Page 8 - Hooked on Herefords_FEB 2022_web

Awards Posy Moody | NZH Manager

Boehringer Ingelheim Benchmark Awards

With the NZ Herefords Selection Indexes being updated in
2021, the 2022 Benchmark Awards have also been updated.
The awards highlight the very top performing females in the
NZ Herefords gene pool, by recognizing those cows that get • B E N C H M A RK A W A R DS •
BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM• HEREFORD
in calf every year and continue to produce quality calves year
after year
The first update of the awards is now all Benchmark Dams must have their
first calf before 2 years and 3 months of age. This reflects the practice of
mating yearling heifers becoming the usual practice on the majority of
commercial farms Hereford genetics are used on. This now means the 4
tiers of Benchmark Dams can be described as the following;

Benchmark Dam: meets the Benchmark criteria after 3 or 4 calves
Other improvements to the Benchmark
Silver Benchmark Dam: meets the Benchmark criteria after 5 or 6 calves awards include, all the cow’s calves
require a birthweight to be recorded and
Gold Benchmark Dam: meets the Benchmark criteria after 7 or more calves the use of the new Hereford Prime and
Beef Heifer Indexes in place of the old
Platinum Benchmark Dam: Dam of 3 or more Benchmark Dams Hereford Prime and Export indexes.

The criteria for 2022 Benchmark Dams:

Benchmark Dam
• First calf must be born before two years and The Benchmark awards also recognise;
three months of age
• Average calving interval of 391 for first three Benchmark Sires
calves and 382 for first four calves Bulls that have sired three or more benchmark
• Maternal value is in the top 10% of the Trans- dams.
Tasman Hereford analysis
• Hereford Prime and Beef Heifer must be in the Benchmark Breeders
top 30% of the Trans-Tasman Hereford analysis Those breeders who have bred five or more
for both benchmark dams.
• Calves must be reared by own dam and have a
birthweight and 200-day weight recorded Dams who have qualified under the new criteria
• Dam must have a registered calf recorded no will be listed in the annual Hereford magazine and
more than two years prior to current group run loaded on the website under the ‘Technical’ tab or
cut off click “online search’, on the NZ Herefords website.

Silver Benchmark Dam If club committees are hosting their AGM prior
• All criteria as above for Benchmark Dam and have invited their local Boehringer Ingelheim
• Average calving interval of 378 for first five representative to hand out the certificates, please
calves, and 375 for first six calves make contact, so the office can send the certificates
to you in advance.
Gold Benchmark Dam
• All criteria as above for Benchmark Dam
• Average calving interval of 373 on first 7 or
more calves

8 | NZ Herefords Newsletter. February, 2022 Hooked on Herefords