Two ends of the Red Poll spectrum

Press, 28 February 1986, Page 23

Two ends of the Red Poll spectrum

Red Poll cattle crossed with Zebus for tropical resistance are popular in Jamaica for their good beef production and milking ability, a Jamaican farm director, Dr Karl Wellington, said in Christchurch recently. " Dr Wellington was attending the fourth World Red Poll Conference, which has been held in New Zealand during February. The next conference will be in the West Indies in 1990, it was decided in Christchurch by delegates. Dr Wellington is the director of agriculture for Alcan Jamaica Co., a bauxite mining company which has 12,000 ha either fanned by the com-

pany’s 300 agricultural Staff or leased to smaller farmers. Because much of the’ land is rugged and either required for or being reclaimed from open-cast mining, cattle are grazed extensively on the Alcan lands, which are actually owned by the Jamaican Government. Alcan Jamaica has 9000 cattle in total, with 3000 dairy cows and 6000 pure and crossbred Red Polls. The crossbreds . . in Jamaica with Zebu Jiave stabilised and are ' now recognised as a breed,

called the Jamaica Red, ; and a herd society was formed in 1952. Over 10,000 animals run in about 50 registered herds on the island, according to “Cattle Breeds of the World,” by Marleen Feliiis. Perhaps at the other end of the Red Poll world, so to speak, was the head of the United Kingdom delegation to the conference, Mr Bert Cheetham. He milks 100 Red Polls near Manchester and delivers and sells their milk, both pasteurised and unpasteurised.

"It is a tradition in our area,” he said, “and I suppose you have to be a bit daft to keep doing it, because it means working seven days a week and employing six staff.” Mr Cheetham is paid for the butterfat, lactose and protein content of the milk and says that Red Polls produce a good quality milk with a herd average of over 4 per cent fat. He also has 15 animals which do over 5 per cent. The milk production curve of the Red Polls fits his year-round retail operation well and cows usually have to be dried off-after 300 days to ensure that they calve each year. Each cow in the

herd averages 1000 gallons a year. The cows are also housed about 200 days of the year and the Cheethams spend most of the summer making silage. They can never make enough, said Mr Cheetham, and must cut every time the growth gets in front of the grazing cows. They fill all the pits on the farm and then move onto bags for the overflow. Feed concentrates are also used, minimising mineral . deficiencies which can lead to prob-

lems such as bloat As the price-controlled return to the dairy farmer of 80 pence a gallon is reasonably high, Mr Cheetham concedes, the housing, feed additives and fodder conservation can be provided. The retail price for full milk is 24 pence a pint or 192 pence a gallon. Also attending the World Conference in New Zealand was Mr John Plumb, a Red Poll and Murray Grey breeder from North Norfolk. Red Polls were developed in Norfolk and Suffolk. His own herd goes back to 1953 but he has every Red Poll ,Herd .Book published Since the start in 'the 1870 s.

The breed’s docility, good mothering ability and good beef production was generating popularity in the U.K., said Mr Plumb. He will be judging at the U.K. Royal Show this year where about 20 cattle will be entered for each of the seven Red Poll classes. The breed has a performance recording scheme but the Royal Show judging is entirely on appraisal, although Mr Plumb said that he was always looking ' for market-related characteristics. The finest looking cow

would not be considered if she did not bring a calf at foot, he said. As with many other breeds, the U.K. Red Polls had become leaner and bigger in recent years although this had not brought any calving difficulties. Mr Plumb puts Murray Grey sires over his Red Poll cows and yet does not see most of his calves born. At lunch on Mr Peter Fleming’s “Willowlea” property, Irwell, Mr Plumb said he had seen some excellent Red Polls while in New Zealand.