28 | SUSTAINABILITY
Herd review complete The breed’s sustainability credentials have been examined through 2021, with a review of the technical performance of herds carried out to gauge where the breed sits within the wider industry.
were completed and data from farmers collected to get a baseline of current performance.
In 2020, the Hereford Cattle Society started developing a strategy to understand how Hereford cattle could be recognised as a fundamental part of sustainable farming systems.
The members who volunteered to be part of this work were asked to submit at least three years’ worth of historical data on calving dates, cow age, calving ease, calf survival, cow weights, longevity, fertility and growth rates, which could include information submitted to Breedplan. A simple form was also used to collect any additional information.
Herefords are well established in the pasture-fed beef movement in the UK because of their ability to perform off grass and forage alone, says independent beef and sheep consultant Dr Liz Genever who was contracted to carry out project work on behalf of the society. As part of the strategy work, surveys
Two elements of the project looked at collecting and comparing technical performance data against industry established key performance indicators and calculating the carbon footprint of a selection of the farms to understand where improvements can be made. The herd review project was undertaken to gather information to support members to improve their suckler cow efficiency.
Liz explains: “This information was processed to calculate average traits for the breed, alongside the average from the project and the industry targets. For example, the average for cow and heifer mortality from the society volunteers
was 0.5 per cent with an industry target of less than 1 per cent. “These figures were selected to provide an understanding of the performance of the suckler cow in terms of longevity, fertility and calf performance. These are key when thinking about sustainability,
Highlights from some of the participants Richard Mann, Spinney herd The highlights from Richard's results were the excellent combination of age at first calving at two years old with calving interval of 365 days and calves born alive of 95 per cent. Simon Cutter, Model Farm Simon’s herd is certified Pasture for Life. Calves had a lower than average birthweight and survival of 98 per cent. However, he is in the process of change having sold his cows to two other herds, but plans to buy back the calves to finish and butcher them. Bernard and Barbara Rimmer, Barben herd Their results showed a focus on calving interval, so they went from 467 to 364 days, and also had 97 per cent of females scanned in-calf with calf survival of 96 per cent. Peter Barrett, Nanhoron herd There has been a focus on calving interval as it was 393 days, then 372 and now 360 days. Aled and Jen Jones, Dendor herd This herd has high liveweight gains to weaning (1.2-1.4 kg per day), while having a low birthweight (~36 kg) represented in sustainable beef supply chains.
