Newsletter for the week ending 7 November 2003

Welcome to the following new members who have joined recently

Full members

Geoff and Bronwyn Neilsen of Warral near Tamworth NSW (former members who have rejoined)

Clint Scicluna of Spring Ridge between Tamworth and Coonabarabran NSW (I think the Scicluna family bought quite a few of Jack & Betty Ole's Dixie stud cows. Jack & Betty are retiring to the Sunshine Coast after a very good innings with Limousin)

Mark & Ursula Watts of Paterson near Maitland NSW (a young couple who have purchased cows from Robert & Marylin Bulley).

Junior Members

Adam Pogson of Coonabarabran NSW (Adam's family have a business in Sydney and a property at Coonabarabran)

Tyler Walker-Bellamy of Talarm NSW

Update on possible orders from Indonesia and Israel

Don Moyle of Basin Exports reports the following with regard to Indonesia.

He has been speaking to one of the Indonesians recently and they have put in an application to central government for funds to purchase the bulls. There is not likely to be a quick answer because as Don puts it "nothing happens quickly over there".

He is still quite hopeful that there will be a positive outcome and as he said there is plenty of time between now and February, the forshadowed shipment date.

Tony Struss of Austock Exports had the following comments about Israel. He has several contacts from Doron Sharni over recent weeks trying to arrive at a price that will make it work. As Tony pointed out the problem he has is that cattle prices are going up in Australia and the Aust dollar is getting stronger.

Tony said that a Mr Shaphran the head of Tinuva a the large supermarket chain in Israel has also been in WA recently talking to the Heytesbury group about the possibility of a long term arrangement.

Tony believes something will happen eventually but suggests we do not "hold our breath".

Southern Multibreed EBV Project

As an extension to the Southern Multibreed project at Struan SA and Hamilton Vic 320 first cross cows from the earlier project will be joined to Limousin, Charolais and Shorthorn bulls to obtain across breed EBVs for maternal traits such as milk and fertility for the original four breeds, Simmental, Limousin Hereford and Angus.

It will also strengthen the across breed data for growth and carcase data for the three sire breeds.

The seven Limousin sires which will be used in the new project to commence next month are listed below. They were selected on the basis of availability of semen at $20 per straw, linkage with previous research projects and general EBV profile with particular emphasis on docility EBV

The support of Albert McIlroy at Agrigene and Limousin members for providing this semen at well below retail prices is greatly appreciated.

The sires to be used are:

DEVT Polled Deon Ramornie
Polled Powerpack L51
Evergreen Lardner
Riverstone Quantum
Harris
White Lakes Prototype
Muscleor

Good over the hook prices in WA

Cattle prices are currently quite a bit lower in WA than in the eastern states but members Kathryn & John Shapland reported some very good over hooks prices for some culls sold to E.G Green the largest processor in WA which demonstrate the advantages of selling Limousin cattle over the hooks.

Four cows with carcase weights of between 325 - 405 kg (dressing percentage between 53.8 - 55.0 % of liveweight weighed on farm before they left) @ $ 2.20 dressed weight to return between $715 - $891 (average of $774).

An aged bull (830 kg liveweight) had a carcase weight of 527 kg (63.5 %) @ $2.20 to return $1159.40

The younger cull bulls had carcase weights of between 329 - 397.5 kg (DPs of 60.0 - 61.6 %) @ $2.33 - $2.48 to return between $789.60 - $926.18 (average $856).

I calculated that the liveweight price for the cows was $1.18 - $1.21 (around 5-10 c higher than at the yards); the heavy bull was $1.40 (around 20 c higher) and the younger bulls $1.40 - $1.53 (couldn't find comparable size bulls at the saleyard).

All in all, not a bad result (unless you happen to live in the eastern states!).

Kathryn & John Shapland
Halcyon Park Limousin Stud, Albany WA

Web inputs

Kathryn Shapland won the prize of Jock Makins book, "The nose, the eye and the pencil" for being the first to submit performance data via the web.

Since then Damian Gommers has successfully submitted weights and docility scores for 49 calves and Robert Bulley has a batch of weights and scores nearly ready to submit. Alwyn and Faye Wolff have successfully submitted some registrations and Peter Chew has a batch ready to come.

All the way at Dubbo National Steer Show

In last weeks newsletter I mentioned the Kaludabah steer which won Lightweight and Grand Champion on the hoof.

In a rare double the same steer was the Lightweight Champion carcase with 90 points and the Supreme Exhibit of the Show based on combined hoof and hook points. well done Kaludabah Limousins and the exhibitors St Johns School at Dubbo under the tutelage of Ben Toll.

