34 minute read
Overseas
Associations and clubs around the world
Email: worldherefordcouncil@gmail.com
Member countries
American Hereford Association
Jack Ward, Executive Vice President Box 014059, 1501 Wyandotte, Kansas City, Missouri, 64108-1222, USA Phone: 1-816-842-3757 Fax: 1-816-842-6931 www.hereford.org/ Email: aha@hereford.org
Asociacion Argentina Criadores de Hereford
Manuel Obarrio 2948, C1425CQB - Buenos Aires, Argentina Mr. Augustin Arroyo, General Manager Phone: 54-11-4802-1019 Fax: 54-11-4802-1019 Email: info@hereford.org.ar www.hereford.org.ar
Herefords Australia Ltd.
Lisa Sharp General Manager Locked Bag 7, Armidale NSW 2350, Australia 16 Uralla Road, Armidale NSW 2350 Australia Phone: 02 6772 1399 Mobile: 0447 949 650 Fax: 02 6772 1615 www.herefordsaustralia.com.au Email: lsharp@herefordsaustralia.com.au
Canadian Hereford Association
Mr. Stephen Scott, Executive Director 5160 Skyline Way N.E., Calgary, Alberta, T2E 6V1, Canada Phone: 1-403-275-2662 Fax: 1-403-295-1333 www.hereford.ca Email: stephen@hereford.ca
Danish Hereford Association
President, Knud Erichsen Skibstedgaard 0045 40196310 www.hereford.dk Email: skibstedgaard@skibstedgaard.dk
Animal Breeders Association of Estonia
General Manager: Tanel Bulitko Hereford Director: Mr. Aigar Suurmaa 79005, Rapla County, Estonia Phone: 372-4873-181 Fax: 372-4890-680 Hereford Director: Mr. Aigar Suurmaa Phone: 372-742-1575 Fax: 372-742-2879
Finnish Hereford Association
Chairman:Kai Pastell Innilantie 113, 37500 Lempaala, Finland www.hereford.fi Email: hereford@hereford.fi
German Hereford Association
c/o Carsten Schmit Neuer Kamp 38, 30900 Wedemark, Germany Fax: 49-5130-925023 www.hereford-germany.de Email: info@hereford-deutschland.de
Dutch Hereford Association
Henk Kuipers Horstingerend 7, 7843 TE Erm, The Netherlands Tel. 0591-564135 www.hereford.nl Email: henkensonjakuipers@kpnplanet.nl
Hungarian Hereford Association
Dr. Istvan Marton, General Manager H-7400 Kaposvar, Denesmajor 2, Hungary Phone: 36-82-3-16-610 Fax: 36-82-510-046 www.mhagte.hu, www.hereford.hu E-mail: hereford@t-online.hu; info@mhagte. hu
Irish Hereford Breed Society
Ms. Louise Callan, Acting Secretary Harbour Street, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland Phone: 353-44-48855 Fax: 00-353-44-48949 www.irishhereford.com Email: irishhereford@gmail.com
Kazakhstan Hereford Association
Kenesary 40, Street Business center “7th Continent” office 1206, 1205. 12 Floor 010000, Nur-Sultan city, Kazakhstan Phone: +7 7172 279 002, +7 7172 279 996, +7 771 532 002. www.herefords.kz Email: info@herefords.kz, director@herefords.kz
New Zealand Hereford Association Inc.
