With Persistently Infected animals responsible for 85% of BVD transmission, culling these animals and protecting breeding stock through vaccination is essential to control disease spread, according to vet Keith Cutler, Endell Vet Group.

“Persistently infected animals (PIs) are the main source of BVD infection, with just 15% of transmission spread from acute infection,” he explains.

A PI is formed when a cow becomes infected within the first third of pregnancy. Her calf will always be infected and shed the disease. Equally a PI cow will always produce a PI calf. “The only way to deal with a PI is to cull them out of the herd and reduce the rate of transmission.”

And this strategy has been adopted by Hampshire-based Kelvin Green who farms 150 spring and 60 autumn block calvers at Cowlease Farm, Romsey.

Kelvin Green of Cowlease Farm, Romsey, knows how to tackle BVD in his suckler herd

The herd has a dairy cross base which is crossed to Aberdeen-Angus and Simmental bulls. The farm also has a small herd of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus which they use to breed their own bulls.

“After identifying a PI in the bulling heifers about four years ago we started vaccinating the whole herd as part of an ongoing drive to improve herd health,” explains Mr Green.

“We used to buy in replacements, but after a TB scare with bought in stock, we decided something had to be done.” Since then, the farm has moved towards managing a closed herd and controlling BVD and Leptospirosis.

Initially a small, sickly heifer was singled out for poor performance and blood tests identified her as a PI, explains Mr Cutler. “PIs are not always obvious, but can show themselves as runty animals that may fail to respond to treatment.

“Once a PI has been identified, they must be culled immediately. You then know BVD is present in the herd so the next step is to prevent more PIs from being born and vaccinate.

“The key is to prevent heifers from becoming infected and protect the unborn calf. The strategy undertaken at Cowlease Farm is a good example of correct testing and vaccination policy. When heifers are selected as replacements they are then tested to see whether they are a PI.”

After tests come back negative and before first service, these heifers are vaccinated for the first time. “It is vital vaccination is carried out before service. Animals need to be protected before pregnancy and specifically in this first third of pregnancy.”

But the way you tackle disease will be farm specific, he stresses. “The quickest way to control BVD is to test all cattle at once and cull all PIs, but this is extremely costly.”

The second option, and the one implemented by Mr Green is to accept BVD is in the herd, but test replacement animals and vaccinate all breeding stock to prevent PIs from being born. And when a homebred heifer is identified as being a PI, the next step is to find and test her dam.

“Over a period of time the whole herd will have been tested, but the cost will be spread out.” And in a few years Cowlease Farm will be BVD free.

Having implemented these changes, fertility has shown marked improvements, says Mr Green. “Our calving pattern is much tighter with the majority now calving in a six week block. Out of our 150 spring calvers, we only had four that were PD negative.

“When buying in bulls, farmers should seek re assurance of the herd’s status and preferably only purchase stock from BVD accredited free herds.” Any bought in bulls at Mr Green’s are blood tested for virus and antibodies as an extra security measure.

A practical guide to BVD management and control

BVD, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea, is a viral disease with a wide range of clinical signs that affects beef and dairy cattle. While the disease may not be obvious all the time, it can cause significant economic losses.

“BVD not only reduces fertility, it can lead to congenital defects and can lead to reduced immunity, especially in younger animals making them more susceptible to a number of other diseases such as pneumonia and scours,” explains Alasdair King, veterinary manager at Intervet/Schering-Plough. “In adult animals, immunosuppression can lead to more mastitis and even make stock more at risk from TB.

“Although relatively uncommon, Mucosal Disease is a form of BVD in which calves rapidly go downhill, usually dying within two weeks and there is no available treatment,” Mr King adds.  “However, most of the time, the effects of BVD infection in a herd are less obvious which can mean they go unnoticed and are even seen as ‘normal’ for that herd despite eroding profits.”

Unchecked and unseen, this disease can lead to significant economic losses – in beef herds, losses due to BVD have been put at £37/animal /year.

BVD causes most damage when it infects pregnant cows.  Foetal death, mummification of the foetus or abortion are possibilities at any stage of the pregnancy, but when infection occurs between 40-120 days into the pregnancy, a Persistently Infected (PI) calf can be born.  Studies show that 1 in 100 apparently normal cattle going through the abattoir are actually PIs so the chances are there is one in most herds.

What are the options

Option 1 is to do nothing, but who can stand losses this significant?

Option 2 is to maintain a closed herd with tight bio-security.   Individual blood samples must be taken to understand whether there are any PIs present and the herd, over time, will become naïve.  Should BVD re-enter the farm, the consequences will be significant as stock will have no immunity whatsoever.  Tight biosecurity includes double fencing all perimeters and maintaining a closed herd as key risk factors include replacements, hiring of bulls, and neighbouring cattle.

Option 3 delivers maximum financial benefit and is probably best practice – all cows and replacements prior to breeding are vaccinated.  This approach means there is sustained control of the disease and prevents the birth of any further PIs.  As with all vaccination programmes, the timings of vaccinations should be discussed with your vet.

