Business Rural North Winter 2021

| 39 for manager Manahau Station farm manager Brendon Low. RURAL PEOPLE » Manahau Station Beamer’s 170,000 daughters proof he has the right stuff O ne of the country’s most famous fathers has been recognised for his significant contribu- tion to the dairy industry after siring more than 170,000 daughters for New Zealand farms. The Holstein-Friesian bull, San Ray FM Beamer- ET S2F, or ‘Beamer’ as he is known to farmers, was inducted into an elite animal ‘Hall of Fame’ by farmer-owned co-operative LIC. The honour is shared with Beamer’s breeders, Ray and Sandra Hocking of Carterton, who supplied the bull to LIC as a calf after he was selected as a contender for the co-op’s elite teams of artificial breeding bulls based on his high genetic merit. Ray Hocking said they have been proud to follow Beamer’s success, seeing him be selected for the LIC bull team and then be so popular with farmers, for his high genetic merit, overall conformation traits and ability to breed capacious daughters with good udders. “Beamer has a lot of things that just ‘click’ with New Zealand farmers. His daughters are not overly tall but they are very wide. Production wise, he’s also got great numbers and a perfect balance of protein to fat,” Ray said. “As breeders we are very proud of his achieve- ments. We know he has delivered a lot of value to a lot of farmers around New Zealand.” LIC livestock selection manager, Simon Worth, says Beamer is the 58 th bull to be inducted into the co-op’s Hall of Fame, an honour which is strictly reserved for animals that have delivered a significant contribution to the dairy industry, dating back to 1954. “Beamer well and truly meets that criteria. Not only has he fathered more than 170,000 daughters for New Zealand’s dairy herd but he has also sired more than 92 sons and 54 grandsons who are now following in his footsteps and achieving tremen- dous success.” He is also one of only four bulls in New Zea- land’s 70-year history of AB to surpass more than one million straws of semen for artificial insemina- tion. “Beamer is an outstanding bull and his contribu- tion will have a prolonged effect on New Zealand farms for many years to come. “He’s always had a great nature too and is a favourite with our farm staff – a quality that would be appreciated in his daughters too I’m sure. “He enjoys a good scratch behind the ears and is often seen in his paddock sitting like a dog, waiting patiently and keeping an eye on his sur- roundings,” Worth said. His induction into the Hall of Fame was an- nounced to some of the country’s top bull breeders who gathered in Hamilton for LIC’s Breeders’ Day event on 5 May. About San Ray Beamer • Born in 2010, as a result of an embryo transfer • Sired by Fairmont Mint-Edition - 105038 (a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee) • Debuted in the Premier Sires teams in 2015 • 734,073 liquid inseminations (PS & SPS) and over 1 million straws • 170,000 daughters • 92 sons and 52 grandsons for the artificial breeding (AB) industry • BW 216/98 as of 24 April 2021 How Beamer got his name San Ray FM Beamer-ET S2F. ‘San Ray’ is the name of his breeder’s Stud. ‘FM’ refers to his sire Fairmont Mint-Edition. Beamer – the name chosen for him by LIC Live- stock Selection staff. ‘ET’ is because he resulted from an embryo transfer. S2F is his registration status from the breed as- sociation. Holstein Friesian bull San Ray FM Beamer-ET S2F, or ‘Beamer’ as he is known to farmers, was inducted into an elite animal ‘Hall of Fame’ in Hamilton on May 5 by farmer-owned co-operative LIC. Oldest performance recorded stud in the country (Sil no.2). Stud breeding in the harshest conditions. Hogget’s mated to ensure two tooth replacements are of high natural fertility. Ewes clip 5kg of quality wool High weaning percentages 85% Ewe Hoggets 160% Stud Ewes Breeding technologies to improve your bottom line: • Carla - Testing immune response to internal parasites • 5K - Genomic accuracies for various traits • Foot rot gene marker test •