Thursday, 20 June 2024 07:55

Farmers get a good bull message

Written by  Peter Burke
Geneticist Rebecca Hickson. Geneticist Rebecca Hickson.

Nothing beats the best bull. That’s the key message coming out of a series of workshops being run by Beef + Lamb NZ around the country.

The objective is encouraging dairy farmers to produce some calves more suitable for the beef industry that offer greater financial returns to both beef and dairy farmers.

The aim of the seminars is to bring dairy farmers, calf rearers and beef finishers together so they can see the benefits of working closely together.

About two-thirds of the beef kill comes from the dairy industry. Some would argue the calf produced by a dairy cow is a by-product because the dairy farmer wants the cow to produce milk and provide replacement animals – hence bobby calves.

Professor Rebecca Hickson is one of the country’s leading geneticists and is a specialist in dairy beef. She says currently the calf is produced with an emphasis on what the dairy farmer needs: short gestation and easy calving.

The end game, she says, is that’s what the beef industry gets, rather than getting a calf that benefits the industry further down the line, which is the growth the industry needs.

Hickson says the answer is quite simple – quality genetics.

“The real value of using quality genetics in the dairy industry is not widely understood. The challenges come down to the fact that the person buying the straw for the dairy cow is not the person who gets the value from the growth genetics,” she says.

Hickson says progeny tests show that it’s possible, with good genetics, to deliver what the dairy farmer wants and what the beef industry needs, with no compromise needed and no real increase in cost for the dairy farmer.

Hickson says many myths exist around the dairy/beef sector. Some people say one breed of cattle is better than others, but she points out that no one breed of bull is perfect and that bulls from all breeds have traits which deliver high performing progeny. She says there is a belief that sometimes a calf that is born large will grow larger, but this is not necessarily correct.

“In fact, there is data to suggest that the small calf may in many cases being the best bet. This is because the beef breeders have done a phenomenal job of creating ‘curve bender bulls’ – meaning that while a calf may be born small, it will grow fast, will calve easily, and is at least, if not more valuable than the larger calf, she says.

Hickson says some farmers claim that feeding calves well means they don’t need better genetics, but in the end, better genetics will always be the winner. She says using high performing AI bulls is the answer, but if farmers still want to use a bull, they should select a good one.

LIC's Perspective

LIC's expert in this area, Paul Charteris, says his organisation is now seeing more interest from farmers to produce better dairy beef. He says LIC is getting more requests every year for beef insemination into dairy cows.

He says one of the messages from LIC to farmers is to use AI “tactically”.

“That means identifying those cows with the lowest BW and mating them on day one of the mating season with the right semen, at the right time of the mating season, so that you get good big, strong early-season calves that are well marked and are salable,” he says.

Charteris says the thing with dairy beef is the eye muscle has to be rounded so it can be used by chefs. He says LIC is selecting bulls with a very high eye muscle area and also good marbling so when crossed over dairy cattle, they produce an acceptable carcass for the processor.

More like this

B+LNZ refutes UK animal welfare criticism

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) says recent criticism from the UK’s Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding New Zealand’s animal welfare standards are unfounded.

Lost the room?

OPINION: Beef+Lamb NZ has run a roadshow to sell its new strategy.

Featured

Govt limits forestry conversions

Farmers have welcomed the Government’s move designed to limit farm to forestry conversions entering the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Beef genetics survey

New Zealand's primary sector is being called on to help shape the future of the country's industry by sharing views and insights about the availability and use of genetic tools.

Consider a career in hort

OPINION: As the fourth generation of my family working in horticulture, I’m proud to be continuing the legacy and honoured to do so carrying the current title of the Young Grower of the Year 2024.

National

Pork imports furore

Pork farmers says a significant influx of imported pork is causing them concern.

TB testing in-house

OSPRI will carry out on-farm TB testing, following AsureQuality's decision not to renew their contract.

Machinery & Products

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…

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…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Loud noises!

OPINION: One of the strongest arguments for Act’s Treaty Principles Bill is probably its opponents’ total inability to raise a…

Barks like a dog

OPINION: Landcorp is putting a brave face on its latest result, highlighting its progress on KPIs like climate change and…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter