Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the inaugural Rural Bank Herefords Australia Future Breeders & Leaders forum in Brisbane. The event was a great success with the highlights including the tours of the Kilcoy Global Foods Innovation Hub, followed by an amazing meal, and the Neogen lab at Bundamba. A big thank you to the future leaders who attended and our sponsors Rural Bank, Auctions Plus, Queensland Country Life, Neogen, Meat & Livestock Australia, Glendan Park and Land Watch Australia whose support makes events like this possible.
As of October 2024, HAL streamlined the DNA testing process. Members can now send their DNA samples directly to the lab, making the process more efficient. Members have been quick to adopt the new process with uptake and roll out going well.
Another significant update is the completion and publication of the October Hereford BREEDPLAN analysis. This analysis includes a number of enhancements resulting in some changes to Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), the current breed average, and the percentile bands. These changes deliver higher accuracy EBV’s for these traits which allows for faster rates of genetic improvement.
At the same time, two new indexes were introduced for the first time: the Sustainability Production Index and the MSA Production Index. These will replace the 4 existing indexes in the November analysis. You can learn more about the indexes and the BREEDPLAN analysis enhancements in this month’s eNews.
As we head into the final stretch of the year, the HAL team is focussed on meeting our end-of-November delivery deadline for the annual magazine. If you have any outstanding artwork or copy for the edition, please make it a priority to submit it to the team as soon as possible.
Lastly, the interviews for the Young Breeders Competition in the USA (2025), which coincides with the World Hereford Conference USA concluded last Saturday afternoon. Thank you to the judging panel for their time and effort, and we look forward to announcing the successful four finalists and a reserve shortly.
The HAL office will shut down over the Christmas period starting midday 24 December 2024 and reopen at 8am Monday 6 January 2025. Please keep this in mind when considering timeframes for DNA sample results, upcoming sales, or other assistance you may require including event listings, catalogues and advertising.
As always, if there’s anything you need from me or the team, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
2024 Future Leaders & Breeders group
Commercial kitchen, Kilcoy Innovation Hub.
Owen McClure, Marc Greening, Ambrose Kenney, Cameron Holliss, Andrew Turvey and Hamish Chandler.
The TSU de-capping machine in action at the Neogen Lab.
