WORLD CONFERENCE 2004
Over the last 25 years or so there have been major changes in most of the breeds of cattle, being farmed world wide, for domestic beef production. Most of these changes have been based on selection criteria and performance on a per animal basis and with grain supplementation. This may
work in economic terms where grain is available at cheap prices and harsh winters require stock to be housed for long periods, but if a quality product is the requirement and better prices are available for that product, grass feeding is undoubtedly the preferable method of rearing and finishing cattle.
Ken McDowall with a mature bull.
To a large extent the changes have come about through the erroneous premise that bigger just has to be better, but when all the factors involved are weighed up it becomes very obvious that this is far from the true situation. Large rangy cattle have higher maintenance requirements and are less able to withstand stresses in feed availability, which, in a totally grass feeding situation, are just a fact of life. Run on good country which has higher rain fall the damage to pastures can be
catastrophic and costly in both loss of production and reinstatement of the damage. Seldom do these larger cattle produce the higher quality beef that is suitable for the top restaurant trade and this is the lucrative market.
The other, and what I consider the most disturbing aspect of this drive to produce a larger rangier animal, has been the infusion of outside genetics into most breeds of cattle. While I agree wholeheartedly with the initiative of the researchers to explore the possibilities of achieving
greater production by these methods, it has now created a situation where pure breed genetics are difficult to source. Unfortunately it is the English breeds that are traditionally of shorter stature and producers of bigh quality beef that have suffered the most and it is going to be a long way back to redress the situation. The trend bas been so widespread that the remaining gene pool of the pure breeds is so restricted that this could be a problem in itself. The use of stored semen from older
stock will help with the recovery but it will be a difficult challenge for many studs. Also with the health problems and subsequent restrictions in recent years international sharing of the available pool of genetics has been difficult. Brazil especially has not been able to contribute outside blood lines for use elsewhere, but with improved techniques maybe this will be addressed before too long.
At an internationally recognised show I attended in 2002 I was looking around the cattle and stopped behind a jet black animal in the Saler section. An enthusiastic elderly chap came quickly across and enquired whether I was interested in Salers. I assured him I was interested in all cattle but considered the animal in front of me was not a Saler. My attention was drawn to the fact that the sign indicated the area was designated for Salers and that their Stud banner showed they were Saler breeders. The discussion continued in similar vein for some time but finally he changed tack and confessed that these were now his son's cattle and he was just giving him a break but be really agreed with my views 100% and he was equally concerned. At this same show in 2003 in the parade of Champions at least four breeds, which are normally various shades of brown in colour exhibited totally black animals which demonstrates the extent and acceptance of this infusion of outside genetics into what should be pure breeds.
In New Zealand where these infused sires have been used it has mainly been through the use of imported genetics rather than actually being bred locally and some studs have recently even published written apologies to their clients, in the local press, assuring them that they are working towards reinstating the traditionally bred stock in their studs.
My involvement with stud cattle started over fifty years ago when at the age of twelve I started a run of over twenty years assisting at the Palmerston North show as a steward. I was not from a farming background but already had decided that farming was where I wished to be. I have very clear memories from those times of cattle being expelled from the showgrounds because the purity of their pedigrees were not acceptable, and the upset it caused so it is a changed scene today.
One of the most important factors for both commercial breeders and stud breeders alike is the repeatability factor of the sires that they purchase to advance the quality of their own stock. They go to great efforts, studying performance data and critically examining the animals, before deciding on which animal they should purchase to take their stock in the direction they wish to pursue. In most cases this repeatability is only achievable if the background genetics are relatively
stable. The physical appearance only has a value as an indicator of the genetic make up of that animal. If he does not leave those characteristics in his progeny he has little to offer in progressing the quality of the herds he is used in.
Prior to moving into stud cattle I worked for many years with stud Romney sheep and repeatedly had the frustration of purchasing a ram at the National ram fair that was, in my view, the perfect sire for the job but when mated left every different style in the spectrum imaginable. To achieve any conformity of progeny I had to select the ram lamb from that first crop, who had the
visual attributes of his sire and use him, dispatching the expensive purchase to the back paddock. I soon learned to inspect the flocks on the farms to prevent the risk of buying a sire that was not a representative sample of the average type from the flock. For example a fine wooled ram from a predominately strong wooled flock has little chance of leaving consistently fine wool in his progeny.
I feel that the infusion of outside genetics into beef cattle at the level we have seen over recent years is going to give these same problems as the genetics in the herds has been so destabilized; repeatability is going to be difficult to achieve. Unfortunately it is the commercial farmer who is going to be carrying a large portion of the problem for some time until the seed stock producers put things to right.
