Howies Checkpoint a beast among bulls

The last bull to stand so far ahead of his contemporaries was the famous Maori Bestman, the Jersey born in 1967.

This week's release of the New Zealand Animal Evaluation (NZAEL) Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) List – a dairy industry evaluation ranking New Zealand's best bulls by breeding worth (BW) – puts Howies Checkpoint a full 50 BW ahead of the second placed sire, Fairmont Mint Edition.

The KiwiCross sire has a BW of 318 (compared to New Zealand's number two at 268 BW), and is 9/16 Holstein Friesian, his ancestry evident in his markings and four white feet.

Breeding worth (BW) ranks dairy bulls and cows on their ability to breed ideal milking animals (replacements) – efficient converters of feed into farmer profit.

"Maori Bestman is a legend in the dairy industry" says LIC general manager genetics, Peter Gatley. "Harvey Tempero ran the genetic programme for decades and often referred to Bestman as the stand-out. His influence on the national herd was enormous, with seven of his sons and five grandsons playing big roles, but he was born in 1967. This is like the second coming."

The 'KiwiCross' is a relatively new breed of bull. The first progeny-tested team of crossbred bulls in the world was launched by LIC in 2005 in response to farmer demand for a simple solution to breed the crossbred kiwi cow that is now the clear favourite in the New Zealand industry.

"Today 80% of farmers have at least some crossbred cows in their herds, and as Checkpoint is KiwiCross and strong across all traits we expect he will be snapped up, even by farmers who would normally stick to traditional breeds.

"To improve genetics the best bulls are matched with the best dams (cows). Their genes are randomly combined and sometimes an offspring will end up with an extraordinary selection of the best genes, surpassing both parents. That is what has happened here."

Gatley says one benefit of having a team of crossbred bulls is it enables the industry to access a whole new gene pool of elite cows to breed the next generation of bulls. "About two thirds of all cows are now crossbred. No sire analyst can afford to walk away from that opportunity.

"Obviously the demand for Checkpoint will be extreme. The phone is already ringing and we've thought hard about how to ensure everyone gets a fair go. We're considering some unprecedented options to ensure maximum use through fresh semen. We'd be disappointed if he didn't top quarter of a million insems this spring."