Newsletter
for the Week Ending 27 August 2004
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Composites - A Threat
or an Opportunity
This week I attended a workshop
organised by the Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association of which the
Limousin Society is a member along with 34 other beef and dairy breeds.
One of the topics was the header of this item It is my view that composites which in broad definition includes first cross bulls provide an opportunity for stud breeders and their breed societies. Some stud breeders are already breeding first cross bulls to meet customer requirements.
A striking example is the Palgrove Charolais Stud near
Stanthorpe in Queensland which last Friday sold 37 Charolais X Shorthorn and
Charolais X Angus yearling bulls for an average of just under $6,000. It is much easier to breed first cross bulls
than stabilised composites because the best genetics available from the parent
breeds can always be used and the mix of the breeds can be easily changed to
suit different customer requirements. Express Ranches in the USA which has both purebred Limousins and
Angus studs also markets bulls and semen with from 25% to 75% of each breed. It is not a big part of their business but it
certainly extends their product range. And since the North American Limousin Association shifted their
genetic base to that of Angus for the major traits the EBVs for Limousin, Angus
and their mixes are all directly comparable. NALF have introduced and promoted a Lim Flex program to allow
their breeders to extend their product range.
Why would commercial breeders want crossbred bulls?
The most obvious example is a Charolais X Brahman or
Limousin X Brahman bull that will survive for more than one year in the harsh
northern environment.
Charolais X Senepol bulls have been used in large numbers by
the huge Australian Agricultural Company in northern Australia (Senepol is a
Bos Taurus breed with heat and tick resistance). Other examples could be a breeder in southern Australia who has
retained Limousin X Angus or Limousin X Shorthorn cows and wants to maintain
the 50/50 mix of the two breeds.
Does a crossbred bull "breed all over the place"? Not nearly as much as you would expect and
even colour can be quite consistent if similar coloured parents are used.
As a Limousin breeder you may not want to breed crossbred
bulls but you need to know you can breed a wide range of "composites"
very easily if you think there is a market for them.
And if you think your customers would like EBVs for them the
Limousin Society is one of the few Societies who can provide EBVs for
crossbreds/composites which are directly comparable with our purebred Limousin
EBVs.
Melbourne Royal 2004
Limousin judging at the Melbourne Royal Show will commence
at 10.00am on Sunday 19th September under the watchful eye of well known judge Daryl
Jones.
Sydney Royal 2005
Limousin judging at the 2005 Sydney Royal Show is on Tuesday
29th March which is the Tuesday after the Easter weekend (second week of Sydney
Show).
A Five Star Limousin
Anthony Graham of Talana Limousins at Kingaroy Qld called
this morning to say a young black bull by Hammel Garder from a Tomahawks
Touchdown cow has tested as a two star for the marbling gene marker. As far as I am aware this is the first
Limousin animal to do so in Australia. In testing up to now 50% of Limousins carried one copy of the
marker and 50% carried no copies of the marbling marker.
This marker accounts for only a small amount of the genetic
variation in marbling but this young bull could be quite valuable to a breeder
wanting to use a Limousin bull over Angus cows to increase yield but retain the
ability to marble in the progeny.
For good measure the bull is a two star for the Tenderness 1
marker and a one star for the Tenderness 2 marker to make him a "five
star" Limousin bull.
About 75% of Limousins carry two copies of the favourable
Tenderness 1 marker but we have not tested enough animals to know the frequency
of the Tenderness 2 marker but expect it to be low.
In Charolais tested prior to May 83% carried one copy and 17% no copies.
Wanted - A Limousin Steer
for Sydney
Ederslie High School in Western Sydney are desperate to get a Limousin steer to show in the 2005 Sydney Royal. They were successful this year with a Square Meater so they are experienced in preparing steers.
Their preference is for a 300kg purebred steer that they can
show in the middleweight class. They
are prepared to buy the steer or to do a deal on sharing the costs and the
returns.
If you can help please call Kathy Curran on 02 9606 6676.
Dalby Sale Topper
John and Coral Winning of the Glenview Limousin Stud at Bell
in Qld sold a young Limousin bull at Dalby saleyards 800kg @ 199.2 c/kg or
$1593.60.
Quite a price for a young cull bull.
Wodonga Tops
2 Limousin vealer steers 390kg @ 227.60 c/kg = $888
Acc T A Lieschke, Walla Walla
1 Limousin yearling heifer 460kg @ 210 c/kg = $966
Acc JF & EM Terrill, Rutherglen
10 Limousin vealer heifers 370.5kg @ 222 c/kg = $823
Acc TA Lieschke, Walla Walla
Don't Forget
Yours in Limousin
Alex McDonald