While admitting his passion for cattle, evident in his successful Hereford bull breeding business, there were also practical reasons for the move to cattle - reduced workload.
He has bred Hereford bulls for 20 years and told the sheep and beef council field day that greater cattle numbers would give him more flexibility.
He only used Hereford bulls. He intended reducing the Angus influence in his commercial cows while increasing the number of recorded Hereford cows.
Gray Pannett's Lime Hills property includes four blocks of land at Millers Flat, a 323ha home farm (100 to 250m above sea level), a 788ha middle block (380m to 600m asl), and three high altitude blocks, the 270ha Three Brothers (650m asl), the 760ha Back Run (600 to 1100m asl) and a 539ha Lake Onslow run (820m asl).
In addition, he has a 198ha finishing farm at Edievale in West Otago.
The spread of land provided him with flexibility for his cattle breeding and finishing operation and for selling prime lambs.
Last year, he bought 1900 store lambs which were targeted for sale in summer and autumn, and 750 were taken through for sale in August, September and October.
Ewes were mated to Romney, composite and terminal sire rams and from a 170% scanning he achieved a 137% lambing. A third were sold prime at weaning.
From 550 hoggets mated, 400 lambs were born from October 10.
But, it is cattle where his passion lies.
Mr Pannett said his policy was to apply selection pressure to his cows which came from having scale, but in addition all cows must calve unassisted as 2-year-olds. He aimed for a moderate sized cow.
Cattle were sold as heifer calves, rising 2-year-old heifers, 70 bulls and 17 cull bulls (334kg carcass weight) and 46 rising 2-year-old steers (280kg carcass weight).
In addition, he bought 160 steer calves and 60 rising 2-year-old steers and heifers each autumn.
Mr Pannett weaned in late March with heifer calves (average 235kg) kept at Millers Flat.
In early winter, they were back at Millers Flat on dry hill blocks then fed oats, turnips and moata ryegrass from July to September.
By mating, the heifers are 300kg and heavier and run with low birth weight Hereford bulls on hill blocks for two cycles.
In July, the first calvers follow ewes on harder country and from mid August feed was increased up to calving when in-take was above maintenance.
They calve close to the cattle yards and calved heifers were regularly removed and fed ad-lib.
Last year, 48 out of 54 heifers were in calf, 47 live calves were born and just three were assisted, Mr Pannett said.
All ewes, except the oldest, in-lamb hoggets, yearling heifers and bulls, recorded cows and commercial cows until mid-spring were kept on lower altitude blocks .
Commercial cows went to the Lake Onslow run in late spring.
By late spring, the Edievale farm carried the old ewes, dry hoggets, other yearling cattle, carry-over rising 2-year-old cattle and bought-in rising 2-year-old cattle which were being finished prior to sale.
He operates a 20 month trading policy for bought-in cattle.
Over summer, prime lambs were progressively sent to Edievale for finishing prior to being sold to meat export companies.
After weaning, the better-conditioned ewes were sent to the Back Run and lighter ewes to Lake Onslow. By June, they were back on the front country where they were condition scored, with light ewes getting silage and the balance on paddocks and harder hill country.
Recorded cows were wintered on mid-altitude blocks and commercial cows at Lake Onslow.
On the home farm, he sowed 25ha of swedes and moata for hoggets and twin carrying ewes, 12ha of second-crop choumolia for twin ewes in August and early September, and 12ha of oats for his heifers.
In addition, he harvested 200 tonnes of silage, 150 bales of baleage at Edievale for cattle and 200 bales of hay for calves on crop as insurance against snow and for cows at calving.
At Edievale, he sowed 11ha of swedes for hoggets and calves.
Looking ahead, Mr Pannett aims to take advantage of lamb contracts, if they are viable, increase cattle numbers, drought proof his business and assess input costs against the production potential of the various classes of land.
Gray and Robyn Pannett
• Lime Hills, Millers Flat - 2878ha.
• Stock wintered 2008 (3.8 stock units a ha):
- 4980 ewes, 1050 hoggets, 750 prime lambs.
- 232 mixed aged cows (200 recorded).
- 48 first calving heifers.
- 175 heifer and 164 steer calves.
- 87 bull calves.
- 7 breeding bulls.
- 10 rising two-year bulls.
- 38 rising two-year steers and 32 rising-two year heifers.