Mrs Posy Moody, General Manager Hereford House, Box 503, Feilding, New Zealand Phone: +64 6323 4484 www.herefords.co.nz Email: manager@herefords.co.nz
Norway Hereford Association
Mr. Inge G. Kristoffersen, President Storhamargata 44, 2317 Hamar, Norway Phone: +47 915 45 613 www.hereford.no Email: post@hereford.no Email: inge.g.k@online.no
The Norwegian Breeding Association
Storhamargata 44, 2317 Hamar, Norway Director: Halvor Nordli Phone: +47 952 90 855 Fax: +47 62 53 82 41 Email: tyr@tyr.no
Paraguay Hereford Association
Oficina de Registro Genealogico de la Asociación Rural del Paraguay Ing. Carlos Pedretti, Ruta Transchaco Km. 14 ½ Mariano Roque Alonso, Asunción, Paraguay Phone: 011-595-21-754412 E-mail: secretaria@orzarp.org.py
South African Hereford Breeders Society
Contact: Liezel Grobler P.O. Box 20165, Willows, BFN 9320, South Africa Phone: 051 410 0958 Fax: 086 218 8246 www.hereford.co.za E-mail: liezel@studbook.co.za Promotions: Lizette Vermaak Phone: 082 412 2868 Email: herefords@vodamail.co.za
Swedish Hereford Association
Magnus Johansson, Chariman Hollstorp Hagalund, 355 91 Växjö, Sweden Phone: +46 470 749 461 or +46 768 303 600 www.hereford.nu Email: magnus.johansson@hereford.nu
Swiss Hereford Association
Walter Faessler, President Interessengemeinschaft Schweizer Herefordzuechter, c/o Walter Faessler, Barenegg, 9633 Baechli-Hemberg Switzerland www.swisshereford.ch Email: barenegg.hereford@bluewin.ch
Hereford Cattle Society (UK)
Mr Paul Sneyd, Director of Operations Hereford House, 3 Offa Street Hereford, HR1 2LL U.K Phone: +44 1 432 272 057 Fax: +44 1 432 377 529 www.herefordcattle.org Email: postroom@herefordcattle.org
Sociedad Criadores de Hereford del Uruguay
Dr. Alejandro Costa Irigoyen, President Mercedes 855 Esc 605 CP 11.100, Montevideo, Uruguay Phone/fax 0059 2908 7579 - 2901 0437 www.hereford.org.uy Email: info@hereford.org.uy Non-member countries
Associação Brasileira de Hereford e Braford
Luciano Augusto Sperotto Terra, President Av. General Osório 1094 Caixa Postal 483, Bage - RS - Brasil Phone: 55 (xx)(53) 3312 8726 Fax: 55 (0xx53) 3242 1332 www.hereford.com.br www.braford.com.br Email: hereford@braford.com.br
Asociacion de Criadores de Hereford de Chile
Fernando Schuck R, President Casilla (P.O. Box) 703, Osono, Chile Phone: 56-64-234388 Fax: 56-64-238408 E-mail: fschuck@surnetlibre.cl
Czech Republic Hereford Association
Czech Beef Cattle Association KAMIL MALÁT, CEO Těšnov 17, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic Phone: +420 221 812 865 GSM: +420 724 007 860 email: info@cschms.cz
Association Hereford France
Pascal Bastien, President 10 rue de la fontaine, 57170 BAGNEUX, France Phone: +33 615177610 Pascal Bastien Email: pascal.bastien@orange.fr www.hereford-france.com International contact (English speaking ) Jean-François Protheau Phone: +33 614037229 Email: jfprotheau@yahoo.fr
Hokkaido Beef Cattle Club
c/o Yuji Ikeda - Shintoku Animal Husbandry Experiment Station Tokiwa 5-46, Shintoku-cho Hokkaido, T088 2313, Japan Phone: 1566-4-5321 Fax: 1566-4-6151
Mexican Hereford Association
Octavio Bermudez, President Bosque de Yuriria 2701-2, Fracc. Sicomoros Chihuahua, Chih. 31260, Mexico Phone: 52-410-7493
POLSKI ZWIĄZEK HODOWCÓW
I Producentów Bydła Mięsnego (Polish Association of Beef Cattle Breeders and Producers) ul. Rakowiecka 32, 02 - 532 Warszawa Poland NIP 527-20-04-291 Phone: (+48 22) 849-19-10 Fax: (+48 22) 849-32-32 www.bydlo.com.pl E-mail : bydlo@bydlo.com.pl
Herd Book Society of Zambia
Hereford Breed Section Mrs. Joan Holmes, General Manager P.O. Box 50146, Lusaka 15101, Zambia Phone/Fax: 260-1-251149
Zimbabwe Hereford Society
Mr. Phil Rogers, Chairman P.O. Box FM80, Famona, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Phone: 263-09-229-588 Fax: 263-09-74839 Email: herefordzw@hotmail.com
Irish Society moves into new era
As Larry Feeney retires, the Irish Breed Society moved into 2021 with a string of successful events.
After 40 years of working for the Irish Society, Larry Feeney retired as secretary in March 2021. Larry, having a wealth of knowledge and experience in Irish and world agriculture and the pedigree breeding of Herefords, has been more than dedicated to the breed during his time and the society knows he will bring the same values to his new post as World Hereford Council secretary general.
Irish Hereford premier autumn sale 2021
The premier autumn Hereford show and sale was held on Saturday 16 October in Tullamore Mart. The show was a nice addition after a long 18 months with none permitted and a chance to allow breeders to get back to showcasing their breeding stock ahead of the sale. Taking on the task of judging the first Hereford show connected to a sale since 2019 was Michael Molloy of Moyclare Herefords, Offaly. The sale was a flyer with the average sale price resting at €3,000 for the bulls and 22 out of the 30 head exhibited moving onto greener pastures. Thanks are extended to Irish Hereford Prime who supported the sale as usual by awarding €250 to the buyers of each bull sold for €3,000 and over.
