Time to get Involved
Ever attended an International Limousin Conference?
Ever wanted to know about the latest facts, figures and information
about one of the outstanding cattle breeds in Australia?
Ever wanted to mix technical, business, farm visits and social events
together but didn't know how?
Well, here is your chance!
The 17th International Limousin Conference will be held in
Australia in April and this is your invitation to attend. As the host country, the ILC gives Australia
the perfect opportunity to showcase Limousin cattle in an Australia context and
to demonstrate to international visitors and locals alike the remarkable
adaptability and the outstanding and increasing contribution the Limousin breed
is making to the Australian beef industry.
Want to learn more, then visit our website at www.limousin.com.au
or call our Conference organisers ANF Agritours on 02 6772 9066.
Record Exports to Japan
Despite December 2005 beef exports to Japan being down 23 percent on
2004 due to the anticipated return of US product, we still managed to reach a
record of 411,442 tonnes of beef to Japan in 2005, a 4 percent increase on
2004. Australia dominated the Japanese
market accounting for 89 percent of their imports for the year.
The reintroduction of beef from the USA saw only 42 tonnes of beef into
Japan in late 2005. While reclosing the
US market to Japan has given Australia some breathing space they will get back
into the Japanese market and they will be very competitive.
Europeans Float to the
Top
Weekly Times (Vic) this week included a detailed analysis of the
average price of calves sired by Charolais, Simmental and Limousin sires
compared to Hereford calves at the Hamilton (Vic) weaner sales since 2000. In the past years European calves were
discounted by up to 10c/kg liveweight partly because of their heavier weights
(lighter calves tend to make higher prices per kilogram). For the first time this year the prices for
European cross calves exceeded the price of Hereford calves in what is a very
traditional British breed market. The
journalist Jenny Kelly made some other interesting comments.
"That trend is there despite breed rivalry deterring some agents
from talking about it openly due to the prospect of upsetting some long
standing clients loyal to British breed cattle."
"The growth in lot feeding for the winter domestic beef market,
and premiums for high yielding slaughter cattle, are key reasons why European
cross calves are commanding more buyer attention at weaner sales".
"Figures from the National Livestock Reporting Service show the
premiums for better muscled trade weight steers in Victoria's prime markets
last winter. From June to August the
average price for B-muscle steers was 221 c/kg compared to 200 c/kg for
C-muscled steers and 175 c/kg for D-muscled steers. And when people are feeding cattle, that extra muscle can make or
break profits. An extra 20c/kg for a
420 kg steer is worth $84."
"The other buying element was NSW restockers who finish European
Union accredited steers and favour some European blood mainly to reduce fat
cover."
It was a very well researched article which should be "music to
the ears for Limousin breeders".
What is Southern Beef
Technology Services?
Southern Beef Technology Services (SBTS) is a new project funded by
Meat and Livestock Australia, the Agricultural Business Research Centre (the
supplier of BREEDPLAN services to all breed societies) and 14 European and
British breed societies. That is all of
the major breeds except the Angus. The
project is very similar to the Tropical Beef Technology Services which provides
technical advice to tropical breed societies and their members. The TBTS project has been running very
successfully since 2000.
A total of 64 workshops will be run across the southern states and
southern Queensland over the next four years targeted at old and new BREEDPLAN
users as well as breeders who may be interested in using BREEDPLAN in the
future.
The one-day workshops cover subjects such as how to improve the quality
of data provided to BREEDPLAN, why EBVs change and examples which show that
EBVs really work in commercial beef production. They also cover the logic of $Indexes and the new
"Stocktake" genetic audit software.
I will be involved in some of the 16 workshops to be held this year
with the first being next Wednesday 15th February at Inverell,
NSW. The next workshop after that is at
Quirindi, NSW on Wednesday 22nd February (which I will not be
involved in).
The workshops are a great opportunity for those interested in BREEDPLAN
and its associated technologies to learn more about how to use it more
effectively.
Provided you attend a workshop you can also request an on-farm visit
with advice on data collection and electronic submission from one of the SBTS
team.
SBTS also shows that breed societies can work together when there are
common interests and don't spend all of their energies trying to compete with
other breed societies.
If you would like an individual farm visit from one of the SBTS team
please call me.
New Pedigree Certificate
When you get pedigree certificates for newly registered animals you
will find there is no longer a duplicate copy attached. This move has almost halved the cost of the
certificates and we hope will not create inconvenience for members in this
modern age of faxes and photocopiers.
If you wish to retain the original copy for animals you transfer we will
happily accept other forms of written instructions to transfer animals.
More from the Weekly
Times
"Muscle meant money at Warrnambool, with
purebred Limousin cattle topping the joined and unjoined sections of the
feature female sale.
Price honours at $1260 went to Cains Lane for eight
Limousin cows, six years and younger, that were pregnancy tested in calf to a
Limousin bull for a February/March drop.
A pen of eight pure French Limousin weaner heifers,
estimated weight about 320 kg and unjoined, sold for $820. They were from the Merri Limousin
stud."
"Bull
power does count, especially when it comes to F1 heifers being bought for
vealer mothers. A pen of Angus Friesian
cross heifers at Warrnambool, pregnancy tested to a Santa Gertrudis bull for a
March/April calving, sold for $680.
Similar F1 heifers penned either side of them, joined to Limousin bulls,
made $820 and $840 or an extra $160."
Limousin Sales and Events
10th February: Timor Major Herd Reduction, Coonabarabran,
NSW.
14th February: Rockhampton Limousin Bull Sale, Rockhampton,
Qld
15th February:
SBTS Workshop at Inverell, NSW
22nd February
SBTS Workshop at Quirindi, NSW
22nd February: Mandayen Special Performance Sale, Millicent,
SA
24th February: White Lakes Annual Limousin & Angus Bull
& Female Sale, Brunswick, WA.
1st March: WA Premier Limousin Bull Sale. WA
2nd March: Donna Valley Annual Bull Sale, Holbrook, NSW.
10th March: The Classic Limousin Bull Sale, Culcairn, NSW.
21st March: Colac Bull and Female Sale, Colac, Vic,
22nd March: ILC Pre Conference Tour commences in Perth.
25th March: West Moreton Bull and Female Sale, Laidley, Qld.
27th March: ILC Pre Conference Tour commences in Adelaide.
31st March: Stevens Production Sale, Dunedoo Sale Complex,
NSW.
1–9 April: ILC Core Conference
7 April: Lardner Limousin Sale, Lardner, Vic.
9th April: ILC Post Conference Tour commences in Sydney.
19th – 20th April: National Show and Sale,
Wodonga, Vic.
Yours in Limousin
Alex McDonald