Breeders of Hereford cattle know that there is no better breed to finish on grass or grain that deliver an efficient production system and produce top-quality beef. Herefords Australia are investing to take the breed to the forefront of industry innovation.
The main profit drivers in a commercial beef business can be addressed by Hereford cattle. Fertility, longevity, growth, weight for age, low cost of production, and high-quality carcase outcomes are all things Hereford cattle deliver. Hereford cattle compliment nearly every other breed in a crossbreeding scenario.
In building on these foundations, Herefords Australia announced at its AGM last week that Sustainability would be a major focus for the breed. Sustainability is the biggest macro trend in the beef industry globally. Described by Herefords Australia deputy chair Marc Greening “as the Angus moment of the 80’s” Herefords Australia will invest in innovation that positions Hereford cattle as a significant part of the sustainability solution for the Australian beef industry.
Herefords are a leader across a number of economically important traits including fertility, weight for age, longevity and feed efficiency that also deliver against the key industry indicators of sustainability. “The commercial pressure being placed on our industry to deliver against the sustainability expectations of our consumers globally is growing and Herefords are well positioned to be a significant contributor to the solution in collaboration with the rest of the beef value chain” Marc said.
Herefords Australia have also been working with their members to collate the data and evidence from the MSA database to support what Hereford breeders know is a superior eating quality product. With over 15,000 carcase records contributed from all eastern states over the first few weeks of the initiative, there is no doubt that Hereford and Hereford cross cattle are hitting the mark. Herefords Australia CEO Michael Crowley said that “with an average MSA index of 60, this outcome exceeds most major customer brand specifications and places the breed at the top end of quality when benchmarked across the country”. Collation of voluntary contributions of MSA carcase data will be an ongoing initiative for the breed.
The use of genomic technology is driving faster genetic progress on carcase and production traits that positions the breed to be outcome focussed and deliver productivity, profitability and quality wrapped up in a Hereford package. Hamish Chandler – RD&E Specialist with Herefords Australia said “the rapid and growing uptake of genomics will enable us to select the right animals, more often to drive progress on key outcomes for the benefit of the breeder and deliver greater predictability for the commercial producer in line with their breeding objectives”.
Herefords Australia and its members are focussed on outcomes that drive profitability and sustainability for our customers with the key beneficiary ultimately being the consumer.