Top of the sale was the earlier crowned male champion; Corlismore Caesar 092, bred by Sean and Gary McKiernan of Corlismore Herefords, Cavan. This Corlismore Caesar 092 sold for €5,300
five star terminal bull also has five stars for carcase weight and carcase conformation. It was sired by Allowdale Rory 594 and bred from a Cill Cormaic Leo dam. Caesar sold to a fellow breeder in Donegal for €5,300.
Top price heifer sold for €3,500 and went for the final lot of the day and the reserve female champion, Appel 1 Skygazer, bred by John Appelbe of Appel Herefords, Cork. Skygazer is bred from an excellent cow and a Solpoll 1 Lawman daughter which was national Hereford champion 2018 and the new stock bull for the Haven Hereford herd in the UK.
In general, bull sales this year turned out to be very successful for breeders with home sales excelling, the season starting earlier than usual and prices remaining consistently good – all positive signs of the demand that exists for Hereford sires. Supreme champion with Paddy Hickey, IHBS chairman Joe O'Connor and judge Robin Irvine
National Hereford Show 2021
The National Hereford Show 2021 was held on Sunday 12 September on the grounds of the Annaharvey Equestrian Centre, Tullamore. After a tough 18 months for everyone, the society was determined to make a go of a near normal National Show 2021 to enable breeders to showcase their stock and to view animals belonging to other breeders as well as giving breeders a chance to get out and about and meet each other again. The show was a huge success all round with over 90 of the 110 cattle catalogued exhibiting on the day. The society and the wider membership were delighted that Robin and James Irvine of Graceland Herefords, Armagh, accepted the role of judging at the show. James judged the junior and senior young handler classes and Robin judged the cattle classes thereafter. Junior young handler Jack O'Connor with judge James Irvine
The Genetic Gems Hereford heifer sale was held on the Saturday also after the calf show and was a great success. Eight of the 13 heifers sold to a top price of €9,000 and the average price sat at €4,400.
The National Hereford Calf Show 2021 was held on Saturday 20 November in Tullamore Mart. After missing the physical event in 2020, this year’s calf show was back with a bang and turned out to be a great success all round. The competition was held as part of the very successful Hereford Weekend in Tullamore whereby the Next Gen Hereford Youth competition was held on the Friday evening followed by the calf show classes on the Saturday morning.
Senior young handler Niall Jones with judge James Irvine
The society would like to thank Mark Moore of Annahbeg Herefords, NI, who took on the task of judging the large entry of pedigree calf classes and did so with great skill and tact. National Hereford Calf Show female champion 2021 was awarded to Herberry 1 Lucy Ray ET, bred by Veronica Brennan and Ray Vere Hunt, Tipperary. This five star replacement heifer is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure and in 2021 was crowned national Hereford reserve champion 2021, national Hereford female champion 2021 and national Hereford heifer of the year 2021. Lucy Ray then went on to top the Genetic Gems Hereford heifer sale when selling to Northern Ireland for €9,000. National Hereford Calf Show male champion 2021 was awarded to Keenagh Rio, bred by Edwin and Robert Jones, Longford. This four star replacement bull is easy calving and is sired by one of our very own breed improvement scheme bulls, Pute Nascar N13. Supreme male champion Keenagh Rio from Robert Jones
Supreme female champion from Veronica Brennan
South African trade buoyant
Beef prices have been rising in South Africa while Hereford bull sales continued across the country to a strong clearance.
South African livestock farming has received a considerable boost from the country’s economy throughout 2021. Beef prices have risen steadily with all classes of livestock benefitting. The main benefactors are the sellers of weaned calves, which have shown excellent results from autumn to late spring, mainly taken up by the feedlot industry. The stud breeders have had a quiet time with the constraints of Covid-19 shutting down all show activities. Bull and cow sales, however, continued and were held under strict Covid-19 regulations. In all, 12 Hereford stud sales were held, and all-time high average prices and clearances were attained for both males and females.
The following are the top prices (January 2022 - R = 0,045) for bulls for the year 2021:
- Kevlynn Herefords – R115,000 - KRM Herefords – R125,000 - Locheim Herefords – R260 000 Average bull prices of total sold – R53,451
Clearance – 98 per cent Locheim New Kid sold for R260,000
The demand for Hereford breeding stock has increased over the past few years, resulting in a positive outlook for the breed in South Africa. Thanks to the purity of the breed and due to its genetic distance from popular female lines such as Zebu type breeds and breeds indigenous to Africa, the Hereford breed remains in high demand in cross-breeding programmes. South African Herefords are also making good progress with its genomic programme, despite the current population size of the breed within the country. After good initial progress over the past three years in the establishment of reference populations for the South African Hereford breed, the significant amount of additional hair samples received in 2021 will allow the genetic experts of the stud book to continue with their work to build a set of genomic breeding values for the South African Hereford population.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the association’s annual general meeting and council meetings have taken place virtually which was a new innovation for the society and has been well received by all. The society has held photo competitions regularly and good participation with excellent pictures being received from both stud and commercial breeders.
