Another elite group of young sires from across the nation has been inducted into the ranks of the Herefords Australia Super Sires catalogue.
The cohort of five bulls includes Elite N224 S003, Glentrevor Promise S356, Injemira Genesis S141, Wirruna Real Deal R105 and Yavenvale Summit S695. They all embody a balance of high performing genetic traits suited for grain and grass-fed operations.
The Super Sires initiative was launched in 2018 with the aim of identifying elite young bulls within the breed.
The program draws young sire candidates endorsed by the breeder on their phenotype, structural soundness, and temperament, and expressing a balance of favourable traits at the highest level.
Herefords Australia Technical Committee chairman Lachy Day said the Super Sires program enabled commercial producers to accelerate genetic gain in their herd through access to superior genetics.
He said the new bulls offered diversity to the Super Sires team and with 34 bulls now listed, breeders have an even greater choice when selecting Super Sire genetics to use in their operations.
Mr Day said each young graduate had to meet a strict selection criterion on BREEDPLAN estimated breeding values.
“Herefords Australia select the Super Sires on BREEDPLAN data but it is up to the stud to ensure the bull is phenotypically suitable and structurally sound,” he said.
“In the past few years Super Sires have topped production sales reinforcing industry demand for commercially relevant genetics.”
Elite N224 S003
Kay Payne, Elite Herefords, Gundy, NSW, now has five bulls in the Super Sires program.
Elite runs a herd of 360 registered and commercial animals under testing conditions and is selected for industry relevant traits emphasizing calving ease, good temperament, growth, milk, muscle, and IMF.
S003 has been retained for duties at Elite but the other five current Super Sire nominations from Elite are working in client’s herds.
Sired by Elite K74 N224 and out of Elite Bonnie K215 N26, the homozygous polled bull, Elite N224 S003, displays great temperament, phenotype, and structure.
His balanced BREEDPLAN profile includes figures of +8.2 for calving ease direct and +6.9 for calving ease daughters, +66kg for 400-day weight, +22kg for milk, -5.9 days to calving, +7.1sqcm for eye muscle area, +1.9% IMF and top 5% selection indexes.
“S003’s pedigree shows great depth of consistent selection for valuable commercial traits and includes his much valued granddam, J10, dam of Super Sire Elite K124 S69,” Kay said.
“His grandsire, K125, was chosen for use in New Zealand for his top calving ease yet explosive growth and excellent milk.
“The consistent carcase success of Elite genetics shows the industry relevance of the Elite selection program.
“The Hereford Super Sires program is promoting sires capable of producing progeny for the higher value commercial markets.”
S003 will be offered for sale at the Elite annual bull sale on September 7.
Glentrevor Promise S356
Glentrevor Herefords principal Howard Yelland, Finley, NSW, has contributed two bulls to the Herefords Australia Super Sires program.
Sired by Wirruna Promise P239 and out of Glentrevor Maritana Q165, the homozygous polled Glentrevor Promise S356 has BREEDPLAN figures of +2.2kg for birthweight, +25kg for milk, +72kg for carcase weight, +7.1sqcm for eye muscle area, and +1.9% for IMF.
Mr Yelland described Promise as a complete bull with calving ease, low birthweight, high growth, excellent fertility, and strong carcase data.
The bull was structurally assessed and rated highly by Dick Whale, Independent Breeding and Marketing Services.
Promise was used within herd as a 15-month-old bull and will be offered at the Glentrevor autumn bull sale on February 13.
“Super Sires is a great concept highlighting the kind of bulls needed for the beef industry,” Mr Yelland said.
Injemira Genesis S141
Injemira Genesis S141 is the third Super Sire for Injemira Beef Genetics and principal Marc Greening said eight bulls had qualified for the current cohort and this sire got the nod due to pedigree and market suitability.
Sired by Days Genesis N102 and out of Injemira Rebecca Q266, the homozygous polled bull has BREEDPLAN figures of +1.3kg for birthweight, +69kg for carcase weight, +5.4sqcm for eye muscle area, and +1.9% for IMF.
“Breeders have to look at suitable bulls on both data, phenotype and structural soundness. This bull is extremely structurally sound and is outcross genetics to the previous Super Sires from Injemira and for commercial producers will complement the Robert Redford Q287 daughters perfectly,” Mr Greening said.
“Having that Super Sires brand next to him will raise awareness of his potential.”
Genesis S141 will be offered at the Injemira Beef Genetics autumn bull sale on February 21 as Lot 78.
Mr Greening welcomed a pen of steers promoted as sired by a Herefords Australia Super Sire at the recent Hamilton weaner calf sale.
“The program is putting Herefords in a progressive light and focusing on bulls the customer, client and industry wants,” he said.
“It’s a good program to raise awareness of Herefords Australia and how the Hereford industry is progressing towards absolute commercial market requirements.”
Wirruna Real Deal R105
This will be the sixth young graduate of the Wirruna Poll Herefords program at Holbrook, NSW, to reach Super Sire status.
Sired by Wirruna Kalimna K326 and out of Wirruna Golden Vanity N085, the bull has BREEDPLAN figures of +3.9kg for birthweight, +99kg for 600-day growth, -8.3 for days to calving, +75kg for carcase weight, +6.1sqcm for eye muscle area, +2.5% for IMF and +8 for docility.