Words courtesy of Farmers Weekly and Intervet Schering Plough

Economics of beef production may previously have been clouded by headage payments, but the decoupling of payments brought fortune for Welsh beef producer, John Owen by forcing him to change his farming strategy.

Previously a conventional farm, Mr Owen who farms near Llanon, Ceredigion took the decision to convert to organic in 2006 as well as joining the Tir Gofal scheme in order to make the farm more self sufficient. “This meant we had to reduce stocking densities in the suckler herd, consisting of two thirds Aberdeen-Angus and one third Salers, from 110 cows to 85 cows in the first two years of organic to give the farm time to adjust,” he explains.

And it was during this change that Mr Owen decided to experiment with a “cost-cutting” exercise to see whether the suckler herd could pay for itself, rather than eating in to subsidies.  This is when he began calving heifers at two years old.

John Owen with some of his Angus crosses

The move to calving at two years old coincided with incorporating better genetics in the herd. This was brought about by the Welsh Beef Quality Improvement Project which offered a 40% grant for purchasing a top EBV bull.

“Having bought better Aberdeen-Angus bulls and as genetics in the herd improved , heifers were getting to a bulling weight of 400kg at 14-15 months old,” says Mr Owen.

Mr Owen openly admits it was uneconomic calving at three years old, but says the benefits of calving a year earlier goes further than improved economic performance.

“One of the biggest benefits is the fact you can rear more calves from less cows and this means stocking numbers were 12% less compared to when we were calving heifers at three years old. This allowed us to increase stocking numbers back up to the original number of 110 cows, which wouldn’t have been possible on an organic system when calving at three years old,” he adds.

The whole process has also increased the speed of the suckler cow cycle resulting in a quicker return on investment and also means an extra calf is gained over the cow’s life cycle. But apart from the obvious financial benefits from gaining an extra calf, Mr Owen says it has also forced him to breed from only the best heifers. “Now I will only bull the best grown heifers and they do seem to milk better,” he says.

And the improved milking ability is something Mr Owen believes is also down to calving earlier. “Heifers that calve at two years old do seem to milk better throughout their lifetime because there is less time for internal fat to accumulate around the udder, compared to the older heifer which may have more internal fat which can lead to calving difficulties and reduced milk yield,” he says.

He believes there is no reason why every suckler herd, irrespective of breed, couldn’t calve at two years old, but says the Aberdeen-Angus breed is particularly well suited with it being an early maturing breed.

But it’s not just about the age of the heifer at calving, as Mr Owen is paying close attention to the genetics and performance of the bull as well. “Out of the two Aberdeen-Angus bulls we have, we use the bull with the easiest calving EBV to put to heifers, as this produces smaller calves.”

And selecting bulls on EBVs is vital to the herd’s success, since the bull makes up 50% of a herd.  “When you buy a bad bull it can take up to eight years to get it out of your herd. Before using EBVs I was essentially buying blind and although it costs more to invest in superior genetics, it pays off because I can now sell heifers ready to bull at 14 months old.”

Before purchasing bulls Mr Owen draws up a shortlist by looking at their figures. “I always try and select bulls in the top 1% for TSI and top 5% for SRI. I then pay attention to ease of calving and particularly the calving ease of progeny of heifers which is the most important.  The 200-day growth rate is also important since it is linked to the milking ability of the cow,” he adds.

“But despite the figures, the bull still has to look good and the scrotal circumference is something that’s very important when viewing a bull as there is a correlation with this and the fertility of heifers. This is why you can’t just buy on figures or looks alone.”

Lenny and Judy Fortescue farm in partnership with sons Charlie and Nick, and all are directors of the family business.  The enterprise includes 840 acres at Tughall Farm, Chathill as well as 293 acres at Newton Barns and 1040 acres at Glantlees some 17 miles to the south.  In addition, they rent organic grazing land directly adjacent to Tughall that fluctuates between 800 and 900 acres annually.

The farming enterprise consists of 520 suckler cows, mostly Aberdeen-Angus cross and Limousin cross cows, with all progeny retained for finishing or heifer replacement. They also run 1600 ewes, increasing to 2000 next year.  Cereal production averages 500 acres, with a six year rotation of winter wheat, spring wheat and spring oats followed by three years of grass with clover.  Next year triticale will replace some of the spring oats for home use.  Around 750 acres of grass silage are also produced annually, with organic soya or sunflower expeller bought in to deliver extra protein.

In the late 1990’s the business, like many others, had started to struggle with its profitability.  “We needed to reassess our situation and took advantage of a business development grant to appraise our business model,” Judy Fortescue explains.  “It confirmed much that we knew already but its conclusion was blunt – doing nothing was not an option.”

Geoff Haddick of Lloyds TSB Agriculture held a similar view. “It was obvious that production volumes were far too low for the acreage being farmed” he explains.  “A greater focus on improving output was needed to improve margins and secure a long-term future for the business.”

Increasing throughput and converting to organic were therefore identified as a solution to the farm’s problems.  However, Judy’s late father, Andrew Robinson, was reluctant to enter organic conversion, fearing that going organic would mean the farm would become covered in thistles and saddled with a self-imposed extra layer of bureaucracy.

