MAKING USE OF MERIT OF LONG DEAD BULL

Press, 1 December 1978, Page 10

MAKING USE OF MERIT OF LONG DEAD BULL

The Jersey Cattle Breeders’ Association is taking the opportunity to capitalise on some of the genetic merit of an outstanding New Zealand Dairy Board Jersey sire that died before his full value was known.

When Pampas Silver Boy died suddenly in 1975, at the age of six, the gravity of this loss was not yet apparent.

Certainly he had already established himself as a top production bull in his day (he has a current breeding index (fat) of 127).

Later that same spring the tragedy of the loss was heightened when conformation survey results showed his daughters to be ex-, tremely good in this respect also. This combination of high breeding index and top level conformation brought home the full impact of his loss. Unfortunately only one semen collection was made from him before he died. Silver Boy was from the Pampas stud of Mr B. W. K. Geange, at Levin, and was sired by Pampas Mario from Pampas Silverleaf VHC.

With his genetic value established for both fat production and daughter conformation, he was a

natural selection for the Dairy Board’s contract mating scheme and now has 16 sons being used in the board’s sire proving scheme. The first proof on these sons will be available in 1982. The extremely small remaining stocks of his semen have been allocated this season to the Jersey Cattle Breeders’ Association which, in turn, has

allocated semen to members. Daughters born from these matings may eventually be used for contract matings so that Pampas Silver Boy’s sons ard grandsons can make the b.g contribution that he was unable to make himself due to his untimely death, unable to make himself because of his untimely death.