The society is planning a judge/selector’s course in February 2022 and the national championships which should have taken place last year will be held in May 2022 together with an interbreed elite beef bull growth test class.
Beef sector strong down under
The Australian beef sector is enjoying a positive period at present with prices and consumption on the up. The year 2021 was extraordinary for the Australian beef cattle industry. Key price cattle indicators, like the EYCI (eastern young cattle indicator) broke through the 1,000c/kg territory in July and stayed around there (or further north of this) for the balance of 2021. Clearance rates have been exceptionally strong, as have prices, with Herefords one of several breeds breaking long held bull price records this year and setting new benchmarks for averages achieved at on-property and multi-vendor sales alike.
The strong prices reflect the double effect of national herd-rebuilding efforts and favourable seasonal conditions across key production areas. In Australia, Herefords have long been recognised for performance on grass and with grass plentiful, the association witnessed much interest in breed.
The suitability of Herefords for grainfed production systems and the global market options this presents also supported demand. In the north of Australia, there was a swing back to cross-breeding with producers from large Santa Gertrudis, Droughtmaster and Brahman operations securing Hereford bulls in autumn and spring sales. In addition to supporting sales, 2021 saw Herefords Australia focus efforts on the development of its five-year strategic plan. Among a range of activities, the association critically assessed the strengths of the breed. A key strength is that all the major profit drivers in commercial beef businesses can be addressed by Hereford cattle including fertility, low cost of production, eating quality, yield, livestock longevity and market option diversity. Marketing activity promoting the Injemira Robert Redford Q287 sold for a record price of AUS$160,000 in 2021
strength of the breed against those key profitability and productivity drivers has been a focus this year and is a key feature of our strategy moving forward. Such activity needs to be supported by solid data, evidence, and case studies and these too will be prioritised for investment as part of the plan. On the research and development front, 2021 saw the completion of the Hereford Beef Information Nucleus (BIN) project. The BIN project has operated over multiple phases and a 10 year time span and has made a significant contribution to the Hereford reference population. A range of traits from birth through to slaughter were recorded. The key focus traits of the BIN project were abattoir carcase and chiller, meat quality, feed efficiency and structural soundness traits. For these traits, the BIN animals represent the largest proportion of Hereford data available.
Covid-19 and related restrictions continued to present challenges for members and staff for much of the second half of the year, including the cancellation of the National Youth Expo, several Royal Shows and other face-toface workshops. Some activities were held online, including the ‘empowering future breed leaders’ seminar series. Targeting youth who have an interest in the beef cattle industry but are unsure about education, training, and career opportunities, the fourpart series attracted many viewers, generated positive media coverage and membership inquiries. Herefords Australia also coordinated advocacy activities, securing critical exemptions from the government, and allowing the continuation of on-farm property sales at the height of the Covid-19 restrictions.
Closing out the year, the ANZ (one of Australia’s largest banks) commodity report highlighted that price rises for beef went up more than any other food category in Australia in 2021. Consumption also rose. After several tough seasons due to drought, flood, anti-red meat activism, it has been great to not only see livestock producers being rewarded for their efforts but also to witness consumer appreciation and willingness to pay more for the highquality beef produced.
Argentinians hold many shows and sales
The Argentina Hereford Breeders Association was founded on 3 November 1924 as a non-profit organisation with the aim of supporting and improving its members and Hereford breeders’ businesses, and participating in activities related to the cattle raising industry in the country and abroad. At present the association has more than 500 members from different parts of the country comprising of breeders, feeders, students and technicians, representing a valuable integration of the production chain. Among them there are 300 active herds which apart from pedigree animals, have registered 250,000 ‘pure registered’ males and females and VIP* females, which are the base of the continuous genetic progress of the commercial cattle herd.
The country of Argentina, including one of its greatest industries, the cattle business, has had to adjust and take steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and follow guidelines since March 2020. However, its 52 million cattle maintained their levels of calf production, while the 42 million inhabitants sustained its annual consumption of around 52 kgs (115 pounds) per person and about 800,000 tons of high quality beef were exported to different countries of the world.
Argentina covers 3 million hectares and is the fifth largest country in the world. It is home to two well-defined livestock areas, the famous ‘humid pampas’ with a temperate climate which suits Hereford and Angus and the subtropical region which is more accommodating to the Brangus and Braford, as well as several other minor cattle breeds.
