A lifetime dedication to Holstein Friesians

It was love at first sight when Fred Blatchford first clapped eyes on Tahora Linmack Lara EX at the 1976 Palmerston North Royal Show.  

This moment sparked a passion for Holstein Friesians that has endured for nearly 40 years, shaping the trajectory of the Blatchford family, and the Mokoia Holstein Friesian stud. 

Fred and his wife, Marilyn, both hail from sheep farming backgrounds. Fred’s parents had a Romney and Southdown stud, and he often exhibited the family’s sheep with his father at local A&P shows. Marilyn’s family milked cows on their Woodville property before transitioning to sheep. Their property is now home to the Mokoia herd. 

Fred’s journey into dairy farming began when his father gave him eight cows upon leaving school. He sold their cream at the farm gate and saved enough to buy a car. Fred also gained valuable experience helping his uncle on his ‘Heathview’ Jersey stud in the Waikato. 

When Fred and Marilyn married in 1965, they started milking 60 Jersey cows on Marilyn’s parents’ property. They began with 50ha effective and slowly increased their cow numbers over the years. The herd gradually evolved to crossbred cattle, using a Holstein Friesian bull.  

The couple’s children Deborah, Sharon, and Daren were introduced to farming early on and participated in calf club from a young age. 

It was at a calf club event, in 1976, that Fred’s interest in breeding pedigree Holstein Friesians was piqued. A conversation with judge Lawrence Satherley (Joyclas Holsteins) solidified his decision, leading to the establishment of the Mokoia Holstein Friesian Stud in 1977.  

Fred, with Lawrence’s guidance, purchased four in-calf heifers from the Greencroft, Townview, Joyclas, and Charnwood studs. These initial purchases were followed by acquisitions from the Kopua and Ashley studs, among others. 

Significant cow families began to emerge at Mokoia. The first to make a mark was Ashley Wenron Faith EX, who became the matriarch of Mokoia’s ‘F’ family. She lived until the age of 13 and set a property record with 387kg of fat. Much of the herd descended from her three ET Linmack daughters, as well as Mokoia Warden Fiona-ET EX3, a cow that earned the Blatchfords their first Royal Reserve Champion title. 

The ‘Q’ family also flourished, originating with Manganui Telstar Queenie. She produced the herd’s feature cow, Mokoia Sheik Queen EX2, who had three notable daughters: Mokoia Warden Queenie EX2, Mokoia Warden Quality EX2, and Mokoia Sensation Queen EX2. Mokoia achieved its first EX4 cow in Autumn 2024: Mokoia Boxer Queen EX4. 

However, the ‘R’ family proved to be the most successful. This family, rich in high-producing, beautiful cows, was established with the early purchase of Kopua R B Ribena and her half-sister, Kopua T N Rinka. Ribena and Rinka laid the foundation for two prolific branches of the family, known for high production and excellent type, particularly through the use of the bull Scottish Sovereign Star. 

Scottish Sovereign Star contributed 10 daughters to the Mokoia herd, including Rinka’s daughter Mokoia Star Renco EX, the first cow on the property to produce 10,000 litres and the first ‘R’ family member to feature in the show ring, later becoming a North Island Champion. 

However, Ribena’s lineage became the most well-known at Mokoia. Her daughter, Mokoia Star Ribena EX2, had a significant impact on the herd. This included descendants such as Mokoia Mark Ribena-ET EX2, Mokoia Supreme Ribena EX2, and Mokoia Mark Rae-ET EX2. Mokoia Supreme Ribena-ET EX2, daughter of Mokoia Mark Ribena-ET, became Royal Champion in 1998.  

The Blatchfords, who were among the first breeders to import North American genetics in 1989, held annual on-farm sales from 1988 to 1997, achieving top prices for their Ribena lineage.  

Mokoia also gained recognition through artificial breeding companies, with Mokoia Astro Tiger proven at LIC and Mokoia Mascot Reubin and Mokoia Mark Ripple-ET proven at AmBreed (CRV). 

In the show ring, Fred and Marilyn enjoyed numerous successes at events across Palmerston North, Levin, Feilding, Pahiatua, Dannevirke, Carterton, and Masterton. Their achievements at the Dairy Expo in Hamilton were particularly noteworthy, along with winning several classes in the HFNZ-Semex On Farm Competition. 

Although the days of showing are behind them, Fred fondly remembers transporting their prized animals in an old Dodge truck to and from the shows. 

Today, Fred and Marilyn’s son Daren manages the farm with his wife Rebecca and one staff member, milking 250 cows on 110ha effective.  

In 2005 they combined two herds and built a 40-bail rotary dairy, with the herd’s top production figure 131,000kgMS.  

The herd is run more commercially now, with cows inseminated with a variety of sexed semen. 

“We’ve been really pleased with Stantons Chief daughters that have come through, among others,” Fred says. 

Despite Fred’s age – he turned 80 in 2024 – he remains actively involved on the farm, rising every morning at 4:30am to bring in the cows and supervise the start of milking. 

In 2008, Fred and Marilyn were honoured with a Holstein Friesian NZ Distinguished Service Award for their dedication to the Holstein Friesian breed.  

Fred has also held various positions within the Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay Branches of HFNZ and served as a senior association judge and Board Director. 

Reflecting on his journey, Fred says, “What is great about the Holstein Friesian breed is that you can go anywhere in the world and you’ve got common knowledge with other breeders. 

“We’ve been to goodness knows how many Holstein Friesian conferences and we’ve made lifelong friends.”