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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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 “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.

especially when thinking about reducing emissions per head. The ambition is a herd of medium-sized cows that lasts for at least five lactations which calve every year at around the same time of year with calves which pop out and grow well to weaning. “We are trying to maximise the amount of ‘product’, in this example kilos of weaned calf, in comparison to the kilos of cows needed to produce it.” Methane emissions generally make up around 50 per cent of the emissions from beef units, and it is driven by feed intake as it is a by-product of fermentation by the rumen, says Liz. “The sugars and starch from the grass, forages and other feeds are broken down by the micro-organisms in the rumen to volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The VFAs can be digested directly by the animal and used for energy. Hydrogen is produced during this stage and methane (CH4) is a very efficient way of getting the excessive hydrogen out of the rumen. However, it is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide,” she says. “The challenge of suckler cow systems, particularly ones with bigger cows, is that a lot of feed is needed to support the cow and the ’only’ product is the weaned calf. So there has been focus on cow efficiency which is calculated by dividing the adjusted 200-day weight of the calf by the cow weight.

“For example, the average for the society members is 38 per cent, which means that for every 1kg of cow, 0.38kg of weaned calf is produced. The industry target is 45 per cent and can be quite challenging to hit.”

The feed intake argument is also part of the drive for calving at two years, as there are fewer unproductive days during their lifetime compared to a heifer which calves at three years. There is a debate about their lifetime performance especially if not managed well as second calvers, explains Liz.

The calving interval is an indicator of how quickly the cow gets back into calf, with the industry target being 365 days.

Liz continues: “This is again linked to trying to reduce the unproductive days, but can be challenged due to a narrow window of opportunity as she should be in-calf for nine out of those 12 months. Cows needing no or minimal assistance and in reasonable body condition score tend to have a greater chance to be cycling and ready compared to thin or fat cows, or ones with calving difficulties.” The aim is for a mating period of nine weeks, which allows for a focused calving period so the percentage of calves born in the first three weeks is high. “This means that labour and resources can be managed, vaccine or treatment timings matched and weaning weights more even. The combination of calving interval, mating period and calves born in the first three and six weeks are looked at, and are worth tracking for individual cows and can be used to indicate when their fertility is starting to drop. "The fundamental for suckler systems is the number of calves born alive and weaned. These are all based on the number of females put to the bull. The calf survival calculation is based on the number of calves scanned."

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