Despite these limitations, Hereford was the only breed to hold its National Show in 2020 in Patagonia, with excellent pedigree and commercial results and Grand champion bull in the 34ª. National Hereford 2021 Show at Azul, Buenos Aires province from Mario R. Sívori of Don Rodolfo ranch. Genetic adviser, S. Sillero.
during 2021 the association held its autumn National and Patagonian shows and was present at 50 local shows, while also supporting 60 Hereford pure-bred sales.
The association was also able to carry out several virtual training activities including the judging school, technical talks and the promotion of crossbreeding with Hereford as one of the main tools to increase the efficiency of pasture beef production. The pedigree registrations which in Argentina are carried out by Sociedad Rural Argentina, a private entity, remained at similar levels as previous years with 3,778 heads as a total figure, been 1,907 of them males and 1,871 females.
Hereford breeders in Argentina use genetic evaluations to improve their production rates. The Genetic Evaluation Programme (PEG) was launched in 1991, almost 30 years ago and is a powerful tool which helps breeders with efficient, unbiased selection. The PEG allows the exhaustive evaluation of the main performance traits of economic and zootechnichal interest through calculation of indexes and EPDs.
In 2020, the EPDs elaborated in the PanAmerican Group analyses were released for 1,592 pure-bred sires and 188 superior sires. PanAm evaluation is the first genetic evaluation in the world that involves Hereford populations in USA, Canada, Uruguay and Argentina.
Hereford influence grows in US
Demand and prices for Hereford bulls are on the up in the States, while the association remains active, pursuing new initiatives.
“As commercial cattle producers look to add more cross-breeding to increase fertility, longevity and disposition in their herds — all strengths of Hereford cattle — our members are seeing increased bull demand,” says Jack Ward, American Hereford Association (AHA) executive vice-president.
Through the end of May, the average price of registered Hereford bulls, reported to AHA, were 19 per cent higher year-over-year with five per cent more bulls sold.
These bulls are the product of new and enhanced genetic selection tools, driven by AHA’s whole herd total performance records.
For instance, AHA incorporated genomic information into its suite of maternal traits. Female genotypes accounted Demand for Hereford bulls is increasing
for almost 60 per cent of the 25,000 genotypes submitted to the organisation during the fiscal year. “That speaks to our breeders’ commitment to really get the most out of the females they’re keeping,” says Shane Bedwell, AHA chief operating officer and director of breed improvement. “The performance trend for breed maternal traits increased 20 to 25 per cent over the last three years and up to 30 per cent.” AHA members also continue leading the breed to significant strides in other economically relevant traits, including carcase.
“We’ve made incredible improvements in post-weaning growth and end product merit,” Shane says. “That’s evident in the number of cattle in the Hereford breed achieving US department of agriculture choice quality grade and higher.” Hereford superiority in feed conversion and cost of gain are driving more commercial producers to utilise AHA programmes, like Hereford Advantage, to add value to Hereford and Herefordinfluenced calves. At the same time, US breeder interest in Hereford is on the rise. AHA memberships and cattle registrations continue to increase during the organisation’s current fiscal year. “The real excitement within our breed and within our membership is in its growth,” Jack says. “That growth is a by-product of breeder commitment to genetic improvement and to embrace the necessary tools to build ever more
predictable genetics that serve their customer’s production, performance and end product needs. That includes meeting consumer needs. It’s all encompassing.” With consumers in mind, Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) celebrated its 25th anniversary. It is the only Hereford Beef brand in the industry owned by the alliance of local Hereford farmers and ranchers which comprise the AHA. The brand continues to grow as it delivers on its promise of delivering a consistently reliable and flavorful beef eating experience. In a blind taste test, conducted as part of a 2019 Kansas State University study, CHB premium (upper two-thirds of USDA choice quality grade) rated higher than USDA prime quality grade beef from non-breed specific programmes. “Those results are a testament to the high standards and uncompromising genetic integrity of CHB,” Jack says. “Hereford breeders and commercial users of Hereford genetics are providing consumers with the highest quality product possible. Because of these efforts, consumers can be confident they are getting the best quality beef for their dollars while supporting their local Hereford breeders and commercial cattle producers.” The National Junior Hereford Association (NHJA) continues working to help its members gain broad-based knowledge and experience in and outside of the breed.
As an example, this year, 41 NJHA members from 15 states fed steers at HRC Feed Yards of Scott City, Kansas, as part of the fifth annual Fed Steer Shootout (FSS). Participants enter individual steers or pens of three. They monitor the progress of their steers via monthly performance updates from the feedlot. Ultimately, the champion cattle are the most profitable ones. Participants follow industry best practices for herd health, weaning protocols and beef quality assurance (BQA). They have the opportunity to receive BQA certification. “One of the great things about the Shootout is the amount of information NJHA members receive,” says Trey Befort, AHA director of commercial programmes. “For instance, the feeding and carcase data they receive can help them make genetic improvement decisions at home, ultimately making a better product for the industry. “It is important to have events like this so young leaders like myself get handson experience at feedlots, and to share this knowledge with our peers at school and ultimately promote agriculture’s mission, which is to feed the world in a healthy, safe, wholesome way,” says Haley Mouser of Bemidji, Minnesota, an NJHA member.
