Pretty cattle popularity on the rise

A tough breed of cattle that was used to help break in New Zealand bush is proving equally popular on lifestyle properties.

The Galloway has evolved in frosty European conditions to become the perfect animal in New Zealand’s rough areas.“They’ll eat anything. They don’t have to have flash grass like some breeds,” Galloway Cattle Society member Graham Turner said at the breed’s Fieldays stand.

“In trials they’ve done they’ve held their body weight in cold conditions better than anything else.

Cold, a feed shortage or rough feed that’s not very nutritional – they’ll still hang on better than most breeds.”

Turner said that the breed has been in the country since just after World War Two when returning soldiers were given land that was thick with bush.

“So they used these jokers and let them out in the bush to bash the bush down and eat it, and that’s how a lot of the farms, especially in the King Country, were actually broken in, with the galloways.”

Although the breed has been in New Zealand for almost seven decades, they’re only just beginning to become more popular as their use shifts from bush bulldozing to lifestyle blocks.

“There’s guys that use them for clearing bush these days but not so much, more lifestyle people want them now in their front paddock because they look pretty. They’re pretty docile.”

Another Galloway Cattle Society member at the Fieldays, Jill Pauling, said her galloways are happy living in the rough hilly areas of the Coromandel.

“With these guys up at our place I found that as a breed I could send the steers off at 15 months probably 50 to 60 kgs heavier than I can with the more traditional breeds simply because they just cope better with the rougher conditions and that poor quality feed.”

As well as selling steers Pauling also has bulls for breeding and cows for calving.

One heifer she had on show became the star of their exhibition, a cuddly cow named Moneypenny.

“Her sire is a bull called Southfield 007, and of course 007 is James Bond, so she got called Moneypenny.  She’s just part of the exhibition to raise awareness for the breed, and she’s here just to look pretty.”

Pauling noted that the beef breed is also highly sought after by the dairy industry.

“There was a dairy farmer that came in and was really interested, they were wanting bulls to go over their dairy herd because they’re known for easy calving, they’re nice small shouldered animals, so they’re nice and gentle on the dairy so they’re gaining a heap of popularity. They’re getting more and more in demand as people realise their value.”

The galloway stall is at the end of L road or check out their website here.