Articles
Raising herd genetic profiles at the Kakahu Heifer Sale
Posted 20th May 2007 - Courtesy Timaru Herald Farm Review
Beef breeders wanting to raise the genetic profile of their herds will have a unique opportunity to do so this autumn. Kakahu Angus Stud, in conjunction with Bluecliffs Station, is holding a heifer sale.
``It's a first for us,'' says Gerald Hargreaves of Kakahu.``For someone who wants to start a really good heifer herd with top modern genetics it's a bit of an opportunity,'' says Mr Hargreaves.
The sale will offer 200 rising two-year-old heifers bred from the best pure angus heifers on three local farms, crossed with the best of Kakahu Stud's yearling bulls.The heifers have been reared on the Wolds, Bluecliffs Station, and Gerry Ford's at Maungati and mated with yearling bulls from Kakahu selected for their ease of calving.
Mr Hargreaves highlights the above average 400 and 600 day weight EBVs, yet below average mature cow weight.``Normally, it's the other way around _ if you've got good growth, high 400 and 600 day weights, the birth weight and mature cow weight goes above average too, but we've reversed all that. And they get in calf more easily.
''Carcase weight EBV is also above average, indicating the heifer's progeny should kill out well. ``That's what you get paid for,'' notes Mr Hargreaves.Eye muscle scores are well above average, as is retail beef yield, but fat has been maintained at the breed average, an important trait for fertility.
``The more fat you have, the less that [retail beef yield] tends to be. But we've made huge leaps in retail beef yield and managed to maintain fats.''The key to progress at the stud has been targeted integration of US genetics into the herd, performance measurement, and selection and culling accordingly. It is a misconception that US cattle are ``soft'', he says.``US angus are not better or worse than others. There are cattle sired by New Zealand bulls that won't hack it and there are cattle sired by US bulls that won't hack it.
''To weed out those which won't, the Hargreaves calve heifers as two-year-olds and send cows to graze the high country at Clayton Station every year.``It's not some sales gimmick. We are trying to sort out the cows and families that can handle the conditions our clients will be putting our cattle into.''The focus on measurement and EBVs hasn't been at the expense of structure and durability, he adds.
"They are sacrosanct" . Mr Hargreaves says there was a time when he said he would never buy a New Zealand-bred angus bull again. However, other breeders are also making progress in the direction he believes the breed needs to go - namely efficiency for the commercial producer - and this year there are 10 bulls in New Zealand he'd be happy to buy.
"There are some studs in New Zealand doing an excellent job now,'' he says.However, there are still others who sell bulls on condition, not performance and genetics, he warns.``Everyone says they are doing it genetically but when you put a measure against it you know whether you are or not.''The stud's bull sale, on Jun 18th, will see a record number of bulls offered, with 117 in the catalogue, compared to 102 last year.
The aim, to some extent, is to keep the price down for the commercial breeder, he says.``We don't necessarily want to make the highest price in the industry. We want to offer affordable cattle that people can take away and money from. I love my clients and what they are doing, and I feel very honoured to supply them with the cattle they need.
''Of the 117 bulls, only 14 fall below the breed average for the new multi-trait measurement, self-replacing index. What's more, 25 per cent come from first calving two-year-olds, he adds.
``That's the power of genetics.''
Contrary to some reports, the boom in biofuel represents an opportunity for the US beef industry, at least for the breeder end of the system, he says.``For the seedstock industry and cow industry it will in effect halve their feed costs,'' he says. The reason is they are the only industry that can use the byproduct of the biofuel industry, the fermented grain, he explains.
Pork and chicken producers on the otherhand are being hit by the rising price of grain as they cannot use the byproducts.Beef feedlots which had used maize for feed were now looking to all sorts of alternatives.The good news for New Zealand beef producers was that US cow numbers were now back to 1956 levels and the general sentiment was that they were unlikely to rebuild.
