‘L
I’m lucky that the Hall family allow me to manage the herd as if it were my own
ong-lived, high yielding cows are the aspiration of many herd managers, but for Jim Ryan of the Reydon herd, Southwold, Suffolk, it’s the reality. Indeed such is the longevity of the herd that it has recorded no fewer than 14 100t cows, with average recorded yields at 11,591kg and cull rate of just 22%.
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“Like every herd we’re looking to breed functional cows that milk well and last in our system,” explains Jim who manages the herd for Andrew and Janet Hall and their son and daughter-in-law David and Bella. And with cows having to walk up to a mile from grazing to the parlour, legs and feet are a key consideration for Jim and assistant herdsman Russell Scraggs. “We need cows that can walk well and carry a bag full of milk too,” he explains.
“Unfortunately, due to the differing land types and the farm layout we
don’t have any grazing ground around the buildings so all cows have to walk a fair way to grass in the summer months, although the high yielders only do it once a day, being housed overnight throughout summer. “I’m also aiming for a cow which is strong through the front end and has a good deep body. While we’ve never aimed to breed big cows, most herd visitors comment on the size of our cows.
“Some may feel they’re too big, but they work for us here, are long lived and yield well.”
On top of that the cows classify well too, with the herd currently comprising 18 Excellents, 84 VGs and 77 GPs, with seven of the VGs being VG two year olds and the herd averaging just shy of 84 points. “Classifying is without a doubt one of the best things we do for cow management and breeding. It’s the one day when we really get to see each and every cow as an individual animal and study them carefully.
TOP LEFT This is the EX91 Reydon Jordan Cassa in her sixth lactation.
TOP RIGHT Classified EX91 Reydon Decker Audrey 9 is in her third lactation.
OPPOSITE LEFT Jim Ryan manages the Reydon herd alongside assistant herdsman Russell Scraggs. LEFT Reydon Mtoto Annie 13, an Ex90 eighth calver that has given 110t of milk lifetime and is a maternal sister to Journalist Annie 15.
THE JOURNAL DECEMBER 2014 47
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AGRIPHOTO
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