THRING – GUY FITZHARDINGE
NSW – MANDURAMA

Production perfection is a constantly moving target.  And really, as good as you get, it is never good enough.  Because there is always something better coming just around the next corner.  But you can get yourself off to a flying start by focusing on what you do best, and then aligning yourself with what you consider to be the best in the business.

Guy Fitzhardinge’s family has been running the Thring herd at Mandurama in NSW since the 1930s.  They have worked in cattle and sheep, bred and sold bulls, worked towards the Japanese B3 market, got out of sheep, stopped selling bulls and eventually switched to pure Angus.

In Guy’s words today he runs a commercial business.  But he wants access to the best genetics to boost that business.  He also admits you can seldom have your cake, and eat it too.  Which is why he made the decision to join Team Te Mania in 2005.

“The key for me is that I see these genetic alliances as the way of the future,” Guy says.

“We had been long-term Te Mania Angus clients and enjoyed doing business with them,” he says.  “Te Mania Angus was doing a really good job and I was far keener to align with them than to try shopping around for my genetics. I was happy to get with the program.”

Guy is a progeny-test member of Team Te Mania, which means Team progeny are tagged and weighed at birth, with 200, 400 and 600 day weights recorded. 

He says participation in the program has delivered that seedstock punch he was seeking, but with the commercial reality he needed.

Team Te Mania membership gave him access to cutting-edge genetics without having to compete against other studs in the sale ring.

“It has lifted the quality of our herd, and just as importantly, I now get feedback I could not get before on how the animals perform through to processing,” Guy says.   “I also get to be involved with like-minded people, and as a herd we are being challenged all the time, which is what the whole industry needs.”

Breedplan recorded, Angus Commercial Register
Calving period: June-August
Johnes status: MN3