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smous
Cowtalk Staff
Global user
Registered: 11-2003
Location: South Africa
Posts: 1903
Karma: 40 (+40/-0)
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State Of Play
I live on South Africa’s eastern seaboard, we are a summer rainfall area. 99% of local milk production is from large commercial herds, 200 to 1400 cows grazed on pasture 365 days of the year. Kikuyu and perennial ryegrass in summer, perennial and annual ryegrass in winter (irrigated) some farms incorporate clovers, roughly half the herds seasonally calve, breeding one third in autumn, two thirds in spring.. Most herds feed supplementary maize silage in winter or when grass is short, surplus grass turned into wrapped bale silage is also utilised in this role. Concentrate supplementation varies from 1 ton to 2.4 tons per 300 day lactation, average herd production ranges from 4500 litres to 8500 litres per lactation. Holstein herds out number Jersey herds about 8 to 2. Some herds crossbreed. Farmers can be bothered by umpteen semen reps, the US, Canadian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, German, French, Italian, Australian, New Zealand and local product are all represented.
Five years ago positive percentage bulls were the order of the day, now the management traits have precedence, but at least one positive component bull is usually required in the mix. Positive PL and DPR with low SCS are important selection criteria. Calving ease bulls are critical, it is virtually impossible to move any significant amounts of semen of bulls >8% difficult births. Seasonal calving herds are trying to match feed requirements to grass production, it is critical for cows to get back in calf ASAP, more than anybody they require cows that have no trauma at calving, recover rapidly and hold or regain condition quickly and thus enhance conception.
In a perfect world all the bulls we sell would have two points for udders and two points for feet and legs, like everybody else we want the very best udders and feet and legs we can get. We require slightly different body traits though. The perfect linear for most of the coastal grazing areas would be zero or slightly negative for stature, Dairy Form at this point needs to be around zero, slightly negative is okay, slightly positive is also fine up to about one standard deviation. We basically want shorter, big body capacity cows, i.e. medium size and stature cows, not too dairy, with width from end to end. In our line up, Keystone Potter and before him Boss and Spock have about as close to the ideal linear for our system.
Within these parameters we require ‘constructor’ and ‘refiner bulls’. Ito has been our long-term refiner (and still would be if he were alive), we are looking at the Durham sons to replace him. Potter is our constructor bull of choice.
The drier centre of the country, which produces milk from TMR, wants a slightly different type of bull and lots more milk than we require.
Bulls I like in a pedigree: Fond Matt, Bootmaker, Astronaut, Elevation, Milu-Betty, Wayne, Mars Tony, Sexation, Tradition, Bova, Chairman, Mark, Secret, Winken, Eagle, Vic Kai, Belltone, Marvel, Levi, Blackstar, Leadman, F16, Tops, Mountain, Converse, Mathie, Roebuck, Merrill, Cutter, Lance, Juror, Patron, Duster, Leader, Lava, Manfred, Mtoto, Nobel, Rudolph, Durham, Outside.
Bulls I don't mind in a pedigree: PFAC, Glendell, Apollo Rocket, Neil, Triple Threat, Valiant, Bell, Rotate, Enhancer, Starbuck, Cleitus, Tesk, Thor, Cubby, Nick, Elton, Aerostar, Ernlo, Target, Prelude, Emory, Marconi, Lord Lily, Jolt, Formation, Wade, Airliner, Extasy, Z Royal, Addison, BW Marshall.
Bulls that I am ambivalent about: Mascot, Southwind, Celsius, Cash, Cinder, Mandel, Bellwood, Convincer, Storm, Aaron.
Bulls that don’t work for us: Nedboy, Jed and all his sons, Lindy and all his issue, Luke, the Holim Heidi family, Winchester, Demand, Emerson, James, Lantz.
Sixth lactation Emory daughter
Second lactation Ito daughter
First calf Morningview Durham Jinx daughter
Last edited by smous, 15/4/2006, 9:00
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WWS-SA
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15/4/2006, 8:58
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chincy
GP83
Global user
Registered: 09-2005
Posts: 38
Karma: 1 (+1/-0)
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would a bull like Rietben Cartel work in your type of system? He is as good as it gets for management traits here. Udders and legs are quite good too.
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16/4/2006, 15:25
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errolston
Ex97
Addict!
Global user
Registered: 07-2003
Posts: 1069
Karma: 11 (+12/-1)
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Smous, I read that your Government was starting a land "redistribution" programme. What effect is that likely to have on agriculture in SA? Will the redistribution be on a Zimbabwe scale?
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25/2/2007, 9:09
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foxleigh
Ex97
True blue dinky-di maverick
Global user
Registered: 06-2003
Location: southern,oz
Posts: 2196
Karma: 21 (+21/-0)
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State Of Play
Whilest Im sure magabe has good intentions the fact is that peoples that were hunter/gathers/herders do not necessarily make good farmers with out plenty of guidence and good training.
As zimbabwee has found to its cost!
and whilest land may have been "taken" 100 years ago it really is not the "same" land now as it has been developed in to something productive with infrastructure.
So I think those people on the land now should be compensated for their improvements before relinquishing their land to others who may have prior claim.
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27/2/2007, 2:34
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foxleigh
Ex97
True blue dinky-di maverick
Global user
Registered: 06-2003
Location: southern,oz
Posts: 2196
Karma: 21 (+21/-0)
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State Of Play
I think it was tragic what has happened in zimbabwae in the last 20 years and hope that other countries do not make the same mistakes
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28/2/2007, 3:42
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