Tuesday, 03 August 2021 11:55

Beaming with Beamer

Written by  Staff Reporters
Beamer has not only fathered more than 170,000 daughters for New Zealand’s dairy herd, he’s also sired more than 92 sons and 54 grandsons. Beamer has not only fathered more than 170,000 daughters for New Zealand’s dairy herd, he’s also sired more than 92 sons and 54 grandsons.

It was all smiles earlier this year when LIC announced the latest bull to be added to its Hall of Fame at the co-operative's Newstead headquarters.

After siring more than 170,000 daughters for New Zealand farms, making him among the country's most prolific fathers, the Holstein Friesian bull, San Ray FM Beamer-ET S2F (or 'Beamer' as he is known to farmers), was inducted during LIC's annual Breeders' Day event earlier this year.

The honour is shared with Beamer's breeders, Ray and Sandra Hocking of Carterton, who supplied the bull to LIC as a calf after he was selected as a contender for the cooperative's elite teams of artificial breeding bulls (based on his high genetic merit).

Ray Hocking said he and Sandra had been proud to follow Beamer's success, seeing him initially selected for the LIC bull team in 2015, and then be so popular with farmers since that time.

Beamer's reputation was based on his high genetic merit, over all conformation traits, and ability to breed capacious daughters with good udders.

“Beamer has a lot of things that just ‘click’ with New Zealand farmers,” Ray said.

“His daughters are not overly tall but they are very wide. Production wise, he’s also got great numbers and a perfect balance of protein to fat.

“As breeders we are very proud of his achievements. We know he has delivered a lot of value to a lot of farmers around New Zealand.”

LIC livestock selection manager, Simon Worth, said Beamer was the 58th bull to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, an honour which is reserved for animals that have delivered a significant contribution to the dairy industry (LIC's Hall of Fame dates back to 1954).

"Beamer well and truly meets the criteria," says Worth.

"Not only has he fathered more than 170,000 daughters for New Zealand's dairy herd, but he's also sired more than 92 sons and 54 grandsons who are now following in his footsteps and achieving tremendous success."

Beamer is also one of only four bulls in New Zealand's 70-year history of AB to surpass more than one million straws of semen for artificial insemination. "Beamer is an outstanding bull and his contribution will have a prolonged effect on New Zealand farms for many year to come. He's always had a great nature too and is a favourite with our farm staff - a quality that would be appreciated in his daughters too I'm sure.

"He enjoys a good scratch behind the ears and is often seen in his paddock sitting like a dog, waiting patiently and keeping an eye on his surroundings."

More like this

LIC ready for challenges ahead

Herd improvement company LIC says it's well-positioned for the challenges ahead and remains focused on its core purpose - delivering value for farmer shareholders.

Breeding heat-tolerant cows for Africa

LIC is embarking on a ground-breaking project aimed at breeding heat tolerant and disease resistant dairy cows for Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the global leader in precision breeding, Acceligen, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Scheme to pick high potential 'underdog' bulls

Holstein Friesian NZ, and herd improvement co-operative LIC have launched a joint sire proving scheme that aims to select and prove Holstein Friesian bulls for New Zealand dairy farmers.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

OSPRI's costly software upgrade

Animal disease management agency OSPRI has announced sweeping governance changes as it seeks to recover from the expensive failure of…

Machinery & Products

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the…

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Chinese strategy

OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.

Not fair

OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter