White Galloways of Wayby

About

Nestled in Wayby Valley, just north of Warkworth, Tracy Wood breeds her rare White Galloways of Wayby

Story

Nestled in the Wayby Valley, one hour north of Auckland City, New Zealander Tracy Wood runs her White Galloways of Wayby on 110 acres. The farm is dedicated to Natural healing (Tracy is a Reiki practitioner and teacher). A luxury B&B farmstay 'Boutique Farmstay' opened in 2015. The farm also regularly hosts wwoofers ( willing workers on organic farms) and helpers from HelpX.

Tracy explains that she had initially dabbled with Charcolais at her previous property but ironically the heavier soils at Wayby, made her look for another breed that was smaller and lighter. It was in 2002 at Mystery Creek that she was literally ‘stopped’ when she first saw White Galloways.


Her stud started in 2003 with the purchase of two registered cows, each with a heifer calf at foot, as well as a low pointed yearling heifer from the Ngutunui stud. Later Tracy leased a bull White Xpert46. It turned out to be a good choice because 'Bert' was a well-marked bull with excellent points and temperament but was also believed to be homozygous (always leaves white calves).

With John Cleland's encouragement (patron of New Zealand's White Galloways), Tracy decided to do an embryo programme utilising the low pointed Ngutunui White Chynthia as the donor as she had produced only white calves and was believed to be homoxygous (white dominant). This proved to be correct as all 11 embryo calves were white. And straws from one of the sons of 'Bert' was used as the sire.

Commercial nurse cows are also kept for mothering-on foster calves and even one of Tracy's White Galloways, Wayby Aster is happy to have an extra calf. Rather atypical, Tracy comments.