NZ Herefords: Hereford Redrag Newsletter, December 2008

The adjustments to the filing and return of the ADLs (animal disposal lists) have now been finalised. The ADL forms will be distributed to breeding members in June 2009 and a new return date of 30 September will be implemented.

Software allowing this to be done on line is also being developed and will be launched at the appropriate time. In order for this to happen all cow fees will be increased by $2/head BUT if you file your ADL on time the $2/head will be rebated on all retained animals. But the paperwork must be filed with Hereford registry ON TIME.

The ADL will also be renamed – PAYMENT LIST FOR COW RE- REGISTRATON.

Heifer Fees

Removing subsidisation from the current heifer fee structure is the motivating factor behind changes to be implemented next year.

A fee for all two-year-old heifers is to be introduced – irrespective of they have calved or not. The heifer fee will be $8/head. Under the current system, calved heifers are subsidising maiden heifers. For the transition period, breeders have from now until the end of April 2009 to fate out any surplus 2006 born (or younger) heifers – using the calf registration form or weight forms.

Any 2006 born females that remain after April 30, 2009 will be billed at $8/head (ie first calving two year olds and carry over two-year- olds). This process applies for 2009 only. Following that, heifers born in 2007 will need to be fated at the same time as the mixed-age cows.

The lists will be distributed in June and with a return date of September 30, 2009. The invoicing period for two-year-old heifers is under review. From 2010 onwards all two-year-old heifers are to be fated on the Cow Re-Registration form (formerly the ADL).

ET Fee

The fee for ET calves has been increased. ET calf fees will now be charged at $18.50.

Expo

Nomination /Wildcard Proposal

The nomination/wildcard proposal has been withdrawn and will not be implemented at Expo 2009. However those buyers who bought bulls this year with the concept in mind will have those nominations fulfilled should they wish.

Unled Classes. There have been requests for the introduction of another unled bull class. The decision has been made to not incorporate it this year. The only unled cattle for the 2009 Hereford sale will be the Super Sires and the pairs of in-calf heifers.

VIP Area. The VIP area will again be run with sponsorship of the function area being sought. All members will be asked to pay a nominal amount for attendance. The exception being Expo exhibitors (who will be allocated two complementary passes). It is imperative all those wishing to partake book VIP passes well in advance to allow for accurate catering. The VIP area is an ideal way to treat your bull buying clients to our Hereford hospitality.

Inspection of led bulls prior to expo entry is being implemented. Two inspectors will be invited to carry out this process. The costs will be billed to the exhibitors of led bulls retrospectively after associated inspection costs have been calculated. The logistics of the inspection are being considered.

Led Bulls Rebranded The led bull class is to be re-branded and marketed under the name Impact Sires. $1000 Reward eward Offered A $1000 prize is being offered by two breeders to the Hereford Club that achieves the best results in the Steak of Origin competition.

Herd of Excellence Field Day – April 7 2009

All members are invited to attend the public Herd of Excellence field day taking place on the Morrows Okawa property, Ashburton on Tuesday April 7 2009. The interactive field day will include a farm tour featuring guest speakers, concluding with a Hereford Prime BBQ.

Judging Underway

The second round of the Herd of Excellence is underway. The judging panel will be given copies of the written farm profile before Christmas with on-farm visits to take place before the end of April. The winner will be announced at the 2009 Hereford dinner, held in conjunction with the national show and sale in Feilding.

Youth Ambassadors

The 2009 crop of NZ Hereford Youth Ambassadors have been selected and contact will be made directly with them inviting them to participate on the 2009 youth technical tour. This tour will take place in the Waikato in April.

2. What you need to know about BVD

By Andrew Russo, BVSc

Much has been written on the perils and pitfalls of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in both beef and dairy herds, but what does this mean to the Hereford breeder? BVD infection in your herd will have repercussions for both your own herd and the herds of any purchasers of your cattle.

BVD is a viral infection that causes a wide range of effects in cattle which can include reproductive problems and effects on young animal’s growth. The problems caused by BVD depend on the immunity of animals and the time of initial infection. Around calving time, infection may show up in many different ways, but some of the things to look out for include an increased calving spread, an increased number of late calvers, increased calf losses caused by premature births/weak calves/stillbirths and the birth of Persistently Infected (PI) calves that are often more prone to scours and other infections.

As you move into mating, BVD can have big effects on your reproductive performance. Infection early in a cow’s pregnancy can cause the loss of the pregnancy, which may show up as cows needing multiple services to get in-calf and increased numbers of empties. If bulls come into contact with BVD in the mating season, infection can have effects on semen quality which in turn will affect the number of cows’ incalf.

Infection later in pregnancy may cause the development of PI calves (calves born infected with the virus), and there is also the possibility that BVD infection may predispose the cows to other problems such as Neospora abortions. Young growing animals (calves, weaners, yearlings) are another group where BVD infection can take its toll.

BVD infection in a previously un-vaccinated and un-exposed group of young animals can cause Transiently Infected (TI) animals which may show up as having a decreased appetite and weight gain, scouring, poor body and coat condition and these animals are often more prone to other diseases such as bacterial scours and pneumonias.

PI animals in this age group may also start showing signs similar to above and some may even deteriorate and die at this early stage. As breeders we have a lot of time and money invested in our cattle so what can be done to protect ourselves from BVD? With respect to BVD, it really depends on whether you wish to eradicate BVD from your herd completely- this may or may not be practical due to cost and the size of the herd.

If you wish to eradicate BVD from the herd, you have to consider that you will, by removing BVD Antigen positive (PI) animals, create what we term a naive herd. This means that in time as your younger cows come into the herd they will not have been exposed to the virus coming on to the property be they steers, foster calves etc) and seeing problems such as those outlined above.

With this situation you must either be very vigilant with your biosecurity (testing all incoming stock) or go down the path of annual vaccination of all animals. Within the Hereford breed and stud breeders in general there has been reasonably rapid uptake of the need to blood test sale bulls (to remove PI animals) and also the vaccination of bulls against BVD (to prevent TI when going into a new herd) and I would consider this a minimum standard for anybody selling service bulls.

The choice of BVD control programme will vary between farms due to differing stock policies (e.g. buying in weaners, grazing dairy heifers etc), so the best thing to do is contact your vet and decide on a programme for your property and animals.

* Andrew Russo is a practicing large animal veterinarian, a registered Hereford breeder and a 2008 Hereford Youth Ambassador.

3. Hereford Steak of Origin 2009

Without doubt Bruce and Carolynn Robertson’s win in the cross-bred class at Steak of Origin was a defining moment for Hereford’s and a timely reminder to our market that our beef is equal to the best.

The Steak of Origin is a prestigious event but unfortunately in the past the winning entries have largely come from the breeds who have saturated the competition. In an effort to encourage greater participation from Hereford’s Sid Hain and John Morrison have organised sponsorship for a Hereford prize.

The prize – a hamper worth about $1200 – will be presented to the Hereford Breeders Club that scores best in either the British breeds or the cross-bred class, or a combination of both those classes in the Steak of Origin competition 2009. The winning club will be the one who has the best score/placing for their top 10 entries.

Entries must be a purebred Hereford or a first cross Hereford and can be from any person living within the club’s region. This widest residential qualification is in the hope that Hereford breeders, will also encourage their clients and other finishers of Hereford cattle to participate.

The winning club will decide how they distribute or what they wish to do with the prize hamper. Steak of Origin entries open late January and close Friday March 20 2009.

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