Welcome to BIG RIVER'S website.

Personal message from stud owners, Chris and Melissa Gibbs:

Melissa and I come from farming backgrounds. Our "Sires" and "Dams" and theirs before them farmed and worked in the Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and on the East Coast of New Zealand.

When we chose to go farming, we chose Hereford Stud Breeding because we fell in love with the animals, with their size, colour and wonderful temperament. We met and were welcomed by some of the nicest "farmers" we'd ever met and been involved with and received so much positive support and help from members of our Association, both locally and nationally. We sincerely thank all those who have helped us develop our stud, the breeders whose stock we've purchased and for all those "little pieces of advice" we have received from those offering help and support.

Our stud, 'BIG RIVER HEREFORDS" is situated in Dinsdale, Hamilton. It is a  280 acre block, a mixture of flats and rolling hills, right on the Hamilton city boundary that we are developing as our sales complex and finishing farm for our high performance Stud animals and rising 1 and 2 year old bulls, specially bred for both  the dairy and beef industries. We farm three further blocks totalling 850 acres, 10 km north of  KAIAUA , overlooking the beautiful Coromandel and the Firth of Thames. These blocks are a mixture of flats, rolling and steeper hill country, with the hill country being mostly Kaikuhia grass.

At both "BIG RIVER" in Hamilton and up at Kaiaua, we  have our annual " dairy bull sales" late in September. We also have an annual "Female Capital and Seed Stock Sale" for Herefords Breeders in the first week of May, the first of these sales however will be held to coincide with the National Herd Tour in March 2008. We are also breeding 2 year old bulls for the beef industry and we look forward to holding an annual 2 year old bull sale, the first of which should be in May/June 2008.

We will try and create annual sale environments  that will be special, interesting and memorable so that each year you'll want to "TAKE A BREAK" from the farm and come to one of our sales, mix and mingle with old friends, and hopefully take the time to peruse the stock on offer and find something that you can take home that you feel may compliment your own breeding program.(A courtesy coach will be run to and from our International Airport for those wishing to fly in.) 

In developing "BIG RIVER'S" 600 breeding female herd since 2001, Melissa and I have attended almost every dispersal sale in N.Z, including National Beef Expo's in N.Z, in search of what we believe to be the very best breeding females available. We have also purchased what we believe are some of the very best stud sires available in the country. We have also invested in semen from particular Australian and Canadian Sires that we feel will compliment  our targeted breeding program.

With this genetic cocktail, it is our goal to breed a line of  low birthweight, easy calving, structurally sound, moderately framed, fertile bulls for the dairy industry. We will try to breed sires that should achieve these goals without sacrificing growth rate.

It is also our goal to breed Beef Bulls that are long, thick, dark, structurally sound with great feet, moderately framed and boned with top carcus attributes. MEAT IS MONEY! Emphasis will also be on the bulls primary function, that being service of females.

It is our desire to breed and provide only quality products, services and progeny and we would be happy to continue to receive helpful "tips and hints", trade secrets, etc from our fellow breeders on how we can improve what we are trying to do.

We hope you enjoy browsing the Big River website and welcome your visits to our stud at anytime.

We look forward to hearing from you, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.