But recognising that they were able to produce a niche product for a small, but growing market enabled Judy, Lenny and the family to persuade Andrew to begin the process of converting to organic production.

By 2003 most of the land was fully certified and the business had benefited from a sizeable organic conversion cheque which was used to restructure the business.  Massive cost savings were made on fertiliser and chemicals input costs, with red and white clover introduced to improve the quality of the grass leys and to maintain soil fertility and productivity.

The vital cash boost that converting to organic gave also coincided with the farm becoming available to purchase.  “My father and grandfather had been tenants of the Northumberland Estate since 1913 and we never contemplated that the opportunity to buy the farm would come our way,” Judy explains.

The existing cattle sheds had become unfit for purpose, with low roofs and poor ventilation rendering them ‘pneumonia palaces’.  Narrow feed passages also meant that silage had to be fed by hand to the housed cattle.  Plans were therefore drawn up to relocate the steading onto a WW2 airfield on the farm which extends to 90 acres of tarmac hard standing.

There was a 12 month gap between the purchase of the farm and the sale of the old farm buildings, during which a bridging loan from Lloyds TSB Agriculture was used to fund the redevelopment of the farm.

The new buildings include a main cattle shed, machinery workshop with storage area and stock isolation pens, and a large hay and straw storage shed which also doubles as a lambing shed.

The main cattle shed is capable of housing 450 cattle and comprises a central feed passage with eight internal pens, each of which has access to a system of external pens.  The layout was designed with input from Charlie and Nick, and allows stock to be handled by one person if necessary.  Investment in a large feeder wagon has completely revolutionised the feeding operations making it possible to feed all the housed cattle quickly and efficiently.

Finished beef animals are sold to Dovecote Park for Waitrose. “We aim to finish at least 60% of animals off grass at 18-20 months to minimise the number which are housed for a second winter”, Nick Fortescue explains. “The Dovecote Park grading grid can be difficult to meet, but that provides us with the discipline to ensure we produce to the specification that the market requires.”

All cows are put to Aberdeen Angus bulls which are chosen not just on their physical conformation but also according to their Estimated Breeding Value (EBV).  “We use the best genetics we can afford at the top of the system to get good genetics out at the bottom,” Charlie Fortescue explains.  “We select sires which not only produce quality beef carcasses, but which also produce good breeding stock.  We look at various technical performance indicators, including daily live weight gains, particularly the 600 day weight, ease of calving and also milk yields on the maternal side to help produce the best breeding heifers”.

Heifers are bulled at about 16 months and are selected by weight and general conformation. EBLEX figures are used to monitor performance against industry benchmarks and regular meetings are held with farm vet, Andrew Sawyer of the Alnorthumbria Veterinary Partnership.

With the help and encouragement of Lloyds TSB Agriculture much has been achieved in what has turned out to be a decade of transformation.  An overdraft was put to good use, steadying the farm’s cash-flow over a period when 80 to 100 heifers were being retained annually to expand the breeding stock from 220 cows to beyond 500.

Business development is still a work in progress, with additional investment needed at Glantlees to improve the handling and calving facilities for the three hundred cows which are based there.  Work is also ongoing to build low cost external corrals on the airfield to hold additional store cattle.  Some investment will also have to be put into equipment for reading EID’s.

Looking towards 2013, Judy explains that “there is still more work to be done in order to be financially viable going forwards but with hard work and a fair wind, I think we will be ready to cope with the next stage of CAP reform.”

The move to Aberdeen-Angus in a suckler herd previously based on Continental crosses has greatly eased the management load at Burghill Farms, Brechin, Angus.

The Continental cows were housed throughout winter and calved inside which was proving highly labour intensive as well as being wasteful of straw. The intensive nature of the enterprise had also resulted in a scour problem which was proving difficult to cure.

Farm manager, Bruce Christie, made the bold decision in 2000 to disperse the Continental cattle and establish a 100-cow outwintered Aberdeen-Angus herd to utilise the unploughable land on the 2000acre largely arable unit which spans both sides of the A92 Brechin by-pass.

“We decided to move to Aberdeen-Angus for a variety of reasons but mainly because of ease of calving and the consequent longevity of the cows, the suitability of the breed for outwintering and the expanding premium market for Aberdeen-Angus beef,” says Mr Christie.

“We could see that the popularity of the Aberdeen-Angus breed was increasing and we thought there might be an opportunity for selling breeding stock.”

Assisted calvings were common practice with the Continental cows but the calving jack has hardly been used since switching to Aberdeen-Angus.

“The easy calving nature of the Aberdeen-Angus is a real bonus,” says Mr Christie. “With our experience with the Continentals, the temptation is to help but if you leave the Aberdeen-Angus cow alone and come back in an hour, nine times of 10 the calf will be born and up and sucking.”

Bruce Christie with one of the herd's stock bulls

The herd was established with the purchase of all the surplus heifers for three years running from Rognvald and Barbara Sinclair’s Unigarth herd at South Unigarth, Sandwick, Orkney.

The herd is now closed to maintain a high health status – apart from the purchase of stock bulls – and is clear of BVD and leptospirosis. Johne’s disease is proving more difficult to eliminate although no clinical signs are evident, However, one or two reactors appear every year as a result of blood testing and are immediately isolated from the main herd and sold for slaughter.

