SuperWhite
Conference / Angus Tour Feb 2008
Darren Smith (White Suffolk Manager) and Jamie Thomas
(Angus Manager) attended the annual SuperWhites Conference in Corowa on 28th Feb – 3 March. Primarily to attend a seed stock Producers Marketing Workshop
presented by Geoff Watson formerly of Orange Agricultural College. This
presentation has encouraged us to pursue a more integrated marketing approach
across the various agricultural enterprises at Farrer. Define what makes out
product distinctive
On the Friday the SuperWhites visited Rutherglen Research
Station to view the CRC Nucleus Flock and feed efficiency work currently
undertaken to find the most efficient sires lines across the various terminal
breeds. In the afternoon we visited Tom Bull’s Lambpro® operation at Holbrook.
Approximately 1000 terminal and maternal ewes are joined each year. Tom’s gave
us an insight as to how he manages one of the best seed stock marketing
operations in the country. This was a true eye opener giving Farrer many options
/ ideas to use in the future.
Jamie Thomas took the opportunity to visit three leading
Angus studs located in southern NSW- Ardrossan, Rennylea and Twynams and there
were some interesting comparisons with our own stud. It was pleasing to see some
very impressive W109 sons at Ardrossan as he was one of our main AI sires in
2007. All Ardrossan bulls were on feeders due to the exceptionally dry summer.
Some studs are now so big that they have a corporate style of management and are
exceptionally good marketers. Rennylea runs over 900 breeders and hosts an
autumn and spring bull sale of about 70 Bulls at each. They offer free transport
as far as Roma (from Culcairn) and guarantee their bulls for two years. If a
bull breaks down then the client is also compensated for the lost calves. All
studs were now making greater use of Australian breed sire lines. Such bulls are
now seen to perform just as well as their US counterparts and their progeny are
more adaptable and consistent. A similar trend is occurring within the Farrer
herd.
Farrer Bando Y49
at Jemalong Station 2008
While at Jemalong Station near Forbes we were able to
follow up on a bull sold to Twynams out of our 2005 bull sale. He is now a
massive bull weighing well over 1000KG’s and is still used as a main cover sire
in their breeding program. This year Twynam’s will be hosting their inaugural
bull sale as normally all bulls are sold within the company. We were fortunate
to be able to inspect the 80 bulls offered for sale which included sons of
Farrer Bando Y49. Our sale bulls are as equally as competitive when compared
to the three studs visited. If we dropped the Farrer bulls into any three of the
sales they would easily hold their own.
Twynam Apollo
A131
We have been also searching for a worthy back up sire to
back up our AI program and while at Jemalong Station discovered Tywnam Appollo
A131. He is out of a very famous cow Tywnam Wedgewood W46 who is a trait leader
for EMA and IMF. Her B3$ index is +126 which is within the top 1% for the breed.
His sire Ardrossan VRD Y8 is a trait leader 200, 400, 600 day growth, scrotal
size and Retail Beef yield. Apollo himself is a free moving stylish bull
carrying ample fleshing and is structurally very sound. He also has impressive
EBV’s and is a half brother to Tywnam Yarraman Y17 who currently has semen
available through the Angus Young Sire program. Apollo has been used as a back
up bull with his first crop of calves just weaned.
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