The Shootout also serves as example of how industry partners are helping AHA and NJHA expand member opportunities. The following are two such examples. Last year, Merck Animal Health (MAH, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada) announced a five year partnership with AHA to provide education about the importance of animal health programmes in maximising cattle genetic potential. Through the partnership, MAH leads educational sessions at the AHA’s annual membership meeting and conference, as well as at the association’s in-person and online educational opportunities. Another example is the partnership between Neogen Genomics (NG) and AHA, which gives AHA members expanded access to NG expertise at in-person AHA-sanctioned conferences and other meetings, as well as via online events and resources.
Expanded educational opportunities are another way AHA is helping members continuously improve Hereford genetics for breeders and for commercial users.
“No matter where you drive in the US, you find Hereford cattle. They’re adaptable, they work hard. They’re efficient,” Shane says. “Our beef cattle industry needs efficient cattle to maintain and improve sustainability, including producer profit potential. Hereford genetics thrive in these areas,” Jack says. “Producers want it all. They can use today’s Hereford genetics and take advantage of those opportunities.” The American Association is looking forward to hosting the World Hereford Conference in October 2025. It will be in Kansas City, Missouri, held in conjunction with the annual American Royal Livestock Show, one of the largest and most notable in the nation. Working dates for the conference are 21-26 October, but AHA will refine the schedule as it finalises plans, including pre-conference and post-conference tours.
NZ Herefords lead progeny test
Herefords performed in New Zealand in a multibreed progeny test while strong sale prices and genomics were also on the agenda in 2021.
With few things to sing about having had another disruptive year thanks to the global pandemic NZ Herefords were thrilled with the latest Beef + Lamb Genetics Progeny (BLG) test results. The BLG beef progeny tests have been running since 2014 and are designed to compare bulls under New Zealand commercial farming conditions. A panel selects the best bulls from those nominated for each breed with a mix of both international and domestic semen used.
Steers and cull heifers are assessed on their carcase traits while replacement heifers are tracked for their maternal characteristics. So for Hereford bull, Limehills Streaker 150368, to be ranked first place for rump fat and first for Intramuscular fat (IMF) highlights how well New Zealand breeders are selecting for carcase traits. Another New Zealandbred Hereford bull, Orari Gorge Patton 150051, ranked first for eye muscle area, third for rib fat and second for IMF while Ardo Ajax ranked second for eye muscle area. NZ Herefords’ overall trend is a gradual increase in IMF, with a greater increase in eye muscle area.
Adoption of SNP testing
Despite a slower SNP DNA service due to Covid disrupting the mail services, NZ Hereford breeders are embracing technology with more studs genotyping either their whole herds or selecting a year-born group. NZ Hereford breeders have transitioned from microsatellite DNA testing in 2019 to SNP DNA testing in 2021, with the majority requesting the NZ Hereford bundle which includes 100K SNP DNA panel, poll test and genetic defects testing along with parent verification.
Change in export regulations
Exporting livestock contributes to New Zealand’s economy and is valued by the country’s trading partners, however this year the New Zealand government declared live exports will be banned in April 2023. While NZ Herefords are only one link in the chain, the heifers it exports are managed under the Codes of Welfare published by the New Zealand National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and played part in the process this year by inspecting and providing certificates for nearly 8,000, Hereford heifers which were exported to China.
While NZ Herefords does not take a particular view point on live exports, it does regard the practice as an additional market for its members. Limehills Stardom 190168 sold for NZD$25,000.
National Seed Stock Sale
The 2021 National Hereford Seedstock Sale ran under a new format, selling bulls by a Helmsman auction located at Orlando Country, which is a lovely venue on the outskirts of Palmerston North. It saw vendors swinging at golf balls prior to the sale as opposed to previous years when they were walking among the bulls. During the lead up to the sale, bulls could be viewed online, or in-person at the vendors’ studs. Prior to the sale, Marc Greening, principal of Injemira Beef Genetics from Southern NSW, Australia, judged the bulls remotely using the videos, photos and data for each entry. He gave an extremely detailed announcement of his results in a video shown to everyone in attendance at Orlando Country which was also live streamed. He explained he selected bulls on phenotype and then looked at the data to see if there were any outliers which may skew his decision. He felt all bulls for sale were very ‘industry focused’ to meet the grass-fed market with ‘plenty of shape, carcase and yield with structural soundness and good overall appeal’ along with strong data. He announced the grand champion as Ardo Fargo 9008 owned by Morrison Farming, awarded for his ‘standout for shape, carcase and style complete with the data package’. Marc then announced his reserve champion, Matariki Mandela, owned by Matariki Hereford stud, commenting on its real ‘structural soundness with smooth front-end’. Both bulls were sold later in the sale however it was Limehills Stardom 190168 which topped the sale at NZD$25,000. Autumn private bull sales averaged up to NZD$10,000 while the spring yearling bull sale’s highest average was NZD$3,800.