The main emphasis is on the finishing of steers and heifers and the herd is managed on a strictly commercial basis. Most progeny are sold to Scotbeef Ltd for Marks and Spencer but some bulls have been retained, or sold locally, for breeding, and heifers are also sold for breeding, including a large group which went to Estonia.

“We are flexible in our approach to marketing and take advantage of sales for breeding if the price is right,” says Mr Christie. “But the returns from the beef market have been excellent with the added Aberdeen-Angus premium.”

Advantage is also being taken of the high price for cull cows to dispose of older cows and cows which fail to hold to the bull and bring in heifers sired by a series of top performing bulls which have been brought into the herd.

Leading the stock sire team is Wedderlie Ebullient B349, by Tui Eric Y003, purchased at Perth for 10,000gns, along with a home-bred son of the 25,000gns Wedderlie Netmark and Unigarth Preditor Y323. The latest acquisition is the Blelack Blackstock A227 son, Blelack Blarney G740, first in his class at Perth in February, 2009, when purchased for 5500gns.

“I pay attention to beef value and calving figures when selecting stock bulls but they have to look right and temperament is very important,” says Mr Christie. “A good stock bull is a worthwhile investment, particularly when you are retaining many of his female progeny for breeding or selling heifers for breeding.”

Good use is made of the stock bulls by calving two-thirds of the herd in spring and a third in autumn although Mr Christie is considering phasing out the autumn-calving herd to tighten up calving interval and resist the temptation of giving spring-calving cows which fail to breed a second chance by slipping them into the autumn-calving herd

“It works well at the moment as we calve at two and a half years of age so the autumn-calving herd is used to breed heifers for the spring-calving herd and vice-versa,” he explains.

Cows are wintered on a low-cost ration of baled silage and straw while growing cattle receive the same with Propcorn-treated barley and wheat dark grains as a protein source.

Steers are finished at 18-20 months to produce at 310kg – 330kg deadweight and heifers at 20-2 months to produce a 290-310kg carcase.

“The ease of management and low cost feeding regime, coupled with a premium of at least 10p/kg for the finished cattle, makes for a profitable beef enterprise which fits in well with the other enterprises on the farm,” says Mr Christie.

* The North East Scotland and Central Scotland Aberdeen-Angus Clubs are staging an open day at Burghill Farms on Saturday, May 29.

By Chrissie Lawrence

When James Hook and his stock manager Andrew Bartlett went in to beef production two and a half years ago, many options were discussed. But having been used to large scale poultry production, they were in search of a process driven system which guaranteed a good level of profit.

“We thought heavily about finishing store cattle, but with store prices the way they were and still are it would have been a challenge to break even let alone be profitable. Suckler production also had its advantages, but the need for more labour and staggered calving throughout the year didn’t suit us at all,” explains Mr Bartlett, who manages all the livestock enterprises for PD Hook, Barley Park, Witney, Oxfordshire.

Stock manager Andrew Bartlett and some of the young aberdeen-Angus cross dairy calves

So when approached by the Blade Farming team to become a dedicated rearer/finisher of Aberdeen-Angus cross dairy bred cattle, it was a system that clearly had its benefits right from the start.

Angus cross heifers arrive at Barley Park at 12 weeks old having been reared by one of the dedicated Blade Farming calf rearers. “They stay in batches, which not only suits us from a labour point of view and it also means disease is kept to a minimum. These batches will be taken right through to finishing at about 18 months old to produce a carcass weight of 250kg,” he adds.

By adhering to a strict diet programme, predicted growth chart (see graph) and health policy set down by Blade Farming, Mr Bartlett knows exactly how these cattle are performing. “Calves arrive with a health declaration having been vaccinated for pneumonia, BTV and wormed so from the start we know what we’re working with.

“We start by feeding straw adlib plus 3kg concentrate as well as forage. They move on to a BOCM grower ration at 16% protein which takes them to a liveweight of 200kg.” During this first period we’re targeting a daily live weight gain of 0.85kg (see table).

The plan then is to grow a frame of 450kg which is then capable of producing a 250kg carcass grading O+-R3/R4L, which is the desired specification. Here we’re targeting a daily live weight gain of 1.0kg through a reduced protein/more starch diet.”

Feed levels for Barley Park (source: Blade Farming)

Cattle are finished outside which ties in with the grass and forage fed finishing specification from Blade, along with the help of a beef finisher roll fed via a snacker wagon. “Cattle are weighed pre-turnout, post grazing and before slaughter to constantly measure average daily liveweight gains. All animals are given EID tags so on weighing tags are scanned and weights are automatically uploaded to our Sheerwell Data programme for us to use and for Blade to measure our performance.

Blade farming calf co-ordinator Alex Robinson says: “More of our rearers are finishers are switching to EID. It’s simply where we need to be to monitor performance and identify those cattle that may not be performing to targets at a quicker rate. Our central website which can be accessed remotely – Blade Farm Works – allows us to see everything the rearer can from health checks to weights and finally carcass weights and grades.”