Wirruna co-principal Ian Locke said Real Deal was the highest-ranking sire in the Hereford breed for the Southern Self Replacing Index at +$255.
“He has a good balance of above breed average traits which are herd improving across the board from calving ease, growth, fertility and carcase,” Mr Locke said.
“He has runs on the board with proven performance, having been used in three joinings to date.”
Wirruna Real Deal R105 along with Super Sire Wirruna Rockefeller R355 will be offered at the stud’s autumn bull and female sale on March 2.
“Super Sires is about having a vision to where we want to head to as a breed and the program reflects on our objectives of breeding balanced animals with calving ease and good carcase traits, particularly marbling,” Mr Locke said.
“The Super Sires program gives the commercial beef producers access to top level genetics.”
Yavenvale Summit S695
Yavenvale Herefords and Poll Herefords co-principal James Pearce said the homozygous polled Yavenvale Summit S695 had an elite combination of EBVs but also importantly was structurally sound with a quiet temperament.
Sired by TH Masterplan 183F and out of Yavenvale Cora P433, Summit combines an outcross pedigree with top one per cent for all indexes, top five per cent for intramuscular fat, top 10 per cent for all growth traits, eye muscle area and rump fat, and top 20 per cent for calving ease direct.
Mr Pearce said the bull was ideal for using over heifers and the stud had retained semen for within herd use. Summit will be offered at the Yavenvale bull sale on February 15.
“He is among the first sons of Masterplan to be offered in Australia and the dam’s New Zealand pedigree results in outcross genetics for the Super Sires program,” Mr Pearce said.
“I really like the fact he has a great birth to growth EBV spread making him a dual-purpose bull suitable for use on heifers or cows. He is a bull with a lot of growth potential, natural thickness, structural soundness and with a good temperament.”
Mr Pearce said Super Sires allowed commercial producers to quickly identify bulls for breeding calves suitable for a range of markets.
“By utilising cutting edge genetics, it results in faster genetic gain within herds and commercial producers can be confident the bull is Australian bred and environmentally adapted.”
Mr Pearce said enquiry had been strong from commercial producers for another Super Sire, Yavenvale Romeo R055, for use over commercial heifers.
“If this program identifies the bulls with the elite EBVs and Indexes, it streamlines the decision making for commercial producers and this can only lift the standard within the beef industry.”
Background on Super Sires
The first bull selected for the Super Sires program was Wirruna Matty M288 who has gone on to prove himself in several stud and commercial herds across Australia.
The five new Super Sires joining the existing 29 in the program to now include:
• Wirruna Matty M288 (Phase One Sire)
• Ravensdale Spark M037
• Glentrevor Trust N909
• Wirruna Pilot P054
• Elite M202 P101
• Tarcombe McLaren Q203
• Injemira Robert Redford Q287
• Elite M202 Q008
• Jarrah Fortune Q236
• Kidman Hitman Q067
• Quamby Plains Qantas Q467
• Tobruk Queenstown Q004
• Wirruna Quarterback Q281
• Warwick Court Quick Q030
• Wirruna Qantas Q036
• Elite Trust Q066
• Yavenvale Romeo R055
• Morganvale Ravioli R41
• Days Godfather R077
• Injemira Kickstart P093 R153
• Tarcombe Lottery R208
• Dalkeith Randy R090
• Elite K124 S069
• Quamby Plains Rival R629
• Tobruk Southern Cross S15
• Poachers Run Ryder R023
• Ke Warra Maxwell R156
• Wirruna Rockefeller R355
Bulls eligible for nomination by their breeder to be part of the Super Sires program are identified in June and December each year and must meet a selection criteria including:
• Animal is male and Active
• Registration status: HBR
• Age range – four consecutive calving years with rollover in June each year
• Sire verification (SV)
• LD (low density) genotype analysed
• Recessive condition status – HY Status: HYF, DL Status: DLF or DLFU; IE Status: IEF or IEFU; MSUD Status: MSUDF or MSUDFU.
BREEDPLAN
• Observed post-birthweight performance (200 day and/or 400 day and/or 600 day (minimum two traits).
• Observed Scrotal Measurement
• Observed Ultrasound scan data (fats, EMA, IMF%)
• Top 25 % Calving Ease DIR (%), Calving Ease DIR (%) Acc. >35
• Top 25 % 400 Day Wt (kg) 400 Day Wt (kg) Acc. >60
• => Breed AVG. Scrotal Size (cm), Scrotal Size (cm) ACC.>60
• Top 25% Eye Muscle Area (sqcm), Eye Muscle Area (sqcm) Acc. >40
• Top 5% IMF (%), IMF (%) Acc. >45
• Top 5% $Index
Those wishing to purchase semen from the Super Sires must contact individual breeders/owners for semen pricing and purchase.
The full catalogue of Super Sires can be found here http://abri.une.edu.au/online/cgi-bin/i4.dll?1=2A2C3E293E&2=2928&3=56&5=2B3C2B3C3A&8=56&9=515D505E&11=525A585D
Once a nominated bull is accepted into the Super Sires program, he will remain classed as a Super Sire regardless of future changes in his EBVs or indexes.
A list of all upcoming Hereford sales can be found here http://abri.une.edu.au/online/cgi-bin/i4.dll?1=2A2C3E293E&2=3228&3=56&5=2B3C2B3C3A
