Livestock Matters - Winter 2018

Livestock Matters Winter 2018 XLVets FarmSkills once again exhibited at AgriScot 2018 on Wednesday 21st November. 10,000 people attend the one day event and it was great to see six XLVet members support the stand on the day talking about everything from practical lambing workshops through to DIY AI. AgriScot now encompasses four exhibition Halls including the most recent addition; The Upland Hall, which helps to offer visitors an even greater range of products and services. Add in competitions for aspiring young agricultural professionals, silage and new products, business seminars, technical demonstrations and over 240 trade stands exhibiting a wide variety of products, services and advice covering every aspect of agriculture and it’s easy to see that AgriScot is the place to be if you are in the business of farming. Linsay Eaglesham and Jennifer Oldroyd, Armour Veterinary Group “AgriScot is always a really enjoyable event to attend. It has a very positive, upbeat atmosphere. We take a bus of clients to the event and they always seem to have a great day. At this year’s event, it was announced that one of our clients won Scottish dairy farmer of the year, so it was even more upbeat than usual!” The XLVets stand was busy throughout the day with lots of familiar faces calling in for a ‘catch-up’. 05 Better beef breeding for commercial farmers The British beef and lamb industry is facing uncertain times and it has never been more important for farmers to use all tools available to them in order to progress their business, is the advice from AHDB Beef & Lamb. Estimated breeding values (EBVs) are a tool which estimate the genetic worth of a sire and indicate how his calves will perform. A Defra survey conducted in 2017 found that only 16 per cent of farmers were consistently using EBVs to make breeding decisions. Compared to other larger beef- producing countries, improvements are there to be made. For commercial beef farmers, EBVs are now available for traits that are directly related to the EUROP grid. The new Carcase Trait EBVs provide farmers with highly reliable figures derived from BCMS and abattoir data, enabling them to choose sires that will produce calves that are better suited to the market and will finish quicker. For more information on the new EBVs visit http://beefandlamb. ahdb.org.uk/returns/breeding/ How are EBVs used in competitor countries? In January, AHDB Beef & Lamb will be running a series of events with Max Tweedie, National Beef Genetics Manager from B&L Genetics NZ. These events will give farmers a chance to hear how breeding tools are used in New Zealand and the financial returns beef farmers are gaining from them. It will also be a chance to learn how to select a sire that is suited to your system and market and how other breeding tools such as artificial insemination (AI), synchronisation and heat detection systems can be used to help fast-track genetic progress. The events will be held as follows: • 24 Jan (day time) – Ashbourne, Derbyshire • 24 Jan (evening) – Brough, Cumbria • 25 Jan (day time) – Worcestershire • 28 Jan (day time) - South West (TBC) • 28 Jan (evening) – Webinar • 29 Jan (day time) – Chesham, Buckinghamshire Further details will be published once venues are confirmed so keep a look out on the AHDB Beef & Lamb events calendar: http://beefandlamb.ahdb.org. uk/events/ AgriScot 2018