Josh and Kareena Sneddon from Tahau Jerseys 50/50 sharemilk 295 cows in Tokoroa. Josh brought an incalf shorthorn heifer from Norm and Del Atkinson at the Edenmore annual sale in 2018 for his daughter Olivia, because she wanted “the pink cow” from the catalogue. They have gone so well that they were repeat buyers in 2020 where they obtained another 3. Currently they have 7 milking shorthorns in the herd.
Josh was so impressed with how they’ve gone he plans to mate all his Ayrshires and cross breeds to polled Milking Shorthorn bulls. His main objective for future breeding is to breed polled, moderate sized cows with good components and efficiency. “I like their hardiness and so far fertility. They also have very nice natures in both the paddock and shed. Plus they also add some colour to a brown paddock”.
While the Shorthorns might look good in the paddock, Josh’s are delivering the goods too when it comes to putting milk in the vat. “My Carbo daughter is doing 2kgs on all grass and has done over 300kgs for season to date”.
Josh and Kareena have taken up the free associate membership offer. They both enjoyed the annual magazine. They said “it was a really good magazine, a lot better than what other breeds magazines have become. It was full of a lot of interesting information”.
A few things Josh has to say about his two years olds by RBG bulls this year, in particular when it came to milking them for the first time “the Durango heifer didn’t even flinch, she is so placid. Tanas are awesome as well. They are tall, good natured animals with good udders. I’m very, very impressed by the Durango and Tanas. I will be mating a lot to them next season”.
Looking forward, Josh and Kareena are excited to milk their own heifers they have bred themselves and seeing what they can achieve with their breeding goals. Plus they tell me the kids enjoy seeing the “short hornicorns” in the paddock.
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