INNOVATIONS IN BEEF BREEDING WALES/ENGLAND 3 rd 5 th September - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

INNOVATIONS IN BEEF BREEDING WALES/ENGLAND 3 rd – 5 th September

CONTENTS  Genus ABS Ruthin Freezing Unit  Messer’s Faulkner  Messer’s Jones  Blade Rearing Unit  Meadow Quality Collection Centre  Morrel College

VISIT 1: GENUS ABS RUTHIN FREEZING CENTRE  Leading provider of bovine genetics and reproduction services.  Marketing in more than 70 countries globally.  Four bull housing sites housing 300 bulls – Ruthin is the main bull stud.  2 Million units of semen are produced per year.  The stud houses bulls in three different buildings due to biosecurity risk with two separate collection areas (one for dairy and one for beef).

WILODGE HAMLET – LIMOUSIN SIRE  Progeny have had huge successes in the pedigree and commercial shows and sales nationwide.  Becoming an internationally known bull.  Short Gestation.  Semen exported to 37 countries.  Genus sold 60k doses of semen annually.

HAYMOUNT WARSMITH – ABERDEEN ANGUS SIRE  Genus sold 130k doses of AA semen in UK – used within crossbreeding programmes  No slaughter data to date  For use on mature cows only

SEMEN COLLECTION Holstein Bull - DeNovo Invictus  1year old since March 2019  Sexed semen producing bull  First calves are due in November through the Genus IVF Programme  Semen collection twice per week  EID system producers a code once semen is collected  Teasers have the same health status as the bulls in the stud

EMBRYO PROGRAMME – BRITISH BLUE  Fed 10L Energised calf milk replacer per day.  High protein low energy milk replacer  Fed straw and concentrate diet with milk  Once animals mature they receive a TMR mix of lucine hay, grass hay and straw and a concentrate ration (22% CP).

NEWPOLE LANCER  Short gestation  Calving ease  High beef advantage value  Potential to add £28 with the new carcass evaluations

VISIT 2:ROB AND JUDITH FAULKNER  Calf house capacity to hold 65 calves  Faulkner's use BB in their FR herd.  Typical calf price: - Heifer > £300 - Bull > £400  Good colostrum management – all calves receive 4L within 6 hours  Calves are teat fed – only use oesophageal tube when necessary

 Forced ventilation installed to reduce disease incidence  Calf coats are used on all calves during the winter  Calves are weaned at 8 weeks and moved to group pens

VISIT 3: JONES & SONS – SUCKLER FARM  800 acres across three farms • 500 acres grassland • 200 acres arable • 150 acres maize • 30’000 bird pullet unit  176 cows in the herd at present – vision to expand to 200+ cows.  Calves don’t receive any creep until after weaning  Using sexed semen on heifers to produce replacement heifers • Using Saler and Limousin genetics

VISIT 3: JONES & SONS – SUCKLER FARM  Reproductive management system (RMS) commenced in 2016  RMS Technicians typically inseminate 4.5k cows per year.  Cost of RMS + genetics - £41/42 per calf born (not including on farm labour)

VISIT 4: BLADE REARING ABP  Blade was established in 2001.  Predominantly AA dairy calves in the scheme  The correct sires are selected from Genus bulls. These are benchmarked against other bulls used through the blade system.  Farm rearing protocols – based on farm assurance  Sow feeders used for feeding calves concentrates.  Automatic feeders used on farm to feed milk replacer.  Calves stay on farm until 12wks and then are transported to the finisher units.

VISIT 5: MEADOW QUALITY LTD  Meadow Quality are the largest multi- species livestock company in the UK and are British Farmer owned  The FIV group met with the CEO Matt Nightingale  Approx. 1000 calves per week are sorted within the collection centre  Calves are collected/delivered within a 60 mile perimeter of the centre  Currently use a weight for age specification. Calves are also graded at the centre  Premium paid if the sire is named on the animals passport

VISIT 6: MORETON MORRELL COLLEGE  Genus Momentum programme to collect and evaluate British Blue Progeny from the Dairy cows between Genus ABS and Meadow Quality Ltd.  Testing unit has a Growsafe feeding trial and collects data on progeny from rearing to finishing  Intakes are measured over a 45day feed period  Aim 15-16month slaughter • Heifers – 580-620kg • Steers – 640-660kg

WRAP UP SESSION  Potential to add a new business to the current suckler herd • During the summer to use building to rear calves when the suckler herd are at grass.  RMS would work well in autumn calving herd when the cows are housed during the winter  Large potential to use sexed semen within the suckler herd  Positive take home message – the group learnt from each other on the trip

ANY QUESTIONS?