A NEW tool from Genus ABS will, for the first time ever, provide dairy farmers with a financial value that each proven beef sire offers. 

During the last 40 years, Genus ABS has tested more than 500 beef sires to provide dairy farmers with greater confidence on how sires perform when crosses on dairy cows, with the results providing the foundations of BeefAdvantage.

Each sire requires 120 calvings across 60 herds to reach a proven status, and the records – which include calving ease, gestation length, calf conformation and calf survivability – take into account current economic values and calves prices. BeefAdvantage has been developed to provide dairy farmers with an additional tool to help make sire selections that drive profitability. 

“Using our proprietary Genus ABS beef calving survey information and current industry economics, we have calculated a financial figure that demonstrates the additional profit that can be achieved from using our best proven beef sires compared to the average beef bull that has been tested within our programme," said Mark Smith, EMEA beef director. 

"The BeefAdvantage is the additional profit an individual Genus ABS proven beef sires can deliver for our customers compared to the average bull of that breed when crossed on to dairy cows.” 

Jocelyn Orr, EMEA beef brand manager commented: “Our best sires deliver tremendous value to our customers. Not only through higher calf income but also through saved calving difficulty costs, shorter gestation lengths and greater calf survivability. 

"For example, British Blue sire Newpole Heartthrob boasts a fantastic BeefAdvantage of £72 per calf born. Compare this to British Blue sire Ruaig Ginger that has a BeefAdvantage of -£11.20, and you can see Heartthrob will provide you with an additional £83.20 per calf born compared to using Ruaig Ginger."