``The average age of farmers over there is 66 and their sons don't want to farm. Farming is being replaced by real estate: there's a huge push by the rich to buy farms as a lifestyle choice.''Environmentalists were also buying formerly intensively farmed, irrigated properties and either letting the revert to nature, or running low input systems.
The Scrotal Circumference Bandwagon
By Dr Bill Beal *
Not since the invention of a hip height stick has anything preoccupied Angus breeders as much as their current infatuation with scrotal circumference.
Read full article....
SELECTING BULLS FOR YEARLING HEIFER MATING
13th October, 2006
These days most people believe it is essential to breed from yearling heifers. This way you optimise your herd’s profitability as well as maximising the genetic gain.
The chance of calving difficulties is minimised by the careful selection of sires to put over these heifers.
The following is part of an article by Russell Priest, Beef Genetics Coordinator, Meat and Wool, NZ.
Ph: 063234484 Fax: 063233878 mobile: 0274369372
We feel it explains clearly how to go about selection.
“Place plenty of emphasis on the Calving Ease (Direct) EBV when buying your bulls.
Remember, the higher (more positive) the Calving Ease (Direct) EBV, the more easily the calves will be born.
Don’t neglect the Caving Ease (Maternal) EBV if you are going to use heifer progeny as herd replacement, because this will influence the ease with which a bull’s daughters will calve.
The breed average EBV or percentile band information will enable you to benchmark a bull within the breed.”
“Target bulls with Birth Weight EBVs which are at least below the breed average and remember the BW and Growth rates are quite strongly related.
Low BWs generally result in low growth rates and vice versa, thought there are more bulls being bred nowadays which break this genetic relationship.” Look for these.
At Kakahu we believe that the Calving Ease EBVs should always be available in sale catalogues. There will always be a variation in any herd, and it is essential for buyers to be able to select. These EBVs are not such a concern for cow mating in the same way as for heifer mating. A catalogue that leaves them out often has something to hide.
There are methods of finding out all the information that is not in the catalogue.
Go to www.nzangus.co.nz
- Click on EBV enquiries.
- Put in the name of the stud, (not the person)
- Put in the year of the bulls you want the information for. (E.g. 2005).
- Then click on “Show all EBVs”. If the numbers are unavailable it means there is not yet enough information.
The Australasian average for the breed will be found at the bottom of the list.
It is a good idea to click on “Show Index Values”. Again the breed average is at the bottom of the list.
As Russell Priest says
“ Selection of bulls to mate with yearling heifers has been made much easier with the introduction of the Ease of Calving Index by the Angus Breed Society and The Dairy Maternal Index by the Hereford Breed Society.
These Indexes rank bulls on their ability to generate profit per cow mated in a production system, in which the main focus is to minimise calving problems, without neglecting subsequent growth.
Indexes gather traits, those affecting costs and returns, which are of economic importance in specific production systems and place an economic value on these. In using the index system, it is still wise to view the component EBVs to ensure you are comfortable with these before making your final selection.”
Now, having selected all the bulls in the catalogue that suit your criteria, go and view the bulls in question.
Avoid any with heavy shoulders, and very heavy bone structure.
They should have a minimum scrotal circumference of 28cm.
And, as Russell Priest says,
“ Remember, yearling bulls do not necessarily leave smaller calves than older bulls. Birth Weight depends on the level of feeding of the cow/heifer and the BW genes carried by the parents of the calf, and it is completely independent of the age of the sire.”
Feed yearling bulls on generous rations of high-quality grass before, during and after mating because they are still growing rapidly at this age and their fertility is likely to suffer if fed inadequately.”
Gerald finds Damascus in the USA - By Neil Grant, from Rural Business South
15 Feb, 2006
Gerald Hargreaves is a man on a mission. And, he tells NEIL GRANT, it involves a lot of bulls and a lot of mathematics.
For most of his life, Gerald Hargreaves was like most bull breeders – he believed American cattle were soft and not much value in New Zealand’s conditions.
But on a trip to the United States six years ago, he had a “road to Damascus” conversion. In one day, he realised his preconceived ideas were wrong, and he changed his whole philosophy.