Blade Farming's Richard Phelps and Alex Robinson assessing some of the young Aberdeen-Angus cross calves

The Blade system is all about consistency explains managing director Richard Phelps, so that means a contract price for calves of a known quality coming on to the farm and finished to a set specification resulting in batches of 40 even finished cattle going through the supply chain.

And in terms of profitability, the system is equally working to the farm’s favour. Looking at a carcass weight of 260kg and a deadweight price of £2.90, as well as total finishing costs of £262/head, we’re looking at achieving a gross margin of £177/head excluding labour, explains Mr Bartlett.

This guaranteed level of profitability isn’t the only advantage of this system, he adds. “We started with 300 head and quickly moved to finishing 500 head a year. Plans are now on schedule for new housing so we can take numbers to 700. The process-driven nature of the enterprise means it’s easy to scale up without any hassle.”

Blade Farming Aberdeen-Angus Scheme (source: Blade Farming)

During 2008 and 2009, some 110 Aberdeen-Angus heifers and eight bulls were exported from UK and Ireland to Portugal and the Azores Islands, lying half-way between Lisbon and USA in mid-Atlantic.

Four years ago, I met Paulo Costa from the Portuguese Farmers Federation at the European Aberdeen-Angus Forum in Germany. Over a few beers, we discussed the suitability of Aberdeen-Angus cattle for the Azores to improve the quality of local beef from dairy cross cattle and establishing a local beef “brand”.

Their beef must be grass-produced as the cost of importing cereal feed is prohibitive. His objective was to produce premium quality (and price) beef for export to the mainland, which is where most of the islands’ milk goes.

After considerable political lobbying, an importation was approved in 2008. But, in order to access “British-type” Aberdeen-Angus at the time of the FMD outbreak in Surrey, the cattle were sourced from the Irish Republic, with input from myself, Sheila Eggleston of Eggs-Port Ltd and Irish breeders.

This has been followed in 2009 with the export of 56 heifers and four bulls from England and Scotland, with Angus Stovold (Surrey), Geoff Biddulph (Cheshire), John Moores (Lancs) and Dan Whiteford (Northumberland) sending the largest numbers, along with a bull from my own Tegsnose herd.

I visited several farms in mainland Portugal and the Azores in June and was impressed to see how the cattle had adapted to very different conditions, as they have done historically in former British colonies worldwide.

Nigel Hammill (centre) with Luis Armando Machado (left) and Roland Winter, with a group of Pexhill heifers on Roland’s farm in Alentejo

We first stayed with Roland Winter in Alentejo, a hot dry arid scrub area north of Algarve. He is a Swiss Quarter horse breeder of world renown and has carved a 300 hectare ranch out of volcanic rock and scrub!

Tegsnose Kiwi Transformer in his new home on the island of Terceira

His cattle are fed a cereal based diet (fairly cheap) as grass is scarce. Temperatures regularly hit 40C in summer and the animals have shelter among Eucalyptus trees or some custom flat roof shelters. Water is pumped to troughs from man-made lakes.

Roland`s cattle calve all year round with the aim of producing consistent beef supply for specialist restaurants in Lisbon, where Aberdeen-Angus beef is growing in popularity and advertised on TV. As he increases his herd, he and a neighbour intend to further exploit the opportunity to sell branded “Angus” beef.

In contrast to Alentejo, the islands of Faial, Pico and Terceira (a two hour flight from Lisbon) were lush and green and the Aberdeen-Angus cattle were as happy as pigs in sh-t!

The main industries on Terceira are dairy farming and fishing. Cows are grazed in small drystone-walled paddocks and milked in the fields with portable machines.

Grass is available 10 months of the year, the exceptions being July/Aug when it is too dry. Beef production has been mainly continental cross Holstein with bulls kept entire and slaughtered at 12-14 months at carcase weights of 180-220kg. The meat is then butchered and sold, without hanging.

Lately, with Paulo`s encouragement, many dairy farmers have started using Aberdeen-Angus by AI and all the pedigree bull calves born to the imported heifers have already been contracted for sale – to the delight of the importers!

We stayed with the new president of the Portuguese Angus Association, Luis Armando Machado, and his wife Catarina, on Terceira. Luis bought my bull, Tegsnose Kiwi Transformer, as well as heifers from Rosemead, Borewell and The Moss.

Portuguese Aberdeen-Angus president, Luis Armando Machado, with some imported UK heifers

He recently bought 400 hectares of mountain grazing land to add to his home farm, building to a herd of 100 pedigree Aberdeen-Angus cows. As well as UK and Irish genetics, he is importing embryos from Canada and New Zealand to see which suit the climate best.

Paulo Costa has made great progress and is now breed secretary for the Portuguese Angus Association, based in Terceira. He is working with other farmers to establish a Portuguese “Angus” brand. The enthusiasm shown by the original importers is spreading rapidly around the islands, which augurs well for the future of British genetics.

The Portugeuse Aberdeen-Angus Herd Book was established in November, 2007. There are currently 15 breeders with 145 pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus cattle between them.

The cattle are distributed in Alentejo and Beira Interior on mainland Portugal and on five of the nine islands which make up the Azores – Sao Miguel, Terceira, Graciosa, Faial and Pico.

