Stabiliser semen deal
Offering the chance to boost suckler herd productivity by 30%.
Beef farmers supplying Asda /ABP through its BeefLink scheme will be able to lift productivity by as much as 30% and in-turn boost profitability with use of semen from a leading Stabiliser bull at a significantly reduced price.
The news follows the formation of a new marketing agreement with semen supplier Cogent and the Stabiliser Cattle Company.
Under the new agreement BeefLink farmers will be able to purchase semen from high feed efficiency Stabiliser bull Crugeran Llywellyn at a heavily subsidised price of just £7.50 a straw, a saving of 59% on the normal price, explains Asda agricultural manager Pearce Hughes.
“Stabiliser cattle have the potential to significantly improve suckler cow productivity across the UK and have been shown to improve output per hectare by 30% and cut feed use by 25% on UK farms.
“Asda/ABP have decided to heavily subsidise the price of this semen in order to encourage its use as we believe Stabilisers can offer significant benefits to our BeefLink farmers.
“They are extremely fertile, efficient cattle which have exceptional growth rates and unparalleled feed efficiency off low cost forage based diets. As the UK beef industry faces up to higher feed costs coupled with potential reductions in subsidies the Stabiliser offers a route to profitable, sustainable beef production,” he adds.
The significant improvements in output demonstrated by Asda/ABP BeefLink farmers already using Stabilisers (see case studies below) are something all suckler farmers can benefit from if they chose to use Stabilisers as the base for the breeding programmes, adds Mr Hughes.
“Stabilisers can save the industry millions of pounds a year in feed costs due to improved feed efficiency and less reliance on concentrates. This in turn will lead to massive carbon savings for the beef supply chain and it is already well recognised the reductions in carbon emissions in agriculture go hand in hand with improved margins.
“The latest elite Stabiliser bull in the USA, Leachman Prophet, consumed 3.18kg (26%) less dry matter per day than the average of his 800 contemporaries and yet weighed 91kg heavier than the rest of the group at the end of the trial. It is these advancements in feed efficiency and productivity which mean the Stabiliser breed can truly revolutionise suckler beef unit profitability. He also has maternal EBVs in top 5% giving him a record profit EBV of +$17,444.”
Cogent beef breeding sales manager Gareth Scott says the development of Stabiliser suckler herds in the UK offers a lot to the industry. “Stabilisers have been developed in the USA for many years based on breeding for calving ease, fertility, growth and feed efficiency.
“They are adaptable and versatile suckler cows that can either be bred pure or crossed with a wide variety of terminal sires to produce exceptional calves with great early vigour and growth.”
And Asda/ABP BeefLink farmers breeding purebred Stabiliser herds can do so safe in the knowledge that their progeny will have a ready outlet, adds Mr Hughes. “We accept finished bulls up to 16 months old and up to 450kg carcass weight, so there is a market ready and waiting for all progeny.
“Alternatively, for those farmers not wanting to finish the cattle themselves there is the option to send them to the Asda /ABP BeefLink progeny testing/finishing unit at Adam Quinney’s Worcestershire farm. The added benefit of this system is that they will also receive the feed efficiency data back so that they can identify their superior sires.”
Asda/ABP farmers wanting to place orders for semen should call Cogent on: 0800 783 7258 quoting their ABP producer code to qualify for the discount.
Case Study One – Billy O’Kane, Ballymena
For Ballymena, Northern Ireland-based BeefLink farmer and vet Billy O’Kane a switch to Stabilisers has been the route to subsidy free profitability in his suckler enterprise. “We began switching to Stabilisers nearly 10 years ago and haven’t looked back since. We’ve been able to increase the number of cows kept by 15% per hectare and have lifted the number of calves reared from 84 for every 100 cows put to the bull to 96.
“Both these factors have led to significant increases in productivity and profitability with output per hectare up by more than 30% in recent years.”
On top of this Mr O’Kane has been able to reduce concentrate use dramatically too, cutting feed inputs by 25%. “This is due to a combination of two factors. Firstly Stabilisers are better foragers and are better suited to making use of grazed grass than some other breeds and, secondly, bulls are measured for net feed efficiency and the most efficient ones are selected to breed cattle that convert feed to meat more efficiently,” he explains.
“A recent batch of seven purebred Stabiliser bulls I sent to ABP Lurgan all killed out U 3/4L and averaged 361Kg at just 13 months and 5 days old with less than a tonne of concentrates fed per bull,” says Mr O’Kane.
Case Study Two – James Evans, Shropshire.
Shropshire-based suckler farmer and current Farmers Weekly beef farmer of the year James Evans is another BeefLink farmer already benefitting from the Stabiliser’s productivity gains, having switched to the breed in 2006.
“The simple fact is Stabilisers are more productive and more profitable than any other breed I’ve worked with. They are easy to keep, with lower feed requirements and fundamentally more fertile than many other breeds and crossbreeds too. Our latest herd sire grew at 2.2Kg a day on a forage based diet while on test at the Stabiliser test unit at Givendale and yet was still in the top 10% for feed efficiency.
“We wean 95 calves for every 100 cows put to the bull, something we could never have achieved with our previous Continental crossbred herd. Importantly only about 2% of cows or heifers require any assistance at calving, which makes a significant difference to calf survival, cow fertility and herd management costs. Our best cows are weaning calves that are 55% of their bodyweight at 200 days old and 80% of them calve within the first three weeks of the calving period.”
Mr Evans says that while a purebred Stabiliser herd like his may not suit everyone the breed has massive potential as a highly efficient, easily managed suckler cow. “They’re a perfect suckler cow, efficient, fertile and of a moderate size too.”
