Speckle Park, a breed of cattle new to New Zealand, owes its beginning to Mary Lindsay – the daughter of a Northern Saskatchewan beef farmer.

It was Mary, who, 75 years ago, noticed an unusually marked calf in her father's herd and asked to buy it. That heifer, believed to descend from two breeds – the Teeswater Shorthorn and the English White Park – which date back to the 16th Century, went on to become the ‘Eve' – the mother of a whole new breed of beef cattle which has now become established in New Zealand.

'Speckle Park animals produce outstanding carcass quality and we believe they will play a major part in the future of the New Zealand's beef industry.”

In 2007, the Australian Speckle Park Association was formed to handle pure-breed registrations in Australia and New Zealand. And the following year the first embryos were imported into New Zealand.
Speckle Park cattle are predominantly black with a white top line and underline, with speckled hips, and sometimes shoulders; and with a black or black roan face.
The second colour pattern is the leopard pattern. It is similar to the speckled pattern but there are definite black spots on the animal instead of just speckles. The white animals, with some black hair on the body, are considered ‘leopards'.
Another colour pattern is the ‘white' pattern.
The white animals have white hair on the body and face but have black points on eyes, ears, nose and hooves. There are a small percentage of blacks; and solid black heifers can be registered and used in the purebred herd, but the bulls cannot.
Speckle Park has the ability to produce AAA carcasses without an excess of outer fat cover; and animals consistently produce marbled meat with a minimum of fat cover. This high quality of the meat is finding favour with chefs in top restaurants too.
When it comes to farming, Speckle Park can be finished naturally off on grass with minimal, if any, grain inputs. The animals retain their carcass advantages when crossed over other breeds, either beef or dairy.
Speckle Park rarely experience difficulty calving. Calves average 75 to 80 pounds at birth and are extremely vigorous. Most new-borns are up and sucking within minutes and most cows calve without assistance.
Speckle Park cows are very protective against predators when it comes to caring for their calves but easy on their human managers. The cows have well-attached and tight udders which supply ample, very thick milk.
Speckle Park generally has a calm disposition and view strangers in the pasture with interest but do not flee. Aggressive bulls are extremely rare. Speckle Park breeders specifically and consistently select against poor temperaments. Accidents while working with cattle are almost unheard of among Speckle Park breeders.
To find out more about the breed go to: www.specklepark.co.nz