Why buy average or long-gestation bulls when you can buy short-gestation bulls and harverst the extra days in milk?
John and Liz McKerchar of Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords, South Canterbury, have been breeding for short-gestation for more than 20 years, tailored to service the dairy industry.
In the current environment, dairy farmers, stand to gain over $60 extra per cow per lactation, from simply using their short-gestation genetics.
On September 29, Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords will present 200 R2 registered hereford bulls at auction, on farm at Cave. A limited number of bulls are for sale right now, for winter mating.
All bulls are in the top 1 per cent of the hereford breed for gestation length (GL) and the top 10 per vent for calving ease (CE). Not only is GL and CE vital to dairy farmers, but the white face left by herefords is a very easy market, to identify the beed cross calves at calving.
Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords are exclusive suppliers of SGL hereford semen to LIC.
Accoring to LIC’s annual progeny testing of their bulls, they have this year identified the shortest-gestation herefords ever used in the dairy industry. This semen will be available this spring.
Through LIC, the Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords genetics are used in 10 different countries around the world. The feedback supplied is very valuable, in consistently selecting useful genetics.
Shrimpton’s Hill 19-126 was selected amongst six other hereford amongst six other hereford bulls to trial in Beef + Lamb NZ’s dairy sire trial. At the time of selection, he was the only hereford in the top 1 per cent in all breed indexes. He will also be progeny tested by LIC this year along with seven other yearlings for future semen duties at LIC.
Sire 126 has been used in the herd in both the spring and autumn AB.
In 2020, John and Liz McKerchar donated the proceeds to Lot 20, to Meat the Need, an organisation set up during the lockdown to provide meat to families in need, through food banks nationwide. This year Lot 21, 2021 will be donated to this very worthy cause and they encourage all livestock farmers to get on board.
Established in 1969, the 1420-hectare Shrimptons’s Hill Herefords at Cave has gone from strength to strength in reputation and size.
Today the herd consists of 750 females and about 750 support stock. Their native tussock block of 900ha is home to their stud cows for the winter.
The family also has a border leicester sheep stud that was established in 1869 in Southland.
Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords is the first in the world to sell one million straws of hereford semen.