Bull breeding field day

This unique opportunity for bull breeders in the Barkly and Gulf regions will:

• Demonstrate how to identify superior performing animals and breed their own bulls
• Demonstrate how to use both subjective information (things you see) and objective information (things you measure) in bull selection
• Present the latest information on genetics and bull selection to improve herd performance (eg. genetic tests for traits like polledness)

John Bertram (Cattle breeding and genetics expert) and Emily Piper (Technical Manager for Genetics, Zoetis) will be the two keynote speakers of the day, accompanied by DPIF’s Tim Schatz, Whitney Dollemore and Casey Collier.

Fertility has been identified as the major limiting component of herd profitability in many herds across northern Australia. The opportunity for pastoralists is to ask bull breeders to supply bull fertility information and select more fertile bulls using the national Bull Breeding Soundness Evaluation data. Percent normal spermatozoa are extremely important and are associated with the bulls daughters age of puberty and their fertility to go back in calf again soon after calving. The genetic information contained in the Breedplan EBVs provide pastoralists with essential genetic information driving major herd performance traits. The discussion at the field day will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the relative importance of the various traits influencing their breeding objectives.

Progress in breeding for the polled condition can be slow – it is often not possible to tell whether an animal is ‘true polled’ or whether it carries the recessive gene for horns. A DNA test has been developed to identify animals that carry two copies of the polled gene (PP) and will consequently produce a higher proportion of polled offspring, reducing the requirement for dehorning. The test can be used in a range of breeds common to northern Australia and allows producers to identify bulls that will accelerate the transition to a polled herd.

Both of these topics will be comprehensively covered on the day with plenty of opportunity for discussion.

RSVP is essential for catering purposes by Monday 7 September

Contact: Casey Collier E: Casey.Collier@nt.gov.au M: 0437 814 678

Download the Helen Springs field day program (PDF, 577KB).