Next Gen Herefords held a very informative webinar on Monday 20th March about all things DBI, CBV and genetic defects related. There were 29 attendees on the call. The group were also joined by Henry & Chris Douglas from Monymusk Herefords, New Zealand.

DBI & CBV

Chris Daly from ICBF kicked off the evening by giving a very detailed presentation on the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) and the recently introduced Commercial Beef Value (CBV). Chris explained that the DBI focuses on Pedigree breeders breeding high DBI bulls for the dairy market but also the dairy farmer selecting beef sires for their dairy cows. The CBV is different in that the focus remains on drystock farmers selecting efficient, high beef merit animals for slaughter so therefore easy calving and short gestation are not incorporated into this index. There are on-going trials in Tully Beef Centre investigating the sustainability of dairy cross animals in the beef finishing system. The results are favourable for Herefords.

The CBV has the potential to be a valuable tool for drystock farmers by allowing farmers to decipher between high carcase merit and low carcase merit cattle in the mart. Research has shown that high CBV animals exhibit higher performance in relation to higher value carcases and is equally effective across all breed types i.e. suckler, dairy beef. The idea for this index stemmed from trying to increase the onus on dairy farmers to use the best quality beef sires available but also accurate parentage recording is critical. This Index was rolled out to marts last March and will be widely available over the coming year also.

Genetic Defects affecting Herefords

Katie Quigley from ICBF then presented to the group on Genetics defects and traits that are affecting the Hereford breed. Katie explained that each animal that is DNA’ d via hair or ear tissue has DNA extracted from the hair or ear sample which is then genotyped on IDB SNP chip. This chip can then be used to test for various defects. Katie explained that ‘Major genes’ are any gene or gene variant known to be associated with a genetic condition, genes that cause high mortality or embryonic loss or genes that can produce a positive effect on the animal’s production. Major genes that affect Herefords include: Hypotrichosis, Idiopathic Epilepsy, Diluter and Maple Syrup Urine Disease – details of each can be found below:

ICBF are currently working on an automated pipeline to allow the large-scale reporting of major gene status. Currently the only genotypes available for this are Myostatin and polled Celtic but this will be extending to other genes of interest to farmers and the industry as the technology becomes more efficient and sophisticated.

Farming Herefords in New Zealand

To cap off the evening Henry & Chris Douglas gave the group an insight into farming in New Zealand and their newly developed farming app – Resolution.

The Douglas family started the Monymusk Hereford herd in 1964 with 20 cows and 196 Hectares. In 1988, the family then moved south with 17 cows to 988 Hectares. The farm now consists of 280 Pedigree Hereford cows and 6000 sheep. Henry commented that the Herefords have always been reliable and have always helped them through tough times. Today, Monymusk is a family operation and a fully outdoor system.

The foundation herd was built up of Braxton Hereford females – the herd is now dispersed but was once known as one of the most renowned Polled Hereford herds. Monymusk use AI extensively including sires such as: Braxton Westwind, Monymusk Discovery and Matariki Holy Smoke. The herd is mainly polled but there is horned genetics in the bloodlines. The Douglas’s moved towards fully polled because of market requirements and veterinary regulations. These requirements mean that there is very little fully horned herds in New Zealand today.

Henry commented that the use of technology has a major part to play in their day-to-day farming lives. IMF scanning, breed plan and genomics are all influential tools used to enhance the type and structure of the cattle they farm. There is a big emphasis placed on maternal traits also. The farm sell 36 bulls per year at the end of May. Their main competitor is the Angus, which resonated with many breeders on the webinar. IMF scanning has allowed the farm to identify the feeding needs of the herd and cut down their costs.

The farm focus on single sire mating and the use of AI. They try to separate the older cattle from the younger cattle and run a maximum of 100 older cows in a mob at grass and a maximum of 25 younger cattle in a mob. They also feed 70 – 90 cattle on crops over the Winter when grass growth stalls. The calves are weaned at less than 200 days. The first calvers are looked after very well to ensure they calve down at two years old. The Douglas’s have also found that supplementing the females diets with Selenium and Copper has helped with conception rates.

Another obstacle facing the farm is the uncertainty of weather and climate change. There has been considerable pressure on the productivity of the farm in recent years due to drought. Chris commented that the weather can’t be controlled but that’s where the Herefords come into their own. Herefords work well in the New Zealand climate and hold their condition over the Winter where there is upto 100 days of no grass growth. Purchasers of the Monymusk bulls have commented that this an important factor in their decision making with cattle going onto cold hill country.

Herefords seem to continue to come out on top for the Douglas family especially since New Zealand have cut live exports and also quit the culling of bobby calves so farmers now need to consciously decide to choose top quality sires.

Chris Douglas has developed a farming programme with his neighbour which is proving to be very beneficial and popular among farmers. The app is called Resolution and it essentially allows for the farm to be mapped out in detail and allows for the planning of what jobs need to be carried where and when. It allows the user to record works already carried out, heat detection, sales prep records, sales reports, when and where fertiliser was spread while also mapping out the farm in individual blocks. The key is to keep the app simple for the user which also encourages younger farmers to get more involved in the farm. Chris is currently working on piloting the app in the UK given how successful it has been in New Zealand.

Draw

There was a draw held the following day for all attendees of the weibinar to win Hereford merchandise – congratulations to Timmee Lane!

Many thanks to all of the speakers & to all who joined the webinar also.