NZ Herefords Youth
NZ Herefords Youth was fortunate to be able to hold a development forum in the South Island which included a tour of Xcell Breeding Services, where many of the youth members watched their first extraction of semen.
Farm tours, a structural assessment module and an opportunity to listen and quiz a careers panel filled the remainder of the weekend. As a result of the World Hereford Conference, NZ Herefords Youth is experiencing its highest level of interest in recent years and hopes to run another development weekend this coming year along with a leadership and personal development module.
Canada re-brands
Across the Atlantic, the Canadian Hereford Association launched a new brand in 2021 while also enjoying some inperson events.
‘Better Your Beef’ the new Canadian Hereford brand was officially launched at the 2021 Canadian Western Agribition to a national and international audience. Bold and fresh, it is a message that resonates within the Canadian cattle industry. “At its core, the campaign proudly recognises the Hereford as a maternal, efficient, safe and profitable powerhouse,” comments Canadian Hereford Association (CHA) executive director, Stephen Scott on the message which will be the cornerstone of Hereford promotion across Canada for the foreseeable future.
The new brand identity was launched simultaneously across a multitude of platforms during Agribition week. It included a new print advertising campaign, the unveiling of a new website, social media campaign and tradeshow booth, and has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response. The re-brand is the culmination of a two year process at the CHA board level to formulate a strategic plan that will reinvigorate the Hereford breed in the Canadian livestock industry and lead to increased demand for Hereford and Hereford influenced genetics. The breed strategy is a new long-term plan, complete with breed improvement goals for the whole breed to accelerate improvement on specific traits while maintaining the things Hereford is recognised for in the industry. Furthermore, the new breed strategy will encourage breeders to capture more data, especially regarding carcase and residual feed intake.
CHA president Nels Nixdorff believes the new strategy will empower breeders by encouraging them to select sires to improve their programmes and that this in turn will open even more economic opportunities for the entire breed. “The re-brand has a direct link to the commercial cattle industry and we need to expand our market in the commercial industry,” says Nels. Young breeders will be another focus within this plan and Bonanza, the National Junior Show, will continue to be the premier Hereford event for the Canadian Junior Hereford Association. Provincial restrictions surrounding Covid-19 forced a relocation of Bonanza in 2021 and the show was subsequently hosted in Alberta with on-site participation from five provinces and an online component that enabled youth across Canada to participate.
Agricultural events in Canada are slowly returning and although there were regional exceptions, many livestock shows, and sales resumed normal activity as the year progressed. On the positive side, the Alberta Hereford Association launched a new two day Hereford event in Red Deer and the National Hereford Show in Regina at Agribition was well attended. Many provincial field days were also held over the summer months.
Sales have remained strong across the country and Canadian breeders have been very resourceful pivoting to online sales and adapting to local health restrictions as they forged ahead marketing their programmes.
Juniors join Danish board
Similarly to many other countries all over the globe, Denmark spent a lot of the year under Covid-19 restrictions, making it hard to organise events for Danish Hereford members.
Hereford juniors on the board
The first event the association held was in June when the Danish Hereford Association managed to carry out its annual general meeting where a new board structure was created. Members requested juniors members were included in the running, work and management of the association. So 2021 become a historical year where junior members got a permanent seat on the board, as elected by other junior members. It was a good step forward to secure the flow of future board members.
Regional activities
July was a great month in terms of social activities. Many regions have made a great effort to make some interesting herd visits. The northern region visited a Limousin herd and had a walk in a beautiful area before visiting another herd, where they enjoyed a barbecue.
Region Fyn had a visit to two Hereford herds in Jylland where the focus was about how to manage a Hereford herd or productive soil and to show new breeders how it can be managed. Region West-Central Jylland also visited two herds with focus on managing a Hereford in more extensive areas.
The Region East visited a herd which runs on an extensive area with the meat sold through their own organic farm shop close to Copenhagen.
Members have bene lucky to enjoy some really great places to visit and to hear about all the different ways to manage the great breed, the Hereford.
Grand champion Hundyr Mandix
Shows
The association was pleased a number of shows went ahead in 2021 before Covid-19 again forced the government to set up new national restrictions.
