MOUNT PEEL HERD AT 1000 MARK

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32038, 12 July 1969, Page 8

MOUNT PEEL HERD AT 1000 MARK

The breeding cow herd at Mount Peel reached the 1000 mark last autumn, and according to one of the owners (Mr John Acland) there is still plenty of scope for increasing it further.

A visit to Mount Peel, and an inspection of some of its cattle was one of the highlights of a tour of Mid and South Canterbury herds organised by the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Breeders’ Association last week. The main talking point at Mount Peel was the -use that the Aclands are making of the Charolais. “As the Southdown is used across other breeds for fat lamb raising, so we are using the Charolais across some of our breeding cows,” Mr Acland said. “We think the Charolais will complement the Angus.” With 8000 of the 18,000 acres on Mount Peel being arable, it was their intention to hold sheep numbers at 10,000 and increase the cattle numbers. The country, which had a terrific variation in terrain, suited cattle. This winter’s breeding herd included 200 heifers which were being calved at two years. Detailing results with their cross-breeding programme, Mr Acland said the Charolais bulls at 300 days weighed 6461 b, and young Aberdeen Angus bulls at the same age 5921 b. The difference was not bad, but it gave close to 601 b in favour of the Charo-

lais cross. Their Charolais cross heifers, at the same age. weighed 5401 b and the Aberdeen Angus heifers 4521 b—a difference of 941 b. At 200 days of age, the Charolais cross bulls had an advantage of 401 b over the straight Angus, and the Charolais cross heifers an advantage of 801 b over Angus heifers. The figures . indicated that the Charolais cross increased their advantage with age. Mr Acland said he did not like the Friesian-Aberdeen Angus cross. It was not colour-marked, and he thought that problems would arise after the first crossing, because of the difficulty in identifying them. He did not think that Mount Peel would mate its heifers with Charolais bulls, because the Charolais calves were 301 b ! heavier. Mr Acland showed the visitors a group of Aberdeen Angus bulls, which were the best selection from 400 cows. They had done this because they could not get suitable Aberdeen Angus bulls for their two-year-old heifers. They hoped to finally select 200 cows, and by inseminating them with semen from top weight-gain bulls, upgrade their young bulls.

The Charolais semen for the Mount Peel herd is obtained from England. “Believe me, it is no mean task,” said Mr Acland, in discussing the task of inseminating a beef herd. The system, however, was being improved. By fitting a harness to a visectimised bull, in-season cows were being marked, and inseminated as required. To a question, Mr Acland said he did not think the weight advantage of the Charolais cross calves was because of hybrid vigour. He had discussed this in England with a leading animal scientist, who had found that while the performance of the Aberdeen Angus was raised, that of the Charolais was brought down. “We have noticed here that the Charolais across the the first cross heifers is better than the Charolais-Angus first cross,” he said. Questioned about the performance of the two-year-old Aberdeen Angus heifers in the breeding herd, Mr Acland said they had averaged 88 per cent of calves. Those which failed to produce were not given a second chance. They were sent to the works in November. The heifers were culled first as calves at weaning, and the numbers were kept at about 200 head.

The heifers were the only part of the breeding herd which was receiving supplementary feeding. This was in the form of silage. The three-year-old heifers and the cows were held on the hills, being brought down to lower levels a month before calving.