Jersey New Zealand’s JT Thwaites Sire of the Season award was won by sire ‘Pukeroa AND Baratone ET’, while Holstein Friesian sire ‘Busy Brook WTP Vector’ also took out the Holstein Friesian New Zealand Society Mahoe Trophy for best sire.
Vector was bred by Nathan and Amanda Bayne in Otago. Baratone was bred by Alan and Vivenne Lockwood-Geck in the Waikato.
LIC Livestock Selection manager Simon Worth says it’s an honour to have the co-op’s sires recognised.
“It’s really pleasing to see our sires acknowledged. A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes by our breeders and our livestock selection team to ensure we are breeding the best bulls for New Zealand farmers.
“These are prestigious industry awards that many breeders strive for and it’s fantastic that two of our top sires have been recognised as the best in their breeds,” says Worth.
The 2019 awards are the latest success in a recent history of wins for LIC. Last year, two LIC bulls were the recipients of the same awards and livestock from the farmer-owned co-operative has won a number of previous years’ accolades also.
Worth states that the consistent recognition from breed societies is not only a positive for LIC, but also the farmers who benefit from using the genetics from these bulls.
“These results, along with ones from previous years, are consistently proving that we have an outstanding product to offer our farmers, year after year.
“Historically, the bulls winning these awards have gone on to father tens of thousands of daughters for the national dairy herd, including many of the top cows in the country.”
Vector is currently the eighth ranked Holstein Friesian bull on the industry's Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) list, while Baratone is second in the Jersey rankings with a BW of 271.
