Bloodline selection is an integral part of pedigree cattle breeding. It puts challenge and interest into the job.

Many breeders are constantly chasing the next new breed icon, an animal that will hit the jackpot at the premier show and sale. The plan then is to have every other breeder beating a path to their door wanting the new genetics. Others go for the tried and proven method. They are content to service their farmer customers at middle-of-the-range bull prices without the need for hype, showring feeding or halter training. The jury is out on which approach is the more profitable.

No matter how many times we get burned, we all seem to be impressed with the big auction price. There are many who tacitly feel that if a bull is cheap he can’t be up to much. Conversely, if a bull fetches a high price at auction, there is instant interest, particularly if he is a new bloodline, such as an outcross. When the National Cattle Breeding Centre paid €24,000 for the Charolais bull Cottage Devon, there were orders worth several thousand euro for his straws even before semen was collected.

As a rule, the purchaser of a high auction price sire has to move quickly to get AI straws sold before too many progeny appear. Almost invariably, such bulls do not live up to expectations. Hard calving is the common issue with the strong-boned showring specimens.

With the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) watching, recording and analysing almost every cattle detailed event, the room for hype and myth is shrinking in Ireland. In the long run, this will be good for profits in commercial beef farming. Yet, I wouldn’t like to see all of the excitement and independence taken from breed societies and pedigree breeding.

Where do pedigree breeders go when chasing new genetics? Because these breeds originated there, France has been the go-to place for Charolais, Limousin, Blonde, Salers, Parthenais, and Aubrac. However, this is changing. Recently, Irish Limousin and Charolais breeders have been using more genetics from Britain. Has this been a good move? Maybe not.

Generally, Britain has been breeding for more power and shape to the detriment of calving ease and gestation length.

British Limousin breeders seem to be trying to create a red Belgian Blue-type animal. Scotland was always a source for Angus cattle, but Scottish Angus breeders of late are going all out for power and growth; a sort of black Charolais. This is definitely not a good fit for Irish Angus breeders, whose main market is selling easy-calving bulls to dairy farmers.

The Simmental breed hails from Germany/Austria/Switzerland, but some Canadian Simmental genetics have done well of late. Hereford breeders now look to Australia for new bloodlines.

The ICBF has been around for a decade and a half. It still has to make the breakthrough in Irish beef breeding. ICBF’s latest beef development is the G€n€ Ir€land maternal beef programme. This is well supported by the country’s AI stations and has growing support from breed societies. However, I believe that it will be another couple of years before pedigree breeders look at home for their leading sires.

ICBF database

Meanwhile, the ICBF continues to build its database. This includes an accurate record of the bulls used in pedigree herds. The most popular bulls across 12 breeds whose progeny were born in 2013 are recorded in the accompanying tables. In the Charolais breed, the most popular sire was the 1999-born AI bull Pirate, who is noted for easy calving. In Simmentals, bulls from David Wall’s Curaheen herd in Kildare have a remarkable presence, notching up four of the top seven most popular bulls.

David has been a keen student of Simmental genetics across the globe. It has stood him well. Polled bulls are making some inroads across traditionally non-polled breeds.

In Hereford, Limousin and Simmental, the polled cattle seem to be almost on a par with their horned comrades. Polled Charolais bulls still have some ground to make up, although there are reports of some high-performing polled Charolais in South America.

Commercial farmers would love to have polled bulls provided the quality is okay. Pedigree breeders have been slow to change to polled in case it undermines the value of the cattle they already have.