The Fullerton family includes (L-R) Alex, David, Pip and Dean. Alex is holding Waipiri Crh Freaky Girl-ET, a Crushabull daughter, out of Lingle Gold Freaky Girl EX93 – the 2016 WDE Intermediate Champion. She will be offered as a pick-of-the-pair with her full sister (both class winners) at this year’s Waikato Show. Dean is holding Waipiri Moovin Saffi, the first Moovin daughter to sell in New Zealand; Moovin Saffi goes back to an Elevation daughter in the USA. In a big draw for the sale, six Moovin daughters will sell. Photo: Dean Malcolm.
A changing of the guard within New Zealand’s Holstein fraternity has created a special opportunity for breeders.
The 300ha grade-one soils at Ngahinapouri have been in the Fullerton family since 1903.
On June 17, Waipiri Holsteins, owned by David and Pip Fullerton and their sons Dean and Alex, will auction 80of their best animals, along with some Ayrshires and invitational lots from friends and colleagues at Ferdon Genetics. Having been in the Fullerton family since 1903, the 300ha grade-one soils at Ngahinapouri are home to 650 cows, which are milked through a freshly commissioned De Laval 50-bale rotary dairy.
In the past decade, Waipiri has consistently pushed through a 10,000-litre average, been the highest-yielding herd in New Zealand four times, and its show cows have consistently cut a swathe through the country. Waipiri has won the National Progeny Competition 11 times (where five daughters from one sire are judged on conformation and production) – including five times with Oman daughters.
Waipiri Holsteins last tested the market in 2011, selling 94 head for a $6200 average (including $7900 for 23 in-calf lots). Fast forward to 2021 in a season where milk prices are soaring, Waipiri is also coming off the back of some stellar results with a group of exciting young cows – with a number those individuals committed to the sale.
David Fullerton says he and Pip have made a conscious decision to stand down to allow their sons to assume the mantle at Waipiri. And, with multiple Premier Breeder banners, Semex on-Farm Champions, and solid energy coming out of the Waikato and Stratford shows in the past four years, David said it felt right to market most of their show team.
Dean Fullerton carries a four-goal polo ranking; when able to travel, he spent part of the year playing professionally. Brother Alex is fulltime at Waipiri Holsteins.
“The show efforts have mostly come down to the two boys, and I think it’s time for them to take over the day-to-day running of the breeding programme,” David said. “If we were going out now, it made sense to put up 20 to 25 of the best cows we had if they were calving right.
“While my passion for the genetics is still there, my interest in getting up and physically milking the cows was no longer quite there with me.
“I also realised that I see far too many farmers with hip, knee and shoulder injuries,” David said. “So, I’ve decided to step back, because we have other business interests to keep us out of trouble, and I’m always around and about the farm.”
The big hitters
Waipiri hasn’t hesitated to dip into its own show team for its sale. Mogul Kristy EX-4yrs, the Waikato Holstein and All Breeds Reserve Champion (Holstein and All Breeds Best Udder) will sell in-calf to sexed Moovin. The Mogul’s King Doc sister will also sell.
The star lot in this sale will be Waipiri Mogul Kristy EX-4yrs. She was the winning four-year-old Holstein and All Breeds four-year-old, Reserve Senior Champion and Best Udder (Holstein and All Breeds) at the 2020 Waikato Show. This year she was the winning four-year-old and the highest-pointed cow in the Waikato Semex On-Farm Competition, in addition to the highest-point cow overall. At the Stratford Show she was the winning four-year-old Holstein and All Breeds and Reserve Senior Champion Holstein. Her dam is Waipiri Shottle Kristy EX3 and she’s backed by 11 generations of VG or EX. She’s due in July to sexed Moovin.
Waipiri Oman Liza was one of the Fullerton family’s Oman daughters who featured in Holstein International. Two direct daughters – an EX Doorman and a VG87 Goldwyn – along with many family descendants will sell. Photo: Han Hopman.
Another star lot will be Waipiri Doorman Lilly EX (due to King Doc), backed by an EX2 Oman x VG89 Donor. The Fullertons are also excited about their milking daughters to sell sired by Doorman, Bookem, Solomon, Mogul and Kian. The sires behind the younger heifers in the sale will include Lambda, King Doc, Sidekick and Crushable.
Waipiri Solomon Lakota VG87-2yrs was the 2020 All New Zealand two-year-old and 2019 Champion Holstein at the Waikato Show. A daughter will sell from her by either King Doc or Moovin.
“I didn’t think in the Holstein breed that we’d get two bulls like King Doc and Lambda working in tandem that would give you such a great production, with such unbelievable udder traits and pedigree. King Doc is red-hot right now, and as a breed we are all lucky to have him. There will be about 10 of his daughters go through the ring.”
North America is well represented in Waipiri’s June 17 sale, with the pick of show-winning daughters sired by Crushabull selling from the 2016 World Dairy Expo Intermediate Champion, Lingle Gold Freaky Girl EX93.
Runs on the board and everything in front of them
Waipiri Farms is in some of the best horse country New Zealand has to offer.
David said the young cows were still on the rise, but importantly they already have runs on the board, making them ripe for the picking.
“This sale will give people the opportunity to come and get into those sort of young show cows that all have their future in front of them.
“We’ve got high-genomic cows, global-impact female families, and they are all backed by solid productions over multiple generations.
“This sale is really about the modern Holstein and strong female families, like the Roxys, the Frostys, the Apples, and descendants from the Pen-Col ‘D’ family [Pennsylvania, USA], which has been successful in every country around the world.
“Then we’ve got some of these new cow families with extreme genomics, some descending down from the Delilas and we have a few new families emerging as well.”
David said that terms will be available, and visitors are welcome to visit by appointment.
For more information, please contact David Fullerton on 021 686 430 or email waipiri@gmail.com