One show held was in the northern region. There were 12 Hereford cattle comprising of four bulls and eight females. Here, the champion Hereford from Nordbæk Herefords also managed to win the interbreed pairs competition which was a really great achievement as there was strong competition from all the other breeds. Another show was held in the Region East and was a bit bigger with 41 Hereford cattle forward, consisting of seven males and 34 females. Also here the general quality was satisfying, particularly among the females. The Danish Hereford Association really hopes it will be able to welcome UK breeders to either Herning or Roskilde shows in 2022.
Nordic Breeding Cooperation
The last couple of years the breeding society managers in Finland, Sweden and Denmark have worked hard to make a system to manage the breeding in the three countries in a better way and are working to be able find and compare breeding values across borders. Even though there are some challenges in making this work, the Danish Association is really looking forward to the system being in place and says it will continue to work with the Swedish and Finnish associations to improve the Hereford breed in the Nordic countries.
Quality bulls at Norwegian sale
Norway’s annual sale took a hybrid format in 2021, and saw a pleasing standard of bulls entered.
The year 2021 has been a challenging one for the Norwegian Hereford Association due to Covid-19. The association’s activity and communication with the members has almost entirely been digital. In addition, the bull sale in April went digital. In November, the association managed to meet physically at its annual meeting where attendees visited the Staur test station for young bull calves. At the Staur test station in 2021, 13 Hereford calves were evaluated, which are likely to become qualified as breeding bulls of the 2023 season. Four of the bull calves are from the embryo programme, and their test results are very promising. The embryo programme started in 2020 with the importation of embryos from Canada to gain new genetics to the Norwegian Hereford population. As earlier mentioned, the annual bull auction at Staur went online and the best Hereford bulls sold for €7,500. The Norwegian Hereford Association was satisfied with the results and the quality of the bulls this season too. In 2021, semen was collected for artificial insemination from the Hereford bulls 71127 Per P of Skjatvet and 71128 Pedro pp of Postmyr. The Hereford bull 71127, sired by the American bull MF No Wastin Time, was the test winner of the season with good growth and high feed intake and is likely be easy calving, with good breed characteristics.
The other bull 71128, by Netherhall 1 Oz Daffy M024 has extremely good phenotype and is homozygous poll. The bull carries average calving ease figures, good production and has potential to pass on good motherability. The association is still looking for new genetics to add to its breeding programme, but are also excited about this year’s young bull calves at the test station at Staur.
The Norwegian Angus Association has succeeded with branding their products in the Norwegian market, and the Norwegian Hereford Association is working towards promoting its own brand of Hereford Beef during 2022. The Hereford picture of the year is an annual photo competition in the Norwegian Hereford Association. The winner picture of 2021 shows Hereford cows on the island Bastøy in Oslofjord, the island has 228hectares (563acres) cultural landscape. On Bastøy there are 20 Hereford cows, a herd of sheep and horses grazing the island. The farm manager on the island, Knut Thujord, took the winning picture.
German milestone
Despite another unusual year for the German Hereford Association, the organisation celebrated its 30th year.
German Hereford breeders were looking forward to 2021 and hoping that things returned to a little bit more of a normal, but this was not the case.
The association therefore worked to find new ways for people to buy cattle. The year started with the bull sales in the various areas of Germany which were carried out in a hybrid format, meaning some of the buyers attended in person, but at the same time they also could participate online. At these sales, Hereford bulls forward averaged €4,200. A new German Hereford record price was made for Samori which is a son of the bull Samson II bred by Agrar GmbH Biesen, which sold for €9,500.
At the National Beef Cattle Sale, four Hereford heifers were offered for sale and averaged €2,375. The top seller was the 2019-born heifer Belladonna, a daughter of the bull Samson II which sold for €2,900.
In August 2021, the German Hereford Association celebrated its 30th anniversary. As part of this celebration, the German Hereford Association celebrated with a National Calf Show on the farm of the Ebenbeck family in Bavaria. With 20 cattle entered, it was judged by Konrad Wagner from the Bavarian Beef Cattle Association and Walter Fässler of Swiss Herefords. The day started with a boat trip on the River Donau to the monastery Weltenburg where members stopped for lunch. After returning to the farm, visitors saw the Hereford herd of the Ebenbeck family.
The judging took place in the afternoon.
The winner of the female class was a 2020-born heifer carrying Canadian breeding, from breeder Martin Rösch.
The winner of the bull class was Tyler, a son of the bull Tuesday from breeder Rinderzuchtbetrieb Elbaue Wiegand/ Schubart.
The prize giving ceremony took place in the evening and chairman Monika Spechtmeyer honored members for their long-standing membership.
The German Hereford Association is looking forward to next year and hopes to return to some sort of normal.