The Grand champion carcase was also a a Limousin shown by Coonabarabran High School which was also the Champion Heavyweight Carcase with 92 points.

Junior Interbreeds to Lintwood Limousins at Hobart Royal

Allan and Anita Dixon exhibited the Interbreed Champion Junior Female Lintwood Xtreme Delight and the Interbreed Junior Champion Bull Lintwood X Trooper from a strong showing of cattle at the Hobart Royal Show.

Supreme Steer at Hobart

A 567 kg. Limousin X Hereford/Friesian steer exhibited by Allan & Anita Dixon of National Park in Tasmania was the Grand Champion on the hoof at the Hobart Royal Show from 85 led and unled entries. The steer later sold for $3.10 per kg. live to return a handy $1785.

Congratulations Allan & Anita on the Interbreed wins and the Supreme on hoof award which I understand was featured on the front page of Tas Country

Interbreed Cow at Brunswick WA

The Senior, Grand and Interbreed Female at the Brunswick Show in WA was White Lakes Wrapped in Glory, exhibited by the Williams family.

The Junior Champion Female at Brunswick was Leipold Xali and the Junior bull was White Lakes Xtra Reason.

There were no senior bulls exibited

Congratulations to the Williams family of White Lakes and Michael and Trish Cabassi of Liepold Limousins

Interbreed Bull at Benalla Vic

Kensal Xceed shown by Michael and Jenni O'Sullivan was the Junior Champion ,Grand Champion and Supreme Limousin Exhibit before taking out the Champion All Breeds bull at the Benalla Limousin Feature Show in Victoria.

Other Limousin champions were Senior Champion bull; Chateau Wintershall exhibited by John and Bev McIntyre, Junior Champion Female; Narrabba X Pensive shown by Keith & Anne Grimshaw and Senior and Grand Champion Cow; Ben Darroch Viewbank shown by Ben Darroch Limousins.

Outstanding sale of Limo X vealers at Wangaratta Vic.

Keith Grimshaw sent in a clipping from the local paper (which also appeared in Stock & Land) of an outstanding vealer sale at Wangaratta Vic last week. Ron and Sharon Purcell of Warrenbayne near Benalla sold an outstanding draft of 45 limousin cross vealers which returned an average of $750.10.

To quote Stock & Land; Corcoran Parker Manager, Kevin Sanderson said of the Purcell draft of vealers; "It was the best draft of milk vealers I've had thre opportunity of selling in my 48 years in the livestock industry".

Kevin said the calves were outstanding for growth and quality, with the steer portion averaging 363 kg and the heifers 347 kg. The average price of the steers was 215c/kg and the heifers averaged 205c/kg liveweight.

Local Wangaratta meat processors Gathercoles paid the top prices for pen of eight steers; $871.92 and for the pen of heifers $756.50.

The immaculate vealers set a new record for Wangarrata saleyards for vealers with the total penning fetching an aggregate price of $33,758.

Keith Grimshaw reports that Ron and Sharon Purcell bought around 100 Angus X Freisian heifers last year and joined them to Limousin bulls purchased from Tony and Jill Whistler's Homestation Stud. Ron Purcell said that he had to assist only three of the 100 heifers at calving which he was very pleased about. He also attributed the record breaking line of calves to a good season and the use of a rotational grazing system which had improved his pastures. In Keith Grimshaw's words "Good heifers, excellent choice of bulls, enlightened farming practices and favourable weather and the record book is rewritten".

A call from a butcher in Mount Gambier WA

I had a call from Barry Telford, a butcher in Mount Gambier SA who uses almost exclusively Limousin cross cattle to supply his shop mostly bred on his own farm. He wanted some Limo butchers promotional material and to be on our mailing list.

I sent him some "Limousin Lean" posters, pamphlets and price stabbers from our butcher's kits and put him on our commercial mailing list.

He did not need to explain why he loves "The Carcase Breed".

EBVs for French AI sires

We have just updated the French EBVs for the French sires being used in Australia. These EBVs are calculated the same way as ours but relate to a different base. An index is also published for each EBV where 100 is the breed average for the trait and above 100 is considered to be favourable.

The EBVs we are familiar with are Birth Weight, Weaning Wt and Milk. In addition they have EBVs for Muscularity and Skeletal size which provide a ranking for those two traits but unfortunately the French do not yet publish an EBV for Docility.

The French EBVs are very useful to get a genetic description of the newer sires such as Mas Du Clo, Gwenole and Muscleor who do not yet have published Australian EBVs. They are also useful for the older bulls to describe the traits we do not have EBVs for such as muscularity and skeletal size.

To find these EBVs click on Technical on the front page of our website, then go to Genetics and then 2003 Indexes for French AI Sires.