‘We’ve been doing all the basics right since 1967. No wonder our cows are fertile, good doing and easy calving.’
Pinebank was founded in 1919 by the late Henry Falloon, and Willie is the third generation of the Falloon family to administer it. The cow herd is based upon pure old Scottish and New Zealand blood.
In 1965 Gavin Falloon closed the herd and a Breeding Programme designed by Dr T.S Ch’ang was implemented. Two years later after an approach from three other Angus breeders, Waigroup was formed under the stewardship of Gavin to give them access to Dr Ch’ang and his programme.
This programme is designed to raise efficiency in Angus cattle. Efficiency means that every cow must conceive every year regardless of the climate and bulls must increase growth on the original amount of grass. No concentrates are fed. The Pinebank herd calves 250 cows and aims to reach 300. 100 of these cows are calved in Pongaroa on a 50-50% partnership under the name of Pinehill. Some of these cows have a small amount of American blood.
Taumaru is summer dry with grass growth rates ranging from 4000 to 7500kgs of dry matter per hectare. The cows’ job is to keep the pasture in condition for the sheep and it is something that they do very well, with their ability to go up and down in weight as the climate dictates. The stud is now producing cattle that are ideally suited to their environment.
The stud to date has produced the following internationally known sires:
- 1021: The first Australasian Reference Bull
- Waigroup 1/80: Progeny tested in America where he kept up with the American top bulls of their year and had a carcase analysis in the top 5%.
- 41/97: Pinebank’s most recent senior sire who now has progeny in 28 states in North America, 4 provinces in Canada, and calves in South America, Australia and New Zealand.