Saturday Morning

Saturday morning started with an alarm call from the hotel at 4:15 a.m. It was time to travel to the south island. The airport fed us breakfast and we loaded the plane. We watched the sunrise over the mountains as we landed in Christchurch. Then we were off to our next destination!

 Silverstream Charolais, which is right outside of Christchurch, is widely recognized for their Charolais genetics. They additionally have Hereford cattle, which they incorporated into their operation 8 years ago. They were established in 1968. Brent Fisher, the owner of the operation, shared they focus their genetic selection off their customer’s needs. He said they focus on the structure of their cattle so they can handle the rugged terrain. He shared his wife earned a Ph. D. in genetics. He credits her knowledge of wealth to their success with Charolais genetics. Silverstream Charolais fattens 1,000 head of cattle per year on grass and fodder beet. They slaughter these between 14-15 months at 650-pound carcass weight. 

During the winter, Brent shared they gain about two pounds a day, he added this is unheard of in New Zealand. During the spring, the cattle can gain four to five pounds a day, this is when the cattle gain most of their weight. 

Their family is very involved with cattle genetics around the world. Brent shared he had just returned from Australia where he was judging a cattle show. They also attend the National Western Stock Show. He added they source most of their genetics from their own herd and have brought in semen from France. 

The group was extremely impressed by the quality of cattle Silverstream Charolais had on display. They were stouter, heavier muscled and had a robust rib shape compared to Charolais in the U.S. You can tune into their 30^thannual bull sale on June 13 streamed on Facebook live, Silverstream Charolais.

           After leaving Silverstream, we stopped for lunch at the Laboratory. While there we met Matt Beck and Dr. Pablo Gregorini. Matt obtained both his B.S. and M.S. from Oklahoma State. For his Masters, he studied underneath Dr. Ryan Reuter. His thesis was measuring gas emissions from grazing cattle. He is currently a PhD student at Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand where he is studying underneath Dr. Gregorini. Matt and Dr. Gregorini took us to three research stations at Lincoln and told us some of the research they are doing. The stations we went to were their dairy farm, deer farm, and the Ashley Dene Research and Development Station. They are currently researching the effects of feed supplements on Nitrogen excretion in the urine of ruminants. It was interesting to see the difference between the U.S.’s research and New Zealand research. Dr. Gregorini said, “We have met the full efficiency of products for our farms. Now we have to start finding different ways to help our environment for future generations to come.” As the U.S. is more focused on efficiency and developing new products. 

-Kaila Williams, Kiera Leddy, Jake Gould, and Samantha Howe