Herefords at the forefront of beef industry innovation

Breeders of Hereford cattle know there is no better breed to finish on grass or grain, and deliver an efficient production system whilst producing topquality beef.

Herefords Australia is investing to take the breed to the forefront of industry innovation.

The main profit drivers in a commercial beef business can be addressed by Hereford cattle.

Fertility, longevity, growth, weight for age, low cost of production and high-quality carcase outcomes are all things Hereford cattle deliver.

Hereford cattle compliment nearly every other breed in a crossbreeding scenario.

In building on these foundations, Herefords Australia announced at its AGM in May sustainability would be a major focus for the breed. Sustainability is the biggest macro trend in the beef industry globally.

Herefords Australia will invest in innovation that positions Hereford cattle as a significant part of the sustainability solution for the Australian beef industry. Herefords are a leader across a number of economically important traits including fertility, weight for age, longevity and feed efficiency that also deliver against the key industry indicators of sustainability.

“The commercial pressure being placed on our industry to delivery against the sustainability expectations of our consumers globally is growing and Herefords are well positioned to be a significant contributor to the solution in collaboration with the rest of the beef value chain,” HAL deputy chairman Marc Greening said.

Herefords Australia has been working with members to collate data and evidence from the MSA database to support what Hereford breeders know is a superior eating quality product. With over 15,000 carcase records contributed from all eastern states over the first few weeks of the initiative, there is no doubt that Hereford and Hereford cross cattle are hitting the mark.

Herefords Australia chief executive officer Michael Crowley said with an average MSA Index of 60, this outcome exceeds most major customer brand specifications and places the breed at the top end of quality when benchmarked across the country.

The collation of voluntary contributions of MSA carcase data will be an ongoing initiative for the breed.

The use of genomic technology is driving faster genetic progress on carcase and production traits that position the breed to be outcome focused, and delivery productivity, profitability and quality wrapped in a Hereford package.

Herefords Australia R,D & E Specialist Hamish Chandler said the rapid and growing uptake of genomics will enable producers to select the right animals, more often, to drive progress on key outcomes for the benefit of the breeder and deliver greater predictability for the commercial producer in line with their breeding objectives.