Being on the road for the last couple of months is always one of the best times of year.
Traits-other-than-Production (TOP) scoring upcoming contract mating cows, as well as connecting with farmers, highlights the importance of the farmer voice.
Farming is constantly evolving and changing – and for LIC’s Bull Acquisition team, we need to make sure we’re breeding bulls to suit!
The message from farmers is clear: Longevity and cow efficiency are more important now than ever.
And LIC is responding.
The drive to continue to improve on the non-negotiable traits, such as the ones above, are a big focus for the bull acquisition team.
Another message that constantly comes up is the importance of udders, and why shouldn’t it? No matter the indices, fertility or production – if the udder falls off, she’s not going to be much use!
That’s why it’s such a pleasure to profile crossbreeds – they offer such balance and versatility: Below are some ‘udderly’ impressive teams and individual bulls.
Daughter Proven
It’s hugely pleasing to see genomics at work, with 50% of this team consisting of 20-code graduates, many of which were previously utilised as genomic sires through Premier Sires Forward Pack and Sexed.
Many farmers are therefore already reaping the genetic benefits of these boys. The ‘strong black cow’ is at play with this team delivering a +21kg liveweight gBV, 2.7% fertility gBV, a huge udder overall gBV of 0.63, before wrapping it all together with a tidy 471gBW.
Forward Pack
A team that ‘steps it up’ in all areas!
The best A2A2 Daughter Proven bulls are combined with some of LIC’s top young sires, with a further boost provided by the best spring graduates as they become available in October.
With +18kg liveweight gBV, 4.8% fertility gBV, 0.70 udder overall gBV, and 526 gBW, this is the team to grab if you’re wanting to give genetic gain an extra nudge.
Sexed
Gone are the days of rolling the dice.
With a 90% chance of a heifer calf, sexed semen allows for some serious gains and ensures you’ll be breeding from the best.
This is LIC’s highest gBW team on offer (535 gBW), and includes a massive 6.0% fertility gBV, +15kg liveweight gBV, and 0.66 gBV for udder overall. Getting heifers from your top animals has never been easier!
The list of picks for KiwiCross Alpha sires runs long – there are so many high calibre sires on offer.
Below are four of LIC’s very best KiwiCross genomic sires:
523013 MATTAJUDE OASIS
From the paradise of South Taranaki comes Oasis!
Bred by Matthew and Judy Brady, this 320029 Rockland LQ Berkly son sees three strong capacity and udder dams in the back of this bull’s pedigree.
With an udder overall gBV of 0.87, it’s fantastic to see these generations coming through to this exceptional bull. A strong fertility gBV and moderate liveweight will see this sire a popular pick for the upcoming mating season.
523004 PAYNES SORCERER
Bred by Brad Payne and Clare Brodie, Sorcerer comes from the emerging ‘S’ family at the Paynes stud just outside of Cambridge.
Given he is from the highest gBW cow in the country, it’s no surprise that we see this boy as one of our top gBW bulls on offer at a massive 674!
Production and TOP traits combine to make this bull the ‘all-in-one’ package and LIC’s sire selection and genetics teams expect him to be popular this season.
523078 RHANTANA ZEPPELIN
Bred by Anthony and Rhonda Vogals, and from the same cow family as 519074 Rhantana Outbound and 521049 Rhantana Vision we have Zeppelin.
Out of a stunning Accolade cow, the bull excels in the udder department with a massive 1.05 gBV of udder overall.
Combined with high production and fertility – this bull is sure to make a big impact, and it’s expected he’ll appear in plenty of packs this mating season.
523031 KAINUI EXPONENTIAL
Bred by Chris and Dianna Rogers, Exponential is a fitting name for this bull.
With 1.14gBV udder overall, he rounds this quartet of bulls out perfectly.
You don’t have to look far to see where these exceptional breeding values come from: Sire 520008 Julians Multiplier is one of the highest gBV udder bulls on record!
And relative 522032 Kainui Dreamer also displays an impressive 0.88gBV udder overall. The numbers show some serious gains in udders have been made by LIC, and its bull acquisition team isn’t stopping anytime soon!
The goal is to continue moving the bar higher to ensure the future cow is fitfor-purpose. If you’re mainly spring calving, all the best for the dry period – I trust you’ll find some time to relax before the busy time hits.
