January calving is now underway at Kinnego Herefords. The exclusively polled herd is owned by Co. Armagh-based, Ciaran Kerr, who farms close to Lurgan on the shores of Lough Neagh.
Kerr is currently halter training a selection of May 2024 bull and heifer weanlings in preparation for the upcoming show season.
“There are two breed sales coming up to between now and April, with Balmoral Show following-on pretty quickly thereafter.
“I prefer to show young stock. In my opinion, It’s an approach that better reflects the standard of genetics within the herd and the performance standards being achieved by individual animals,” he said.
According to Kerr, all of his cattle have progressed well over recent months.
“But it has been a very strange winter in many ways. On Christmas day, it was 15°C in the main cattle shed. A week later, the temperature had dropped to minus 2°C.
“Thankfully, we have had no pneumonia-related issues to deal with this winter. And, hopefully, it will say that way,” he added.
Kinnego Herefords
Kerr also confirmed a strong demand for pedigree Hereford breeding bulls at the present time.
“I am now being approached on almost equal basis by both suckler and dairy farmers. Previously, the demand was coming predominantly from the milk sector with farmers wanting to cross replacement heifers with easy calving bulls.
“However, suckler herd owners now view well shaped Hereford bulls as a means of producing high quality replacement heifers with an ability to produce lots of milk.
“In addition, commercial finishers recognise the value of the various Hereford beef schemes that are available from the meat plants,” according to Kerr.
Meanwhile, Kerr looks back on 2024 with a great degree of satisfaction, with noted success archived at both Balmoral and the Hereford National Show.
“I was particularly satisfied with the performance achieved at the 2024 National Show, which was held at Antrim back in July.
“The young Bull, Kinnego 1 Amazon, won the Male Hereford Junior Championship, the overall Junior Hereford male championship and was selected as the overall male reserve champion on the day.
“Meanwhile, Kinnego 1 Ann, won the Hereford Junior female championship and was then selected as the Reserve Junior Champion.
“In addition, she took the best homebred heifer award. The Hereford pairs’ competition saw Ann and Amazon teaming up to take home the first prize.”
“It’s a case now of building on this for the future. Hereford cattle have a unique ability to thrive on grass and forage-based production systems,” he said.
