Keen Demand for Ayrshire Genetics
2009-05-07

A growing demand for Ayrshire genetics amongst UK dairy farmers has prompted two companies to come together with a double sexed semen launch.

Edward Evans, from Cattle Services, and Cogent's Hugh Pocock with Ardmore Crown Napier

The bulls on offer are Ardmore Crown Napier – the first ever UK-bred Ayrshire bull to be offered sexed – and Green Lane Prodigy, a young sire with an exceptional pedigree.

Ardmore Crown Napier hit the headlines in the world of red and whites last month, when he entered the Profitable Lifetime Index rankings as the number one pure Ayrshire sire. His PLI is £168.

Napier was progeny tested in the UK and was used as a young sire throughout the world. His first UK proof shows him to combine good milk production and quality with improvements in both cell counts and lifespan.

With a Type Merit of 1.9, his linear profile is particularly outstanding for mammary conformation, with exceptional udder support.

Ardmore Lena 47 - a Napier daughter

Bred by John Hunter in Northern Ireland, his pedigree is a further attraction as Napier is a son of Meikle Laught Triple Crown, while his dam - McCornick Nepeta 2 EX93 - is full sister to the AI sire, McCornick Nelson.

“We are delighted to be able to offer sexed semen from an Ayrshire bull of such high calibre, which we hope will help satisfy the growing tide of breeders turning to red and white genetics,” said Hugh Pocock, Sales and Genetics Manager with Cogent, who will jointly market the bull with Cattle Services (Ayr) Ltd.

“This bull epitomises all the Ayrshire breed has to offer - outstanding longevity and ease of management, yet with high yields of quality milk,” added Edward Evans from Cattle Services. “And by offering him sexed, there’s a 90 per cent chance that his pregnancies will result in a heifer calf, which gives any herd using him the real prospect of making significant genetic progress.”

The second Ayrshire bull to be sexed and marketed by the two companies is the young sire, Green Lane Prodigy, which has been singled out for the strength and depth of his pedigree – said to combine power and performance.

“It may be unusual to sex semen from a young sire, but we feel that this bull has such an exceptional pedigree that we’d like to give breeders a chance of dabbling in the future,” said Mr Evans.

A son of the popular McCornick Nelson, it is the bull’s mother – Twemlow Heligo Pride EX91 – which is the real eye-catcher, whose production has averaged 11,240kg at 4.31 per cent fat and 3.10 per cent protein over her first six lactations.

List prices: Ardmore Crown Napier £18; sexed £35; Green Lane Prodigy £12; sexed £30. Discounts for quantity.

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