Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
No bull, this hunk sired 170,000 cows
Beamer became popular with farmers for his ability to breed capacious daughters with good udders.
A bull named Beamer is being inducted into an animal hall of fame after fathering 170,000 dairy cow daughters.
Eleven-year-old Beamer is the 58th bull to make it into farmer co-op LIC’s hall of fame, an honour reserved for animals that made a significant contribution to the dairy industry, said LIC livestock selection manager Simon Worth.
The hall of fame dates back to 1954.
Beamer has also sired more than 92 sons and 54 grandsons and is one of only four bulls to surpass more than one million straws of semen for artificial insemination, he said.
The holstein-friesian was selected as a contender for artificial breeding based on his genetic merit.
Breeders Ray and Sandra Hocking from Carterton supplied the bull to LIC as a calf, and said they were proud to follow Beamer’s success as he became popular with farmers for his ability to breed ‘‘capacious daughters with good udders’’.
‘‘Beamer has a lot of things that just ‘click’ with New Zealand farmers,’’ Ray Hocking said.
‘‘His daughters are not overly tall but they are very wide. Production-wise, he’s also got great numbers and a perfect balance of protein to fat.’’ As breeders we are very proud of his achievements.
‘‘We know he has delivered a lot of value to a lot of farmers around New Zealand.’’
Breeders gathered in Hamilton for LIC’s Breeders’ Day last week.
The yearly event celebrates farmers who supply bull calves that go on to become part of the co-op’s elite teams of artificial breeding bulls from the year before.
Worth said Beamer had a great nature and his contribution would have an ongoing effect on the country’s dairy farms for many years to come, and was a favourite with farm staff. ‘‘He enjoys a good scratch behind the ears. He is often seen in his paddock sitting like a dog, keeping an eye on his surroundings.’’