Building red meat resilience in dryland Hawke’s Bay

New grass bred for yield and animal health is helping one sheep and beef farm wean more lambs off mum in the drought-prone hills of southern Hawke’s Bay. 

Bayden Andersen. 

And that’s exactly what manager Bayden Andersen wants as he works to ramp up productivity, cashflow and economic farm surplus (EFS) for Canning Estate. 

Five years of intensification have laid the groundwork for every hectare to grow more kilograms of liveweight and meat. 

But there’s still plenty of potential to be captured, as a trial paddock of Stampede perennial ryegrass with CM142 endophyte sown last autumn has proved. 

Despite a tough start, with no rain from February through May, Stampede CM142 kicked into gear as soon as the rain did come, and hasn’t looked back since. 

“It’s response to moisture was awesome, and it tillered out well,” Andersen says. 

“I was able to put the last of the finishing lambs in there, with some cull ewe lambs, at 15 to the hectare, and they were killed off it after four weeks. 

“Then I set stocked it with some of the early ewes, which lamb from early August, and 90 per cent of those lambs were drafted straight onto the truck at 18.1 kg in the first week of November.  

“After that it fed all the early lambs that didn’t get sold at weaning for slaughter or as stores; they were on it for five weeks, and then I ran the yearling heifers on it with the bull to clean up any worms.”

By early summer the plan was to let it re-grow enough to feed male lambs off shears from mid-January. But as always in these parts, the weather will have the final say. 

Late spring was very dry and if there’s one management rule Andersen has to follow, it’s being super flexible and ready to change plans at the drop of a hat.   

Even so, in terms of stock health and animal performance, especially considering the pressure Stampede CM142 went through in early germination, “it’s the best grass I’ve dealt with”.

Located at Porangahau, towards the coast south of Waipukurau, the farm totals 512 ha in rolling to steep hill with a few flats. 

Capital stock is a tried and trusted mix of 150 Angus breeding cows and 2300 Romney ewes. About 1000 ewes are mated early to terminal rams. 

Anderson aims to finish all surplus lambs at or above 19 kg carcase weight but will sell them store if the money’s right. 

Non-replacement young cattle – both straight Angus and Hereford-Angus cross – are sold store. Heifers are mated as yearlings. 

Summer and autumn drought are the biggest risk periods for the business, and Andersen currently buffers these with chicory for summer lamb finishing, plus a combination of kale and plantain to guarantee ewe flushing feed in autumn, and pre-lamb feed in early spring. 

Better pasture however holds the promise of being able to dial back on the cropping in favour of grass, and he’s keen to pursue this.

“Realistically, to finish lambs here, I think you need the summer feed, and chicory works well. But as I’m getting more new grass, I’d like to use less kale and plantain. Ultimately I want to start mating the hoggets here, and create more production.”

When he took over, there was a high percentage of old native pasture, and renewing this, along with increased sub-division and stock water, has been a priority. 

It’s taken a little while but now, the wheels are starting to turn in terms of improved farm performance and climatic resilience, he says.  

Andersen found out about Stampede CM142 through his involvement in the Agnition Pilot Farm Network. 

A new perennial ryegrass from Cropmark Seeds, Stampede is growthy, dense, and late heading with reliable yield in winter and early spring. 

CM142 is Cropmark’s own novel endophyte, providing robust insect protection and staggers-free grazing for sheep and cattle. 

Flexible stock policies key in this climate.