“Calves with the right markings are meeting with very, very strong demand,” Lyons said.
“In general with the whitehead calves you will see every man, woman, and dog hanging around those pens.”
Lyons said the high demand was being pushed by cattle numbers, which generally aren’t there. The Hereford-Friesian is the calf everyone wants – both bulls and heifers.
“At sales throughout the Waikato the whiteheads are very sought after.”
And Hereford-Friesian calves with a red coat were also meeting better competition than in previous years.
With reductions in traditional beef cattle numbers, beef farmers were relying on the dairy industry to supply cattle.
Lyons said using registered Hereford bulls is beneficial for dairy farmers.
“The registered bulls are pure, not something that looks like a Hereford,” he said.
Lyons said he had seen bulls that looked like a purebred Hereford produce progeny with speckled coats or undesirable markings.
Hereford bulls play a vital dairy role
PGG Wrightson South Canterbury stock agent Jonty Hyslop said Hereford bulls played a vital role for dairy farmers in that they were a marker bull between artificial insemination (AI) and natural mating – with the unique and dominant white face being the easily identifiable marker.
“The other significant factor is the gestation period. There are some top Hereford genetics out there that are particularly short in gestation length.”
A shorter gestation length meant more milk in the vat and with threatening payout reductions dairy farmers would be looking for added value in their income streams.
Hyslop said Hereford-Friesian calves also added value.
“While they don’t command the same premium prices as they do in the North Island there is still a significant financial gain to be made when selling them at four to seven days old compared to putting them on a bobby calf truck.”
He said Hereford-Friesian bull calves typically sold for $100, and heifers $70, compared to the average dairy bobby calf price of about $28.
'Anything dairy farmers can get from calves or surplus stock is good going into a season with reduced forecast payouts – anything is greatly appreciated.'
He also cited the quiet temperament of the breed.
“It’s very, very good, especially for farm workers who are often cutting the bulls so they don’t go over the platform and their feet can last well too.”
PGG Wrightson Mid and South Canterbury dairy co-ordinator David Earl said the role as marker bull was probably the biggest benefit for Hereford use by dairy farmers.
“It’s so much easier for staff.”
He said the Hereford always leaves a whiteface which meant staff could quickly and reliably identify where AI and natural mating stopped and began.
He said there was a good market for Hereford-cross calves at four days old.
“Anything dairy farmers can get from calves or surplus stock is good going into a season with reduced forecast payouts – anything is greatly appreciated,” Earl said.
AgResearch scientist Dr Vicki Burggraaf said 70% of New Zealand’s beef production originated from the dairy industry, yet few dairy farms used beef bulls of known genetics.
“The five-year Beef + Lamb NZ Dairy Beef Integration Programme is looking at the impact of using good beef genetics in a dairy beef supply chain and early results are showing clear advantage with the use of better beef genetics for dairy beef and a win-win opportunity for both dairy and beef farmers.”
The use of beef sires with high estimated breeding values (EBVs) for calving ease, growth, and carcase characteristics would produce surplus calves of higher value to dairy farmers, beef finishers, and beef processors.
The NZ Hereford Association has developed some tools to help dairy farmers identify the right bull for their herd.
The Merial-Ancare Merit Dairy Sire programme identifies yearling bulls all possessing low birthweight, optimum growth rate EBVs particularly suited to use in dairy beef breeding programmes.
The Merit dairy sires must also be in the top 20% of the breed for dairy maternal selection index at +$91 minimum.
To be eligible all animals must have actual birthweight data recorded and a minimum birthweight accuracy of 70%. Sire and dam birthweight accuracy must be a minimum of 75%.
A full list of the yearling bulls is on the association’s website.
The association is also the only breed with a Dairy Beef Selection Index. Also on the website, the sire selection tool is economically weighted to reflect dairy beef profitability with emphasis placed on calving ease and growth.
The index has been developed using all the breeding values available to give a dollar value. It is aimed at a beef market production target of a 500kg liveweight steer finished at 18-months. Any heifers can be on-sold or used in a self-replacing beef cow herd. The Dairy Beef index also puts focus on shorter gestation-length bulls.
