G€N€ IR€LAND Maternal Bull Breeder Participant, Richard Lee with his ‘Knockagarry’ herd of pedigree beef Shorthorn cattle.
Backround of the herd: The Knockagarry Shorthorn herd got going in 1981 when the first pedigree Shorthorn heifer was purchased from the Ballingarrane Estate, Clonmel, Co.Tipperary.
Maternal Breeding: The herd of over 40 pedigree Beef Shorthorn cows has an overall replacement index of €174 (35% reliable), making it a 5 star herd, even when compared against all other beef pedigree females from all the other breeds.
Top Maternal Cows: One of the best breeding cows in the herd also has the highest rated female in the herd for the ‘Replacement Index’. Her name is ‘Knockagarry Primrose 63rd (P)’. She is sired by ‘Winalot Rodney’ and is out of a homebred dam called ‘Knockagarry Primrose 45th’ who was sired by ‘Aughnashannagh Lorenzo’. She has a ‘Replacement Index’ of €245 (42%) making her a 5 star cow and actually places her in the top 1% of the Shorthorn breed for this trait. She had her first calf at 22 months old in September 2009, has had a calf every year since and has an average calving interval of 342 days.
Key traits of interest: Docility, Honesty, Fertility. Ability to grade and finish at a young age.
Recent Sires used: Eionmor Ideal 50p, Alta Cedar Lads Legacy 14p X, Paintearth Rama 53u (p), Ingleton C111, Mohill Jack, Deerpark Leader 4th, Deerpark Leader 8th, Denn Whirlwind, Knockagarry Rodney 711 P (Winalot Rodney Stockbull).
Breeder’s comment: “We have some traditional soft fleshing bloodlines here on the farm.These are being honestly performance tested with and against, progeny of the best pure polled Shorthorn genetics available worldwide,and some commercial Shorthorn crosses. It is very important that as many Shorthorn Breeders as possible get involved in the Maternal Bull Breeding programme as this is vital in increasing genetic indexes and reliabilities.We must identify the Shorthorn cattle best suited to the requirements of the commercial Irish beef producer on the ground”.
