Ervie Mark Donald E974
Private sale November 2009
Use of Ervie Hereford Sire:
Beef
Cows
Heifers
Genetic make-up of cowherd:
30 - 40 Simmental x Hereford
3/4 Hereford
Replacements source:
Homebred
(Beef Herds)
Size of herd 80
% Served by Hereford Sire
100% at moment
Other breeds of bull used:
None at the moment
Other farm enterprises:
Mule ewes to Suffolk tup
Female offspring
Retained as breeding replacements.
Sold as bulling heifers or stores.
Male Offspring
Sold as stores at Newton Stewart or some sold privately
Some of David's Simmental type cows enjoying some scarce late February sunshine.
David proudly shows off his crop of
Hereford suckled calves.
Reasons for buying Hereford bull(s) from Ervie:
To downsize from Simmental.
Local breeder.
How do you select your Hereford bull: Easy fleshing and maternal.
Have the calves from your Hereford bull met with your expectations:Yes
Just as growthy as Simmentals - good demand for bullocks.
Best heifers kept for home replacements.
Bearing in mind that we select our own sires firstly on natural yearling growth, suggest traits important to you that we should consider when making our herd replacement selections.:
Same selection critera. Important to maintain milk and improve udders and teats from Simmentals.
Are you familiar with the background to our Line One Hereford genetics:No
It's generally perceived tha crossbreeding generates hybrid vigour in commercial beef production, which improves performance of the herd at no extra cost. Is this a consideration when yoy are making breeding choices for your beef enterprise? Yes - will probably go back to a continental next.
We believe the L1 Hereford genetics improve the uniformity and consistency of our bulls and when they are used on unrelated females it generates maximum hybrid vigour in their offspring. Do you agree? Sounds feasible.
Have you anything to say as an endorsement for the bulls you’ve had from us?:
Quiet to work with.Good offspring weights at sale time with repeat buyers year on year.