James Fraser from Stern Angus is new to the Angus NZ board in March 2026 representing Mid Upper South Island and is looking forward to getting stuck into the board’s workstreams for the immediate future. 

James is third generation at the ninety-year-old Stern Angus stud located in Totara Valley, South Canterbury. With his son Rob, the family are mating over 700 Angus cows and heifers and sell 160 bulls each year through winter, spring sales and private treaty. James says the bulls are sold into stud and commercial herds all over New Zealand.

The Stern cattle breeding objectives are to produce robust and durable cattle with the addition of enhanced performance data, where James says they primarily use their own genetics along with New Zealand and imported genetics. “We also regularly export semen and embryos to Australia and recently to the US.”

The family have recently expanded their landholdings, buying property in Otago and increasing their Totara Valley property, to a total area of 1200ha farmed.

James is looking forward to working with the Angus NZ board on a couple of important work streams.
“It’s a really interesting time with members wishing to explore the structure of the breed society in New Zealand and I will be representing the breeders in the Upper South Island in finding the most appropriate structure – we have no preconceived opinions of the direction. I am looking forward to an open and transparent analysis of the options.”

“Another big workstream for the Board going forward is the development of structural EBVs with Helical – this is very important for the members.”
James said he thinks the board has done very good work in recent times and he is looking forward to developing these new workstreams during his time on the board.