LANDBOU
5 .
“ To sell bulls , the farmer needs to be honest , have integrity and not try and squeeze an extra buck out of a customer . This kind of farming is a lifelong enterprise and you need to treat your buyers well otherwise they will not come back to buy from you again .”
According to Ting , the most important benefit of having a stud is the record-keeping to help the farmer to check his herd for many generations into the past .
“ Added to this , we have a computer system linked to the Australians from which you can pick up any data you need – like how many calves a specific cow produced .
For me , the best part is the breeding . Meaning , which bull and cow I am going to use next year .”
To make these intricate decisions , Ting employs different tools . These include the animals ’ pedigree and what they look like .
“ When I want to select a bull either for artificial insemination or to buy , the bull must catch my eye . So , a bull that I like and one that the market wants to buy . The mother line is also of huge importance – how his mother and her mother produced . On top of that their EBV , or Estimated Breeding Values : how much milk the cow should have and what her calf ’ s birth weight is going to be . You use those
5 . Brahmans come from two genetic pools : red and grey .
23 MARKtoe ! Augustus 2023