The beef cattle genetics industry is always focused on the next generation—and so is the team at Te Mania Angus.
The family’s third generation at the helm—Edward Gubbins and Sam Reid—report that the 185 next-generation bulls in this year’s autumn on-property sale team represent the cutting edge of more than 50 years dedicated to breeding better beef.
They say the exponential acceleration of data management within the herd has enabled, for example, the collection and analysis of temperament scores for docility from 26,317 progeny of 297 Te Mania Angus sires.
“We are proud of this year’s line-up as it reflects the continued refinement of our genetic program to ensure the most profitable and relevant genetics for our clients,” Edward said.
“The cornerstone of our breeding and genetic program is the collection of large volumes of relevant production data,” he added.
“It is this model, where animals are run in large contemporary groups, that allows us to produce genetics that are more predictable in the way they breed.
“The relevance of this to our commercial producers is that they have a higher degree of confidence that the genetics sourced from the Te Mania Angus herd will breed with more predictability.”
Sam said the size and depth of the Te Mania Angus herd—and the fact that it is run across multiple properties in different geographic and climatic environments—further enhance the commercial viability of its bulls.
Among the data now providing the cornerstone of genetic programming, structural data has been collected and analysed from 174 Te Mania Angus sires, with 11,890 progeny.
“There have also been more than 18,900 animals scanned for intramuscular fat, fat depth, and eye muscle area,” Sam added.
“As a further commitment to collecting relevant on-farm production data, in early 2024 we installed our own Vytelle Net Feed Intake testing infrastructure,” he said.
“This year’s sale includes our first offering of sons that have been run through this system, and they are noted in this catalogue.
“That explains why more than 100 of the bulls in our catalogue are suited for use over heifers and why 138 bulls—or 74 per cent—of the sons offered are sired by a Te Mania Angus sire. We have the data and analysis to justify that.”
And Te Mania Angus isn’t just pioneering the genetics industry—it has also been an industry leader in marketing. In 1987, it became the first seedstock program to embrace CALM/AuctionsPlus, giving an on-property bull sale a national audience in real time.
This year, the catalogue is back on AuctionsPlus for the March 5 sale, which will start at 12 noon from the new bull sale complex at Merrang (1830 Woolsthorpe-Hexham Rd, Hexham).