Paulo organised a party of 26 Portuguese farmers to visit the Royal Show last July to watch the judging of dairy and beef cattle – then join in the singing at the Aberdeen-Angus barbecue!

My wife and I were greatly impressed by the enthusiasm and professionalism of all the farmers we met, most of whom are quite young. The standard of food and welcome by all the local people should make the Azores a “must visit” destination for breeders from the UK and Ireland. English is spoken in most places. We will be back next year and hope some more British cattle will follow!

We live in a fast moving information age. More information sooner means better management decisions that can translate into significant financial returns.

Cattle breeders now have the opportunity to obtain more information about an animal’s genetic potential very early in its life, especially for economically important traits like feed efficiency, marbling and tenderness.

These traits, which are critical for making breeding and management decisions, were not previously known with certainty. Now, thanks to new bovine genomic technology, cattle producers are able to make mating and management decisions within weeks of the animal’s birth – early enough to maximise their profit!

And, genomics continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Since the first genetic marker (for marbling) in beef cattle was commercially available in 2000, rapid advancements in the breadth and application of genomics are transforming the landscape of beef cattle genetics.

Pfizer Animal Genetics is leading the way with this new technology in the UK and globally. In the first quarter of 2010, Pfizer Animal Genetics will release a new genomic test that expands the breadth of cattle DNA evaluation by almost a thousand-fold – from a current 56-marker technology to predictions that utilize more than 50,000 DNA markers

50K HD coming early in 2010

The new high-density 50K (50K HD) offering is based on the Bovine SNP50 DNA-marker chip, which has been used extensively by researchers to discover markers that are correlated with the expression of numerous beneficial traits.

Now, Pfizer is able to offer this powerful research tool as a commercial product to provide a much more complete genetic profile of each animal evaluated. The test is being offered initially to Aberdeen-Angus breeders, with customisation for other breeds expected to follow.

New information offers endless possibilities to beef producers

“When I was growing up showing Aberdeen-Angus heifers in the 1970s and ‘80s, this kind of technology and the impacts it can have, were not even remotely imaginable,” explains Dr Ronnie Green, senior director of global technical services for Pfizer Animal Genetics.

“Bringing the benefits of this new technology to beef producers and the greater beef industry, is a major landmark in the history of beef cattle genetic improvement.”

According to Green, the 50K HD test will allow for the evaluation of a host of economically relevant traits — dry-matter intake, yield, average daily gain, feed efficiency and tenderness — which are not typically evaluated using EBVs.

“This new technology will enhance the precision and speed at which producers are able to make genetic progress in their herds,” he says.

Breeders like Lee Leachman, a prominent US Aberdeen-Angus breeder, realise the opportunities the new 50K predictions offer to his operation and the entire beef industry.

“Until now, the 50K technology has been just used for research. Now, using this technology in the seedstock business, will expand our selection to cover almost all of the traits that affect profitability,” Leachman says.

“As an industry, we’ve evolved from selection based on a few traits to a point where we are now interested in 15 to 20 traits (like growth, carcase, fertility and longevity) that are influenced by thousands and thousands of genes. The 50K technology will increase the accuracy of our decisions on nearly every important trait.”

Leachman sees the impact that the new technology will have on profitability.

“For us, there is tremendous value in using predictions from the 50K technology to choose with accuracy which bulls from a group of yearlings will provide the most profit,” Leachman explains.

“With current technology, we have to wait two – three years for progeny data to achieve the accuracy that the 50K technology can provide.  This will help ensure we are picking the right bulls to use as herd sires.”

The technology will also give breeders more information when purchasing potential sires for their herds. For marketing purposes when selling bulls, farmers will be able to provide buyers with more accurate information that commands a premium sale price.

For the commercial producer, data on the animal’s potential may dictate feeding and management decisions or where the cattle are sold, such as into the high-end export market, a branded beef programme or a commodity market.

The 50K HD panel has already been evaluated in more than 4500 Aberdeen-Angus animals that are representative of industry genetics. Pfizer Animal Genetics is now completing the validation of the trait predictions on additional “real-world” cattle from operations across North America and in UK high accuracy sires.

These quality control measures will ensure that the 50K HD panel delivers the most reliable and trustworthy information possible for Aberdeen-Angus breeders in the UK and Europe.

In addition to introducing new global bovine genetic technology, Pfizer is in the process of strengthening its genetics products and services in Europe, with the establishment of European and British headquarters in Paris, France and Walton Oaks, UK, respectively.

“Pfizer Animal Genetics is completely committed to the European cattle genetics industry,” says Nigel Evans, vice president, Pfizer Animal Genetics.

“We are dedicated to accelerating the delivery of new genetic tools, including the 50K HD product, and a full range of smaller marker panels, parentage and genetic condition tests.

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William out walking one of the Netherton bulls

The Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society has been fortunate in having one of its most progressive young breeders as president over the past year.

Thirty eight year old William McLaren is one of the youngest ever incumbents of this high office and, as the fourth generation of the McLaren family who have been stalwarts of the Aberdeen-Angus breed for 86 years with their successful Netherton herd, he follows in the footsteps of his father, Willie, who has served two terms as president.

