Whangara Angus – A new generation

TOM SANSON AND ANDREW CRIBB hit the ground running when they took over Whangara Angus, and it’s safe to say they haven’t stopped in the months since.

Soon into their tenure as the new owner/operators of this well-known Angus stud, the pair made the bold move of securing the exclusive New Zealand semen rights to top Australian sire, Millah Murrah Rembrandt R48.

The purchase of this $240,000 second-top priced sire, via a three-stud syndicate, certainly set the tone for what’s ahead for the new generation of Whangara.

“From the outset, we’ve been very forthcoming about the fact we are committed to securing the best genetics available to take our operation, and consequently that of our commercial clients, to the next level.

“This bull is the ultimate combination of data and composition so we are really excited by what he will bring to the mix.”

Their pursuit of new genetics didn’t stop there last season, with the purchase of five other bulls as well as a 50% share in another.

“We secured four top priced bulls from around the country, including one from Te Mania Angus which we bought in partnership with neighbouring stud, Turihaua Angus.”

He said when it comes to buying bulls to further their herd, figures play a crucial role in their decisions, with EBV accuracies becoming increasingly higher in today’s world.

“The increased emphasis on EBVs however, doesn’t mean we compromise on structure, docility, constitution and type.

“We believe you don’t have to sacrifice structure to achieve high performance, and we endeavour to prove that with the high-quality genetics we have brought into our programme.”

Looking ahead to this year Tom is confident they have another solid line up of sale bulls, all of whom are already ahead of where last year’s lot’s where at this stage.

At the farm gate, he says the implementation of their new farming policy by farm manager, Chris Richardson, is already resulting in huge production improvements.

“Calf weaning weights are up 50kg on last year.

“Further to this, we have successfully condensed calving, from five months down to what will be two this year, with a cow scanned pregnancy increase of 18%.”

He says whilst this is all a great start, there are certainly no plans to stop there.

“We have an ambitious vision for our breeding programme that aspires to deliver genetics to our clients that will support the full picture – from fertility and calving to the best premiums at the end of the chain.”