Page 61 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

artificial breeding and the accuracy of heat detection – which context of their dairy systems. However, the additional income
varies from farm to farm – would also need to be considered. to the farm system is more important in years when the milk
“An option to increase the return on a live beef bull is to also use payout is low, and the option does offset increasing public
him over the heifers, before running him with the cows. In this way, concern around bobby calves.
the number of calves produced per bull increases substantially. This Coleman’s work also highlights that although there is
strategy also justifies the cost of choosing a very easy calving bull.” enormous scope for increasing the number of bulls sold to the
The modelling confirms what dairy farmers know – using dairy industry, there is little scope to increase the price paid for
a beef bull generates relatively little additional income in the bulls at present.

AN OPTION TO INCREASE THE RETURN
ON A LIVE BEEF BULL IS TO ALSO
USE HIM OVER THE HEIFERS,
BEFORE RUNNING HIM WITH THE COWS.
IN THIS WAY, THE NUMBER OF CALVES
PRODUCED PER BULL INCREASES
SUBSTANTIALLY. THIS STRATEGY ALSO

JUSTIFIES THE COST OF CHOOSING A
VERY EASY CALVING BULL.

LEFT: Massey University PhD student Lucy Coleman recently
investigated the profitability of Hereford or Angus sires within a dairy
system, including comparing live bulls versus artificial breeding.

It all starts with Waiting weeks into mating to find out if your bull team is working is like playing Russian
roulette.
a fit bull team All aspects of synchrony programmes, collection for AI, semen processing and storage can be
catered for.
To ensure your bull team is in top shape for the breeding season we check libido, mounting
capability and provide an anatomical and semen evaluation.
• On-farm fertility evaluation, collection and processing
• Animal welfare friendly - Our experienced technicians use a natural service technique using an AV (artificial
vagina) as our preferred method.

Tararua Breeding • • Export approved semen collection centre
EU Registered semen collection centre
Centre • Offering all aspects of import/export of semen and embryos

TOTALLY VETS Guy Haynes TARARUA BREEDING CENTRE Robyn How
Customer service team 027 455 5424 Customer service team 027 280 0845
Feilding 06 323 6161 Woodville 06 376 4955
www.totallyvets.co.nz www.tararuabreedingcentre.co.nz

Bovine reproductive specialists Bovine reproductive specialists

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