Elite Semen available click here.
Commercial needs and profitability form the focus of the breeding program at Elite Poll Herefords.
The herd of 360 commercial and registered animals is run as a commercial herd under testing conditions and is selected for industry relevant traits emphasizing calving ease, good temperament, growth, milk, muscle and IMF.
We supply the valuable MSA, EU and feedlot markets, hence our awareness of traits to emphasize in our selection program for success in these markets. This in turn assists clients selecting sires for their markets.
Our unique and most valuable resource is our large number of performance recorded commercial animals.
This enables us to relate feedback from processors, feedlots etc. to the EBV’s of the animals we supplied.
By using this information we improve real world commercial profitability for our herd and our clients.
Our cattle deliver balanced true and sustainable commercial value.
In the near future this feedback will be used to enhance the genomic profile of our herd and so accelerate our progress.
At the top of mind always is the production goal of producing a vigorous calf that can grow to a valuable carcase.
We are aware of the profit drivers needed for our business and that of our clients. We look at these profit drivers as “on farm” and “market”.
“On farm” profit drivers include animal soundness, (which is a must before any other selection), fertility, calving ease (CE), and good temperament. Selection for quieter temperament also assists in achieving higher meat quality plus safety for all in the production chain.
The “market” profit drivers include growth and profitable carcase attributes (including good muscling and yield, adequate fat cover and IMF) for the markets targeted.
Our growth selection aims for top 400 day growth for earlier turn off, yet for more moderate later weights to contain breeder maintenance costs.
As our foremost consideration is the need for a healthy, live calf, we look to use sires with positive genetic calving ease both direct and maternal, and moderate birth weight. Plus, we breed only from females that have a problem free, regular, calving record.
We believe that selection for our females genetic ability to calve, (CE maternal), rather than just light birth weights, is vital.
It creates a herd generation by generation, with the “built-in” ability to calve with minimal problems.
It can also reduce the vulnerability, particularly of calving heifers, to seasonal nutritional fluctuations.
The sires that we use for our heifers are the sires we use for the whole herd. So, in addition to calving ease, they must have the growth and carcase attributes demanded by our modern markets.