But while William looks back with justifiable pride on his family’s long association with the breed, he is more concerned with the future and ensuring that Council make decisions which will take the breed forward to even greater heights.

He points to the introduction of Breedplan performance recording, DNA testing to improve the accuracy of selecting breeding stock, improved health declarations, the appointment of a brand development manager and the forthcoming adoption of genomics to expand DNA evaluation, as examples of the leading role the Society is playing in developing the market for Aberdeen-Angus.

“The Society is leading the field with these developments, all of which will benefit the breed in the long-term,” William points out. “Buyers are increasingly looking for figures and health assurances and the measures Council have introduced can only enhance confidence in the breed among both pedigree and commercial breeders and create new market opportunities for Aberdeen-Angus cattle.”

Modern information technology is also being utilised to keep members, customers and the wider industry informed of developments in the breed and the Society’s new web site, which has been Chrissie Lawrence’s priority in her first year as brand development manager, is a welcome innovation and will be the key provider of information in the future. Members particularly welcome the instant news service available from the major shows with show results hitting the web site literarily as they happen.

The Youth Development Programme has also taken a huge leap forward in the past year, under new co-ordinator, Gayle Bersey, and William sees this as major development which augurs well for the future of the breed by getting youngsters involving in showing and learning about Aberdeen-Angus cattle from an early age.

“More than 100 youngsters have taken part in the programme this year and the enthusiasm being shown by youngsters of all ages at the various training days and competitions has been exceptional,” says William. “We are grateful to all the volunteers who give up so much time to help the youngsters and help Gayle with the various training programmes.”

He adds: “The foundations have been laid and we have exciting plans for a youth development week-end to bring all the youngsters together for a week-end of training, stock handling and fun.”

It has been a busy year for William who has travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles, from Cornwall to the North of Scotland, and the north to the south of Ireland, to meet breeders, speak at club meetings and judge at various shows, including the Royal Cornwall, All-Ireland show at Clogher Valley and Bristol bull sale.

“I have enjoyed my year as president and have been made very welcome everywhere I have visited,” he says. “The breed is in good heart and breeders are generally happy with how things are going. But we cannot rest on our laurels and must keep moving forward to keep the breed ahead.”

The highlight of the year was, of course, the visit which William and his wife, Karen, made to Canada to attend the World Angus Forum in Calgary, Alberta. William represented the Society, along with the chief executive, Ron McHattie, at the meeting of the World Angus Secretariat, and with 35 other UK breeders, took part in a five day tour of herds of all the leading herds in the Calgary area and also the official pre-Forum tour in the Rockies.

William with his wife Karen

“We were most hospitably received everywhere we went and we are grateful to all the breeders who showed us their cattle and entertained us so well,” he says.

“We saw some tremendous cattle and it is clear that the breed is going from strength to strength in Canada.”

William was particularly impressed that most herds calve down at two years of age and operate a rigorous culling policy to weed out cows which are not performing, with particular reference to feet, udders and fertility.

“The herds we saw don’t carry passengers,” he says. “Breeders have an opportunity in the UK at the moment, with the high price of cull cows, to get rid of cows which are not performing and bring higher performing heifers into the herd.”

There are lessons to be learned from Canada, he adds, that bigger, fatter cows, who are looking after themselves rather than their calves, are not always the best breeders.

A group of young Netherton bulls

“Some breeders will argue that calving at two years of age will stunt growth but at Netherton we have found that by the time cows are five years of age, there isn’t much difference in size although maybe they won’t be as fat,” he says. “They will still have the same genetics in them whether they calve at two or three.”

However, William urges caution in following the North American trend to downsize their cattle.

“It may suit their market but we must maintain good growth rates in our cattle in the UK, bearing in mind we have to compete with the Continental breeds, although we musn’t sacrifice easy fleshing and easy calving,” he says. “I don’t think we should go any bigger but, equally, we must avoid going too small. For the commercial producer, it is the weight on the hook which pays.”

The Netherton herd was the first Aberdeen-Angus herd to adopt weight recording over 50 years ago and the herd has always had a reputation for producing well-grown cattle.

The outstanding success of the herd is the stuff of legends with five Perth bull sale championships and one female championship (but no fewer than 13 reserve female championships!) to its credit and a remarkable series of Netherton Matron’s sales over the past 20 years which have seen a succession of record prices, culminating in the current record of 30,000gns paid for Netherton Missie A114.

Perhaps the sires which have made the greatest impact, both on the herd and the breed in general, have been TLA Northern Samurai, a bull which bred very much true to type, and Darlene Cruz 11F, who left tremendous muscling in his progeny.

With an extensive embryo programme producing plenty of young females, the herd has sold all cows over five or six years of age at the Matron’s sales and all females, except 10 yearling heifers, were sold at a memorable production sale five years ago. Today, the herd runs to 25 pedigree cows and 30 commercial recipient cows.

