Monday, 30 June 2014 09:14

LIC best sires named

Written by Pamela Tipa

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

TWO OF LIC bulls have taken out this year's sire of the season awards from Jersey and Holstein-Friesian breed societies.

William SIA Duetto was named Jersey New Zealand's JT Thwaites Sire of the Season and Hazael Dauntless Freedom was awarded Holstein-Friesian New Zealand's Mahoe Trophy at the respective annual conferences put on by the societies this month, attended by LIC bull acquisition managers.

LIC's general manager of biological systems, Geoff Corbett, says it is an honour to see the sires recognised in this way, and for the breeders too.

"These are prestigious awards that many breeders strive for and it's fantastic that two of our top sires have been recognised as the best in their breeds.

"Congratulations to the Flemings (Otorohanga) and the Schoutens (Invercargill), for breeding these elite bulls and having your expertise in this field recognised too," Corbett says.

Corbett says Duetto and Freedom were popular with farmers this season, both sitting high on the Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) list for their breeds and known for producing high quality daughters.

"Duetto is currently third on the Jersey RAS list, with BW of 249, known for daughters that exhibit outstanding production traits with good capacity.

"Freedom was sired by the famous MacFarlanes Dauntless, and is currently eighth on the Holstein-Friesian RAS list with BW of 272.

"He's a fully registered Holstein-Friesian, and is well known for producing daughters that are very well-liked by farmers for strong udders, good capacity and phenomenal milking performance."

The Mahoe Trophy is awarded to the NZ bred bull whose proof has earned the most points for traits, daughter production, conformation and management. The JT Thwaites Sire of the Season award is given to the bull that meets criteria in production and traits other than production, and has the highest BW after the May Animal Evaluation run.

310034 Willand SIA Duetto
• BW: $249
• Sire: Shalendy Ideal Ascent S3J
• Breeders: Gavin and Rosemary Fleming from Otorohanga.

109230 Hazael Dauntless Freedom
• BW $272
• Sire: MacFarlanes Dauntless
• Breeders: Hans and Margaret Schouten (Hazael Farms) from Invercargill.

Featured

Horticulture exports hit $8.4B, surge toward $10B by 2029

A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.