2020 Speckle Park Journal "Breeding Book"

THEFUTURE
expanding numbers in the U.S.A.
and establishing this vast market.
The combination of great cattle and
vigorous promotion will ensure
exponential growth south of the
border in the next decade.
REPLY TO QUESTION TWO // We
believe it is paramount that as a breed, we
hold ourselves to a higher standard when
it comes to animal improvement. We must
be relentless in our culling process and
remain vigilant to the betterment of the
breed, otherwise we will simply be known as
another flash in the pan and will fall by the
wayside like so many others before. We feel
the next ten years are crucial in both breed
development and securing new markets.
PARKVALE SPECKLE PARK
Robbie Clark
NORTH CANTERBURY, NEW ZEALAND
REPLY TO QUESTION ONE // Our priorities will
be to grow our female base with the focus on
breeding well-structured animals with good
figures that will produce functional bulls for
both the beef and dairy industries within New
Zealand. The New Zealand dairy industry is
embracing Speckle
Park for their colour
marking, vigorous
nature, and great
meat qualities. We
want to deliver a
lower-birthweight
sire with good
growth and IMF
to meet the needs
of this growing
sector. Our biggest
challenge in the
next ten years in
Australasia as beef
producers, apart from the climate, will be from
environmentalists. We have to embrace this
change and adapt our operations to minimise
our environmental footprint and produce
premium products. Speckle Park can deliver
on this and we will be promoting Speckle Park
beef to the commercial producer, focusing on
26 THE SPECKLE PARK JOURNAL
their great traits to yield highly, mature early,
and easily convert feed from our 100 percent
pasture-based systems into premium meat.
REPLY TO QUESTION TWO // In the New
Zealand dairy industry, I see Speckle Park
being one of the major players as a crossbred
beef sire. We are already seeing exciting
results and great demand for Speckle Park
beef through meat processors, butchers and
restaurants, and in ten years, with the growing
number of studs and increasing commercial
producers, I see Speckle Park becoming a
sought after beef breed in both New Zealand,
and on the international stage.
WALKERBRAE FARMS
Scott Walker
GUELP, ONT., CANADA
REPLY TO QUESTION ONE // We feel that there
is room in the breed to improve udders and
milk production. We’d also like to focus on
breeding a larger framed cow because that’s
what the market dictates.
When you are competing with larger framed
cattle in the market place, as a purebred
breeder you still need to keep in mind what the
cow calf operator wants as well as the feedlot
operator. There should be a balance between
form and function. A good old stockman told
me once that, since the beef breeds don’t have
a true type model to go by, you should use the
original true type Holstein Freisian model as a
goal to strive for.
REPLY TO QUESTION TWO // We would like to
see the market expanded into other countries.
This can be achieved by taking advantage of
the Speckle Park’ uniqueness of having black