Hereford Eprinex Low Birthweight Dairy Sire Scheme

“Elite, easy calving, readily identifiable, registered Hereford sires that leave highly saleable white faced progeny – the ideal dairy beef cross animal” is the essence of the Hereford Eprinex Merit Dairy Sire scheme. Data provides consistent evidence that it is the resulting white face progeny from Hereford dairy beef breeding programmes that claim the highest premiums in the saleyards, ensuring additional revenue for the dairy farmer.

 In 2010, over 320 registered Hereford yearling bulls have been identified using actual performance data and breeding values from the Breedplan Genetic Evaluation, in an analysis to select “low birthweight, ease of calving, optimum growth” Hereford sires suitable for use within the dairy industry. These sires will serve the dairy farmer well in his quest to find ideal dairy beef bulls to use over heifers and cows following artificial insemination programmes. The easy temperament and the white face identification factor of the Hereford breed are added management bonuses.

Estimated Breeding Values (EBV’s) give the best estimate of an animal’s genetic worth for a particular trait (characteristic). Merit Sire selection criteria states that EBV’s for the two important Merit Dairy Sire traits must be a maximum of +3.5 kg for birthweight and a minimum of +51 kg for 600day growth respectively. Birthweight EBV’s accuracies are set at a minimum of 70% for the yearling bull and 75% for his sire and dam respectively. Sire and dam birthweight EBV’s are set  at a maximum of +4kg EBV. This measure ensures Merit bulls come from low birthweight breeding lines. Merit Dairy Sire EBV’s compare favorably to the Hereford breed EBV averages, currently at +4.4kg for birthweight and +58kg for 600day growth.

A Merial/Ancare NZ sponsored scheme; the Hereford / Eprinex Dairy Sire scheme is a tool to assist dairy farmers in their bull selection. It does not however, reduce the importance of visually appraising an ideal sire. Structural soundness and smooth shoulder contours will both obviously aid breeding abitlity and calving ease respectively.