the beef industry, and it underpins every breeding decision we make.”
Reproductive efficiency is equally important. John aims for fewer bulls serving the same number of cows and more live calves on the ground, with a strong emphasis on calving ease. He breeds bulls suitable for both beef heifers and dairy cows, including lines specifically targeted at dairy heifers that offer very high calving ease with more moderate growth. Shorter days to calving and tighter calving spreads are also part of his efficiency focus, delivering more uniform calves at weaning and simpler feed and herd management.
Carcase efficiency completes the picture. Mahuta Herefords are selected for high meat yield and high-quality beef, including good marbling (IMF) and strong EMA (eye muscle area), while maintaining balance with calving ease and growth. John deliberately targets high 400-day growth that tapers back toward average at 600 days, prioritising early performance without pushing cattle to inefficient extremes.
Underpinning all of this is what John sees as the Hereford advantage. Herefords are naturally efficient converters of grass to meat and are renowned for their temperament and docility. Calm, easy-handled cattle are safer, less stressful to work with, and fit well into modern, performance-focused farming systems.
For John Allen and Mahuta Herefords, efficiency isn’t a buzzword – it’s the breeding philosophy, and the Hereford breed is the ideal vehicle to deliver it on commercial farms.
For more information visit mahutastud.co.nz. The Mahuta Hereford yearling annual bull sale is Friday 11 September 2026.
