Helping grow
the country

Our full offering of products and services are available at Alert Level 1.

This includes:

• All of our stores and offices are open with normal trading hours
• Saleyards and wool stores are operational
• Reps are able to travel between regions for on-farm visits
• Property viewings and open homes are permitted

PGG Wrightson will continue to adhere to the Government guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

Thank you New Zealand for your support and uniting against COVID-19!

Nationwide roadshow aiming to add value for commercial beef farmers

Maximising profit from beef is the aim for a nationwide roadshow running throughout New Zealand in March.

‘What's the Beef’ focusses on helping commercial beef farmers add value to their businesses by making the most of genetics.

A range of key speakers, including geneticists, chefs and processors, are presenting at the multi-dimensional workshops between Whangarei and Gore, which intend to educate producers about the added value and increased profitability that breeding quality beef can deliver to their businesses.

Topics include:

• How you use genetics to grow profit;
• Nutrition for meat quality and farm management;
• What processors are looking for to serve the overseas market and how farmers can accommodate that; and
• Why the restaurant trade is looking for quality and consistency from red meat and how this works for them.

'What's the Beef' events are free to attend, though registration via the roadshow’s website is requested.

Callum Stewart, PGG Wrightson Livestock National Genetics Manager

Robust hill country genetics going under the hammer

Farmers will this month have a rare opportunity to acquire some of the North Island’s premium Angus genetics.

One of the East Coast’s most respected Angus studs is ending a 60 year era with an autumn dispersal sale. The Rangatira Angus Mixed Age Cow and Heifer and Bull Calf Dispersal, south of Gisborne, will take place on Monday 22 March. Approximately 250 cattle are for sale, selling in a series of separate lots.

Rangatira Angus stock are robust hill country cattle, renowned for their soundness and structure. All cows vetted in calf, and each animal has passed an AA inspection.

Hosted on farm from 11 am, with viewing the day prior from 1 to 4pm, the sale will also run on bidr, enabling buyers to take part in person or online.

Click here for a copy of the catalogue. Private viewings will also be available.

Emma Pollitt, PGG Wrightson East Coast Livestock Genetics Representative

Turning a love of animals into a career

When Emma Pollitt was a schoolgirl in Gisborne she loved anything with four legs, particularly horses and dogs. Agriculture, and the opportunity to work with animals, was a logical step so when she finished school she took an 18 month course at Taratahi, the Wairarapa agricultural college.

“During my time there I discovered there was so much more to the agricultural industry than I initially realised”, she says.

Working with horses and dogs, she started out as a shepherd, first in Kingston, South Otago, and then Gisborne. After that she became a large animal vet technician in Wairoa, which included the likes of assisting at difficult calvings.

“It was all livestock based: a well-rounded practical background,” says Emma.

In May 2016 she joined PGG Wrightson, initially as a technical field representative in retail, moving to her present role, as livestock genetics representative for Gisborne, Wairoa and Eastern Bay of Plenty two years later.

Last year presented her biggest challenge to date.

“When we went into lockdown, just as we were starting to prepare for the bull sale season, it made planning challenging for us and our clients. We are a small team and we had to work through it together, discovering and discussing options with each new government announcement. Fortunately we were classed as an essential service, though there was concern around conducting sales.

“Initially it was stressful. We were lucky to have bidr as an alternative to get clients’ bulls sold, offering them online and selling them in the paddock. We weren’t able to go around the country to see bulls to the lengths we normally would, so had to rely on each other much more, talking, sharing heaps of videos and working closely with clients through every step of the process.

“Through good leadership, making sure we had plenty of Plan Bs and Plan Cs ready to go, and moving into Level Two just before we hit our straps with the sales, we ended up having a really successful bull season,” says Emma.

Her greatest satisfaction in the role is from the ram and bull seasons, when it all comes together.

“You see a bull, you recognise he may suit one of your clients, you take the client out, and they like him and buy him. It is very rewarding in that respect: developing partnerships between breeders, teaming them up together. At the start, they all want to be secret squirrel, so when it comes off, and you know you have helped them to develop that trust between them, it is really neat,” she says. Helping clients work out how many bulls or rams to put up for sale can be a big quandary. “Most ask: ‘How many should I put in?’

Conversion of sheep and beef farms to forestry is a significant change on the East Coast at the moment, plus trends towards self-shedding sheep, though whatever the issues, working out just what the market wants so you don’t put in too many or too few is always tough. No-one really knows what to expect, which is where preparation, teamwork, canvassing the market and understanding our clients’ objectives comes in,” she says.

Outside work, Emma’s interests don’t differ too much from what she does for a living. After starting out helping others to show cattle a few years ago, she has followed that path and is now the Chair of Angus Youth NZ. 

“It’s more cow stuff.

“It meant I had a good relationship with many breeders before I joined the PGG Wrightson Livestock Genetics team. The East Coast is a strong stud stock area, so being involved helped with networking. I’ve also been involved in the World Angus Forum Youth Competitions, which has meant overseas travel to their events, which will hopefully return at some stage in the future,” she says.  

Having followed her instincts about what she wanted to do, Emma’s enthusiasm for working with animals has only grown.

“It’s a very rewarding job, and I know how lucky I am to do it. That luck extends to being part of a great team that works for really passionate clients,” she says.

Emma Pollitt, PGG Wrightson East Coast Livestock Genetics Representative