John Lynch, beef programme manager at Dovea Genetics, was speaking at the Dovea Genetics/Irish Angus spring breeding event held in Mayo-Sligo Mart, Ballina, on Thursday evening last. Lynch highlighted the need for balance when it comes to conformation and weight for age when breeding weanlings, with the Limerick man also emphasising the need to bring up the average of the quality of calves, as opposed to producing a select number of high priced animals.
As part of the event, Dovea had a number of live cattle on display, all sired by the Dovea Genetics beef team, with a strong emphasis on producing quality cattle suited to the export, home and breeding heifer market.
Negrita Du Lac (BB8019)
On of the first progeny from Negrita Du Lac (BB8019) is this bull calf, pictured alongside a Limousin-cross dam.
A relatively new addition to the stud, Negrita’s first calves have begun hitting the ground in the last few weeks, with Lynch indicating that the calving difficulty of Negrita based on these calvings points to him being very easy to calf. A red and white bull, Lynch emphasised Negrita to be a strong choice for those wishing to target the breeding heifer market due to the colouring and style that he has shown in his calves so far, with sexed female semen now available to service this. Using a red and white Belgian Blue was also an option on Charolais-cross cows where traditionally colouring would be an issue.
Knockmoyle Loki (CH4159)
A Knockmoyle Lokie (CH4159)-sired bull calf pictured, with Loki being a noted easy-calving Charolais who produces high-quality weanling and finishing cattle.
A popular Charolais sire for Tipperary Stud, Loki carries two copies of the F94L, also known as the profit gene, resulting in increased muscling in progeny without additional calving difficulty. Lynch noted Loki to be an exceptional weanling producer when crossed with medium size, soft fleshing cows with Limousin genetics in the background. Lynch attributed Loki’s popularity with his ease of calving, with calves going on to become well shaped weanlings, "going on to do a super job for finishers," claimed Lynch, with progeny killing into U+ carcases from well-bred suckler dams.
Elderberry Galahad (EBY)
A renowned easy calving sire for Dovea, Galahad has earned a reputation for ease of calving, again carrying two copies of the F94L gene, producing high-quality weanlings that often have the much desired red roan colouring. The calf on display was from a Manitou-sired Belgian Blue heifer, which had been served with sexed-female EBY semen. Lynch noted the role that sexed semen could play in situations like this, with a much desired heifer calf for the high end fatstock/breeding heifer market combined with a reduced risk of calving difficulty.
Bistouri De Tohogne (BB5214)
Using a white Belgian Blue bull such as Bostouri De Tohogne (BB5214) on a solid coloured cow will produce colour as seen in this calf, according to Lynch.
With so much emphasis on colour when producing high end cattle, Lynch noted that using a white Belgian Blue on a solid colour cow would "bring far more colour" than using a more popular black and white sire. Bricollage De Beauffaux (BB4494) and Bostouri De Tohogne (BB5214) were two white bulls mentioned by Lynch that would bring both colour and shape, with a Bistouri-cross from a black Limousin dam sired by Cavelands Jolly on display.
John Lynch, beef programme manager at Dovea Genetics, was speaking at the Dovea Genetics/Irish Angus spring breeding event held in Mayo-Sligo Mart, Ballina, on Thursday evening last. Lynch highlighted the need for balance when it comes to conformation and weight for age when breeding weanlings, with the Limerick man also emphasising the need to bring up the average of the quality of calves, as opposed to producing a select number of high priced animals.
As part of the event, Dovea had a number of live cattle on display, all sired by the Dovea Genetics beef team, with a strong emphasis on producing quality cattle suited to the export, home and breeding heifer market.
Negrita Du Lac (BB8019)
On of the first progeny from Negrita Du Lac (BB8019) is this bull calf, pictured alongside a Limousin-cross dam.
A relatively new addition to the stud, Negrita’s first calves have begun hitting the ground in the last few weeks, with Lynch indicating that the calving difficulty of Negrita based on these calvings points to him being very easy to calf. A red and white bull, Lynch emphasised Negrita to be a strong choice for those wishing to target the breeding heifer market due to the colouring and style that he has shown in his calves so far, with sexed female semen now available to service this. Using a red and white Belgian Blue was also an option on Charolais-cross cows where traditionally colouring would be an issue.
Knockmoyle Loki (CH4159)
A Knockmoyle Lokie (CH4159)-sired bull calf pictured, with Loki being a noted easy-calving Charolais who produces high-quality weanling and finishing cattle.
A popular Charolais sire for Tipperary Stud, Loki carries two copies of the F94L, also known as the profit gene, resulting in increased muscling in progeny without additional calving difficulty. Lynch noted Loki to be an exceptional weanling producer when crossed with medium size, soft fleshing cows with Limousin genetics in the background. Lynch attributed Loki’s popularity with his ease of calving, with calves going on to become well shaped weanlings, "going on to do a super job for finishers," claimed Lynch, with progeny killing into U+ carcases from well-bred suckler dams.
Elderberry Galahad (EBY)
A renowned easy calving sire for Dovea, Galahad has earned a reputation for ease of calving, again carrying two copies of the F94L gene, producing high-quality weanlings that often have the much desired red roan colouring. The calf on display was from a Manitou-sired Belgian Blue heifer, which had been served with sexed-female EBY semen. Lynch noted the role that sexed semen could play in situations like this, with a much desired heifer calf for the high end fatstock/breeding heifer market combined with a reduced risk of calving difficulty.
Bistouri De Tohogne (BB5214)
Using a white Belgian Blue bull such as Bostouri De Tohogne (BB5214) on a solid coloured cow will produce colour as seen in this calf, according to Lynch.
With so much emphasis on colour when producing high end cattle, Lynch noted that using a white Belgian Blue on a solid colour cow would "bring far more colour" than using a more popular black and white sire. Bricollage De Beauffaux (BB4494) and Bostouri De Tohogne (BB5214) were two white bulls mentioned by Lynch that would bring both colour and shape, with a Bistouri-cross from a black Limousin dam sired by Cavelands Jolly on display.
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