‘Winning provides happiness and losing provides wisdom’
LISTEN carefully to the advice of those who have learned from their mistakes in the past. That’s the message from JJ Farrell, a renowned breeder with the Trillick Hereford Herd in Co Longford, which has existed for almost three-quarters of a century.
JJ has a well-thought-out list of ‘dos and don’ts for those looking to get involved in Hereford breeding.
DOs
Never be afraid to travel to herds. Each herd has something to offer.
When choosing your female line, always look at the herd they come from to make sure they’re not a one-hit wonder!
Be wary of overdone animals. When choosing a sire it is really important to look for style, colour and milking ability in his Dams line.
Calving index fingers are hugely important to the dairy sector but they still need to produce a calf which sells.
Travel to the summer shows to see the animals being exhibited and to meet people, but note there are many herds that don’t show who have as good if not better back on their farms.
DON’Ts
Don’t buy an animal from a photo always see it in the flesh if possible.
Don’t buy a future sire that has been reared by a foster mother (a costly mistake I’ve made).
The champion or bulls with rosettes don’t always make the best sires.
Don’t be afraid to look down the line they often make the best prices from the judges outside the ring.
Don’t keep the bull longer than one crop of calves if he’s not producing the goods.
THE Goldstar Herd, run by Martin Ryan and his family at Cabra House, Thurles has been at the cutting edge of Charolais breeding for over 25 years.
As well a producing a stream of National Show champions, the herd has sires in AI centres and has exported stock to breeders in France, UK and the Czech Republic.
“Winning and losing is training for life! Winning provides happiness, and losing provides wisdom,” says Martin.
He adds that “the fond memories, great stories and many special awards/ achievements with the Charolais over the decades will be long treasured.”
Martin’s 10 pointers for breeding success are: Define the market you wish to serve (commercial, pedigree or show). Breed accordingly, focusing on excellence (mediocrity is extinction). Purchasers are driven by different motives. These include: passion, goals, resource availability and the operating environment.
Gold standard:
Martin Ryan with his Junior Champion, Goldstar Osanna, sold for €11,000, at the 2019 ICCS Premier Show and Sale
Have a clear vision of what perfection means and focus on it.
Only use sires with reliable proofs (genetic evaluations and/or generations of the desired phenotype).
Avoid bulls that are only good at producing only one gender (50pc will be a challenge).
Never sacrifice maternal traits (milk/fertility) just to produce a bull. These traits have low heritability and take years to recover. Bad heads and bad legs also take
generations to eliminate There is an old saying, a bad bull is like a bad teacher and will leave their mark for three generations. Chase great cows with longevity the rest will fall into place.
Never waste a breeding opportunity without selecting for multiple traits. Breeding is an art as well as a science. Just because you buy the best ingredients, doesn’t mean you know how to cook! Yearround attention to husbandry detail is vital.”