Tarwin Poll Herefords

Tarwin Poll Herefords began in 1950 after Mr Jack Meikle bought a new bull at the Royal Melbourne show, Studlea Playmate. On putting Playmates first calves into the local market, local agents asked that he keep a few sons entire for their clients. At this point he and his son Neville decided if they were going to sell bulls they might as well do it properly. With that the stud was formed, the name Tarwin was taken from the river that ran across the front of the property. Foundation cows were sourced from across Victoria with Jack drawing on his experience gained years earlier in Herefordshire as a young farm manager.  

Neville ran with the stud through until the 1980’s when his son David took over responsibility for the stud with advice from his father, until the present day. This history has shaped the stud objectives which have always been focussed on producing cattle which best met the needs of local clients. Over these years the Meikles have strived to make best use of various means available to them, to develop their stud. In the early years the local show ring proved an effective way to put their cattle before the farming community, then competing in steer and carcass competitions with the occasional foray on to Melbourne Royal. At present Tarwin, are regular participants in the Lardner Steer trials with creditable success. David remarks that “This steer trial gives us an insight into how our cattle perform off grass alongside other cattle, it’s gratifying that they generally meet specifications with predictable results.”

In the present day the herd has grown to over 100 cows producing around 20 bull per year. David commented “we could produce more bulls, but with our property we found that we can reliably present 20 bulls in good order each year regardless of the season. With 30 or more bulls in a tough season, we couldn’t reliably present them as we wished to. We expect our cattle to perform off grass.”
This is a performance recorded herd, with calves regularly weighed to meet Breedplan needs. Sales bulls are muscled scanned. AI is regularly used to supplement natural sire mating. Cows are routinely pregnancy tested after joining and empty cows sold. It’s become policy for Tarwin cows to produce a calf or themselves each year. In recent years greater emphasis is being placed on management ease when making sire selections, this includes traits such as calving ease and finishing ability.

Breeding Philosophy

Ultimately the breeding philosophy is fairly simple according to David

• Each breeding cow has to produce at least one calf per annum.
• Heifers should have their first calf at two years.
• Bulls sold have to be tractable for their new owners.
• Cattle sold for breeding should perform to expectations for their new owners to encourage them to come back for more. Tarwin look to build a strong repeat client base.
• All cattle have to be able to perform on grass.