I have long held the view that to crossbreed constructively, it is essential to have purebred stock to do it with, and nothing I have seen over recent years has altered that belief.
I feel that a considerable amount of the confidence that stud farmers gained that they were on the right track was the result of not fully appreciating the lift they were achieving from the heterosis effect of the infused genetics. I firmly believe that the heterosis potential is the prerogative of the commercial breeder and should be left intact for their use. Is it not better that a purchaser leaves your property with a sire that he is relatively pleased with and returns for further sires, thrilled with the results of the progeny from that bull? The most important factor is how the progeny perform and if the heterosis potential has already been dissipated the results will inevitably be less favourable.
For this reason I have difficulty accepting the theory that there is any advantage in the use of composites. As an example I had a client who had been using Devon bulls for a number of years and consistently been in the top bracket with his weaners at the Hunterville cattle fairs. I did not hear from him for quite a while, but when I did, I discovered that he had sold his property and bought another in Hawkes Bay. Near to the new farm was a very vocal breeder of Composite bulls and taken in with all the glossy publicity material, he had decided to give them a try. At the stage when he contacted me, he had just weaned his second crop of calves, still from the same herd of cows, by the composite sire and for the second time he was so ashamed of them, he was too embarrassed to offer them in the sale yards with his name on the gate. Needless to say he wanted to return for another Devon bull. Fortuitously this trend towards infusion of outside genetics has not been widespread in Devon cattle and I am sure that with the natural attributes of Devon cattle,
there is little inclination amongst breeders to do so. The ability of the Devon to thrive in a wide variety of environments demonstrates the versatility of this great breed. Probably, as a result of their development on the moors of Devon, they have an amazing ability to thrive on less than best which in New Zealand's situation, with total grass grazing, is a reality. The meat quality, in whatever situation they are farmed, is as good as it gets and is the envy of other breeds.
The docile nature and general temperament make them easy to manage and a pleasure to be amongst and this factor alone has resulted in many farmers changing to using Devon sires.
The soundness and longevity achievable from Devons is another major plus and allows maximum benefit to be generated from superior animals as they continue to provide generations of replacements and durable sires for the commercial farmer.
I had a client contact me a month ago regarding a bull he purchased in 1993. He had decided to reduce his workload and commitment, by changing over to simply running dry stock, so had sold his cows. When the agent saw, the by now 13 year old bull, he was reluctant to book space for it in the works, but advised him to find another home for him, hence the phone call. He had been the only bull used since he was purchased, with a herd of around thirty cows, and in that time had not left a dry cow. I am sure there are a number of Devon breeders that could recount similar experiences of proof of the outstanding fertility in the breed.
The demand for the quality beef produced from Devon cattle for use in upmarket restaurants is insatiable in the short term and this situation is unlikely to change for some considerable time as more and more chefs become aware of its value.
A leading Angus breeder in New Zealand who has been using our Devon sires over his large commercial herd has developed a market in the Western states here and the beef is being marketed as Angus Pure. For some reason he is reluctant to co-operate in publicizing the success he is achieving with Devons.
With commercial farmers now realising the improved returns available, both from the weight gain aspect and the higher per kilogram payout, it is our job to supply the sires of traditional Devon type they require to capitalise on this demand.
It has always confounded me, since my discovery of the abilities and attributes of the Devon breed, that although they were in many cases the first cattle introduced to countries as they were settled in the modern context, they have not played a greater role in the beef industry before. I am no closer to answering that question but I do believe it is finally happening and we should all do all we can to meet this demand with quality stock that will ensure the reputation Devon cattle already
enjoy is not only maintained but enhanced. To this end I would encourage delegates to look towards tightening their breed association rules to discourage the possibility of outside genetics damaging the unique respect that our breed enjoys. I can not see any attribute in any other
breed that could be infused into Devons to advantage and so the old saying very aptly applies of "if it is not broken don't try to fix it". They are fine just the way they are and we should be proud to be Devon breeders nurturing them for the benefit of future generations.
The customer at the top class restaurants expects his steak to be in the superlative category not sometimes but every time and to achieve this consistently requires a stable genetic base in the herds from where the meat is sourced. This guarantee of quality that these chefs require can be delivered using Devon sires over carefully selected dams and it is our responsibility to make these sires available.
Ken McDowall is the Manager of the Rotokawa Stud and the creator of the Rotokawa Devons.
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