Embryos imported from New Zealand, from cows selected by William during a two-week tour in 1999, have made a big impact on the breed. The UK semen rights were also obtained for the New Zealand national show champion, the $45,000 Ranui Impact, who has been widely used. His full brother, Netherton Sovereign A072, sired Netherton Figo C244, supreme champion at Perth in February, 2005, when sold for the top price of 30,000gns to Kincardine Castle and Coul.

The Netherton herd was prominent in the showring for many years, with a string of championship successes at the Royal Highland and Royal Shows and a frequent winner of the Walkers Shortbread Show Herd of the Year award.

Showing was discontinued in 2002 but the herd has returned to the showring over the past year to whet the appetite of son, Alasdair, and daughter, Seonaid, and step-daughter, Rachel, all of whom are involved in the youth development programme.

The McLaren family has made an immense contribution to the Aberdeen-Angus breed over many years. In the best traditions of the family, William’s clear thinking and progressive approach has steered the breed in the right direction during his year as president.

They always say that a busy restaurant is a sure sign of great tasting food, and there is no doubt that the beautifully presented premises at Ballymoney Street, Ballymena – home to the award winning “Montgomerys” is just that. Since opening the doors five years ago over 1.5 million customers have enjoyed the casual dining experience at Montgomerys.

This is a family run business led by husband and wife team Steven and June Montgomery, with their four sons Tim, Mark, Paul and Richard actively involved in all aspects of the success story.

Montgomerys have won "Best Eating Establishment in the Ballymena Borough" four times in the last five years.

“We have a real sense of pride in what we can offer our customers both in terms of cuisine and service – and are confident that our menus are of the very highest standard.” explains Steven Montgomery.

“All of the beef pork and lamb served up in a variety of popular dishes, are hand reared on our family farm allowing us to ensure that they are finished to our exacting standard. When it comes to beef we only use Aberdeen-Angus as we find it unrivalled in terms of flavour and texture. Our customers now ask for it by name as they associate Aberdeen-Angus with superior quality.”

Tim Montgomery added “The added bonus from our point of view is that there is very little hands on management required with Angus as the calves jump to their feet quickly when born and suckle without assistance. This means that we can concentrate our time within the restaurant and our agricultural stores at Cullybackey.

Montgomerys opens it doors Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. During the day breakfasts, snacks and lunches are served up to customers who travel from throughout the country to dine here time and time again.

The family commitment to the business has been recognised as Montgomerys has been awarded “Best Eating Establishment in Ballymena Borough” four out of the last five years. Considering that there is stiff competition for this accolade this is no mean feat for the Montgomery family.

Aberdeen-Angus beef is recognised the world over as being the housewives preference when selecting cuts for the table. It is no accident that this popularity has reached new heights as leading restaurants and supermarket chains actively promote Aberdeen Angus – sold on the succulent flavours and texture that the meat has to offer.

There is a shortage of Aberdeen-Angus beef in the marketplace as demand continues to grow year on year. This should be seen as a real opportunity for producers to consider using an Angus bull. The merits of reduced overheads and minimum management requirements will speak for themselves. However the dividends that can be achieved when selling Aberdeen Angus sired cattle could see your profit margins increase. So what are you waiting for?

There never has been a better time to consider Aberdeen-Angus. There will be 45 service age bulls and 10 females offered for sale at the NI Aberdeen Angus Club Show and Sale scheduled to take place at Dungannon Farmers Mart on Tuesday 9th February. judging is in the capable hands of David Weir and commences at 10am, followed by the auction at 1pm.

Sponsorship will kindly be provided by Jack Maguire, JM Farm Livestock Care.

For full details contact Dungannon Farmers Mart 028 8772 2727.

Mike Kirby and Black Butterfly - part of the winning team at Agri-Live Smithfield

When it comes to bringing out prize cattle, North Devon farmer Mike Kirby is proving to have the knack after bagging one of the country’s top awards twice in just three years.

His pure bred Aberdeen-Angus heifer, Black Butterfly, scooped the Duke of Norfolk trophy at the prestigious AgriLive Smithfield show, often referred to as the Crufts of the cattle world.

Mike’s wife, Lizzy, said: “You are up against the crème de la crème and just to get a placing is incredible but to actually get a first and to win a cup is out of this world.

“Winning at any show is fantastic but winning at Smithfield is indescribable. Just to be able to take part is a great experience.”

It is the second time Mike has done well at the show. In 2006 he swept the board, winning the Duke of Norfolk, Royal Cornwall and Queen Mother’s Trophy with his Aberdeen-Angus heifer Top Totty, Black Butterfly’s half-sister.

“This was an incredible feat made even more so by the fact that she is a pedigree Angus and a native breed,” said Lizzy.

Black Butterfly pictured at the English Winter Fair

But she added that entering cattle shows was “not all about winning” as they played another vital role in the farming community.

“There is also the social aspect to showing. Farming is a very lonely and relentless job but it is also a way of life for many. There is not a proper farmer who can honestly say that they are not proud to produce the finest whether it is beef, lamb, milk, straw, hay or barley.

“This is why the demise of the local markets is such a travesty, not only because this is when the everyday farmer gets to sell their fine produce but it is also an opportunity for these farmers to socialise and I suppose even to network.”

To read the rest of the article go to www.northdevon.co.uk.