“At the age of 56, I got this mission, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”
He says New Zealanders were critical of American sires because the genetics that had been brought in produced tall cattle which did not like our high country, lost fertility, structure, and ease of calving, and developed traits such as hocks that gave way.
What he realised while he was in the States was that the range of bulls he could see and select from, was enormous.
“They have 300,000 registrations per year, compared to 30,000–40,000 total in New Zealand and Australia. In one performance centre, I saw 2000 bulls originating from many sires, but from different herds through America. I’d get an overview of the type of cattle I liked, that looked structurally sound; then I’d hop in a plane and see a whole heap of sons by some selected sires. You can get a very good idea of how they are breeding.
“So I buy genetics from proven sires with high EBVs (estimated breeding values). I have the power of selection to make genetic progress.”
The transformation of the Kakahu Angus Stud, near Geraldine - where Gerald and Sue Hargreaves run angus beef cattle and composite sheep, and, just for variety, a rhododendron nursery – has involved a mix of science, mathematics, aesthetics, economics, plain common sense, and the ability to change your mind on the basis of overwhelming evidence.
Hargreaves selects for 12 traits he believes most important. These produce hardy, fertile cows of medium build with strong structural soundness. He believes that, to be economical, they should be easy calving, live a long time, and, after a short gestation period, produce medium birthweight calves that will “grow at a rate of knots”. Temperament is important, as is the ability to survive in the tough times and recover quickly to get back in calf, and be fat by mid-summer.
The mathematics can be seen in Kakahu’s bull-sale catalogues. Hargreaves says the stud is totally committed to performance recording, and includes a wide range of data for buyers, especially on carcasses.
“People have said my catalogue has too much detail. Well, so has an Auckland road map if you don’t know where you’re going. If you don’t know where your breeding programme’s going, my catalogue can be confusing. You have to have a breeding principle.”
Kakahu and the Te Mania Stud, near Parnassus, hope to run a series of field days to teach people how to read their “road maps.”
Understanding the mathematics is vital, says Hargreaves. “I look at a performance recording, and can tell you what that animal’s going to turn out like; because there are relationships between the figures that tell you something. We’ve looked at the figures with practical sense, as well as the science.
“New Zealand bulls are seen as being well fleshed, but frequently, the muscled appearance is caused by good feeding producing excess fat. We produce animals that have muscle through performance recording, without becoming big and gangly. This is efficiency. Let the genetics tell you how good they are.”
The genetics Kakahu imports produce bulls that grow fast, yet come from mothers with moderate mature cow weights. This is against the norm in New Zealand, says Hargreaves.
Kakahu breeds cattle intended for the international meat market, so the meat must suit butchers, supermarkets, and the people who eat it.
“We stick with angus cattle because they are better than most at being hardy and producing premium beef.
“British cattle were bred to eat, and continental cattle were bred to haul. It’s hard to turn a 1000-year genetic type into an animal that roams and is hardy. It’s like trying to turn a tiger into a domestic cat. Continental animals have been kept inside, and grainfed. British animals tended to be kept outside, foraging.
“In New Zealand, we seem to be promoting dairy beef as a source to eat. It’s all right, but doesn’t have the flavour.
“Angus marbles more consistently than other breeds. It is red meat with white fat. The intramuscular fat is what makes it tender, and it is lower in cholesterol. Also, that is the fat that is readily available to the animal to mobilise in the tough times. So the less effort you have to put into feeding, yet still produce the marbling the market wants, the better the economics.”
The Japanese like angus meat, especially because of this marbling quality, and meat from AngusPure producers is selling really well in the US, he says. Many restaurants are reporting increased sales and profits because of the quality of New Zealand angus. The Wholefoods chain of US supermarkets is promoting New Zealand beef because it is grass-fed. Consumers there are wary of grainfed beef because of the fear of antibiotics.
Hargreaves says Kakahu produces bulls for commercial breeders, and its clients have been at the top of calf sales, such as at Temuka, Cromwell and Taupo, for years.