BETTER BULLS IS THE GOAL
BREEDING commercially ideal bulls for the beef industry is the objective of Rick Greenup from Greenup Eidsvold Station Stud.
But how does a statement translate into better returns for the industry?
Mr Greenup said there was no single trait that delivered this objective, but rather a multitude of traits, along with selection values and a system of raising bulls to optimise their productive life.
“It is easy to select for growth and muscle, but there’s plenty of things that are important to the industry bottom line, but are not always so obvious on the surface,” Mr Greenup said.
For him the bottom line hinges on herd productivity, fertility, survivability, growth rate and feed conversion efficiency and meeting markets.
He also works hard to keep the cost of production in check.
“We place importance on things that can be counted – like percent normal semen morphology, scrotal size, growth and carcase data – we know these things directly relate to fertility and productivity.
“But we also place a great deal of importance on things that can’t be measured easily, like constitution.”
He said the latter was complex to measure but in real terms it was the difference between a “bull getting a team jersey each year, or getting the next truck to Dinmore”.
Rick and his wife Alice Greenup are offering 96 santa gertrudis bulls and 12 santa angus-cross bulls at their annual sale on September 19 from midday.
This year all breeders with all budgets should get a crack at the top genetics, with over a third of the catalogue by first release sires, of which 23 are by Greenup Fitzgerald F144 (PS) and Dangarfield Tycoon (P). Visit www.greenup.com. au or call 07 4164 4260.