NAMING OF SHORTHORN ANIMALS

The Directors are very concerned that the naming conventions used for naming Beef shorthorn animals are not being followed by some members, and the Directors have instructed the office to reject unsuitable names. The family names of the females give a good indication of the animals breeding and the advice to all members would be to maintain the family name in all subsequent generations.

There are several ways to do this;

• The family name can be used in conjunction with the animals name where the year letter is used to start the animals name eg a daughter of “Stoneleigh Foxglove Gina “ could be named “Stoneleigh Foxglove Heather” where the animal name begins with the year letter

• The family name could be suffixed by a number and each member of the family would take the next consequential number. The number 1 is not used in naming Shorthorns so a daughter of “Stoneleigh Foxglove ” would be named “Stoneleigh Foxglove 2” and so on, the numerals being strictly applied in order of birth and without omissions.

• Alternatively the year letter and the last 3 digits of the ear tag can be used after the family name eg “Stoneleigh Foxglove G123” and then “Stoneleigh Foxglove H456”.

All of these conventions retain the continuity of the family line in the animals name so please think carefully about how you name your animals as any names which may detract from the formality of the naming conventions will be refused by the Society.

The year letter for 2015 is J. Historically the following letters have not been used I, O, Q, U, V. This was done originally to avoid confusion with O and zero and U and V and I and 1 when the animals were tattooed in the ear and has been continued.

SCANNERS

Funding has been obtained by Pedigree Cattle Services to send 7 scanners to Australia to take their accreditation. They are also looking at the possibility of training one of the scanners to qualify to act as an accreditor for training scanners in the UK. If all the scanners pass the accreditation there will be more trained scanners available here in the UK. It is vital that members have their animals scanned to provide as much information as possible for the calculation of EBVs. The Directors are looking at the possibility of introducing a star rating for performance recorded herds which will reflect the amount of information available.

FARMPLAN SOFTWARE

Farmplan users can now access their pedigree information and download it onto their farm software package. The details required to register a calf can then be entered in to the farm programme and sent directly to both BCMS and the Beef Shorthorn Society. Details of the farm package are contained in the farmplan leaflet enclosed with this newsletter.

GADGETS AND GIZMOS – INVENT YOUR OWN!

A TV production company called Studio Lambert is working on an exciting and innovative new series called Big Life Fix. In the programme, their team of expert engineers and designers will create bespoke inventions to transform peoples’ lives for the better.

They would like to speak to people who think they could benefit from the help of our expert team. Whether it’s a cutting-edge innovation that will help a busy family save time or an original invention that will help out with the running of their farm in some way, the possibilities are limitless.

If anybody is interested in being considered for the programme, or if they would like some more information, they can get in touch with the production team on:

biglifefix@studiolambert.com or give the friendly team a call on 020 3040 6809.

The Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society

4th Street, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire. CV8 2LG

t: 02476 696 549

e: shorthorn@shorthorn.co.uk

Beef ShorthornDecember 2014Newsletter:

DAIRY DATES:February 1st - AGM

February 2nd /3rd - Stirling Bull Sales

February 27th - Bull Sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle

March 14th - Production sale from the Ballylinney herd with 120 Beef Shorthorns to sell

April 25th - Chelford Sale

May 14th/15th - Royal Ulster (Balmoral) Show

May 22nd - Annual sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle

June 18th/21st - Royal Highland Show

July 14th/16th - National Beef Shorthorn Show at Great Yorkshire Show

July 20th/23rd - Royal Welsh Show

August 22nd - Youth Development Day at Highland Wagyu

October 19th - Stirling Bull Sales

Beef Shorthorn

Morrisons Update

Following a recent meeting with Morrisons we are delighted to report that their traditional Beef scheme which was rebranded last summer as their signature beef range continues to increase sales in their stores and the number of traditional beef animals required for the scheme has risen from 350 per week to 400 per week so we are looking to source even more Beef Shorthorn sired animals if we are to eventually rebrand the scheme as Beef Shorthorn.

Morrisons are absolutely committed to sourcing as many Beef Shorthorn sired animals as possible and are looking at various ways to achieve this. They are now accepting Beef Shorthorn sired animals out of dairy cows and in conjunction with Morrisons we are looking at ways to encourage large scale milk producers to use Beef Shorthorn bulls on the section of their herds not required to breed replacements.

If you or anyone you know has Store cattle which they need to sell, please contact the office and we will put them in touch with Jim Holden of Morrisons who will help to place the stores into a Morrisons approved finishing unit.

Morrisons have also committed to other schemes in conjunction with the Society to encourage more members to join the Society and register cattle. The first of these schemes is a new members’ scheme which will run for 12 months from January 1st 2015. This scheme offers all new members who register a prefix with the Society, free membership for the first year and 5 free registrations to be registered before December 31st 2016. If you know anyone who you think may be interested in the scheme please pass on this information. There is an application form in the journal or it can be downloaded from the website, or contact the office to have one posted out.

• DOCILE • FERTILE • EASY CALVING • HARDY • EASY CARE • PREMIUM BEEF • NATURAL FORAGERS • PROFITABLE • MILKY • LONG LIVED • WWW.SHORTHORN.CO.UK

‘The ideal functional suckler cow’

Stirling DinnerThe Annual Dinner and Prize Presentation will be again held at the Stirling Highland Hotel, 29 Spittal Street, Stirling, FK8 1DU, telephone 01786 272727. Morrisons plc have again very generously agreed to sponsor the dinner which will allow us to keep the cost of the tickets at £25 per person. Tickets for the dinner should be booked through the Shorthorn Society Office NOT though the hotel. There are a limited number of places and the hotel requires final numbers 7 days before the dinner, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

We have also arranged accommodation for anyone wishing to stay at the Highland Hotel at the following rates:

Single occupancy room £79.00 To include full Scottish Breakfast

Double occupancy room £89.00 To include full Scottish Breakfast

Accommodation should be booked directly with the hotel using the number above. You are advised to book early as rooms are not guaranteed and will be booked on a first come first served basis. These rates will only be available if booked before January 23rd 2015.

Random DNA Testing of Male Calves

The Directors decided at the last meeting that random parentage verification will be carried out on a percentage of calf registrations. Calves for parentage verification will be selected at random. Male calves will already have a DNA sample supplied which will be tested against the sire and for female calves the member will be asked to supply a DNA sample which will then be tested against the sire before the registration is completed. The cost of the initial parentage test will be borne by the Society but in the case of an incorrect parentage match any further testing required to ascertain the correct parentage will be charged to the member. Any parentage disputes will be referred to the Breed Development Committee.

The Directors believe that this is a necessary step to guaranteeing the integrity of the breed. If you require any further clarification, please contact the Society Office.

AGMThe AGM will be held at the Stirling Agricultural Centre on Sunday 1st February 2015 at 3.00pm. We have invited a representative from Morrisons to attend the meeting and give everyone an update on the scheme and their involvement with the society. It is also an ideal opportunity for members to meet Morrisons and ask any questions they may have about the scheme and supplying animals on to the scheme.

SalesThe Society is holding a new sale in 2015 at Borderway Mart, Carlisle. Some members feel that May is too late to be selling/buying bulls so a bull sale (no females) will be held at Borderway Mart, Carlisle on Friday 27th February 2015.

Youth Development DayDue to the continued success of this event, we will be holding this year’s Youth Development Day at Highland Wagyu, Burnside of Balhaldie, Dunblane, FK15 0NB on 22nd August. We would like to thank Highland Wagyu for agreeing to host this event and Tina Russell for organising it. Please make a note of the date in your diary now. More details of the programme will be available nearer the time.