With just over two months to go until the start of the 40th Expointer, the Brazilian Association of Hereford and Braford (ABHB) has already defined the jurors who will evaluate the breeds in 2017. At Hereford, the Show will feature the appreciation of coach Pedro Brasil, who has more than 50 years of experience in the breed. For Braford, the chosen juror will be ABHB-accredited Technical Inspector Luiz Rafael Lagreca, who has been working with the Entity for 32 years.
“Two unique professionals for our Entity, responsible for developing great work for years in favor of the Hereford and Braford, promoting not only the growth of the breeds, but also the promotion of Brazilian livestock farming”, informed Felipe Azambuja, Operations Manager at ABHB. The process began with the Regional Nuclei, which indicated suggestions to the Entity's Technical Deliberative Council (CDT), which in turn carried out a vote among the members and forwarded the names for final consideration by the ABHB.
Hereford breed
This is the second time that Dr. Pedro Brasil will evaluate the Hereford breed in an edition of Expointer. “As a technician, it is a professional achievement to receive this deference from breeders and the Entity”, he thanked when informing that he will look for the intrinsic racial conditions of the Hereford in the evaluated specimens, known for its efficiency in grass production and for the flavor and tenderness of its meat. , without forgetting adaptability to the most diverse environments, docility of handling and high longevity.
Breeders have a high libido and excellent jumping performance, they have a strong skeleton, good muscle mass and a graceful gait with balanced strides. “I will be looking for scavenger animals, always looking to see the production conditions in a bull. In steers, the high capacity for weight gain and high-yield carcasses.” To achieve this, explains Brasil, the animals need to obey the “Bosman” concept, that is, “the bull needs to be big without being big”.
The specialist will also judge the breeders' ability to cover cows, as well as the integrity of the genitals. In females, you will look for specimens that demonstrate high lactation capacity and femininity.
Braford breed
Acclaimed among creators, Luiz Rafael Lagreca is flattered to be able to contribute at this most important moment. “My affection and thanks to the creators who chose me. I have a special love for the ABHB family.”
The more than three decades working as Technical Inspector gave Lagreca unique wisdom in the breed, known for bringing together in a single animal the fertility, maternal ability, precocity, good temperament, volume and quality of Hereford meat with the ability to adapt to the tropics, resistance to ectoparasites and high temperatures, rusticity and carcass yield of zebu, in addition to the undeniable benefit of heterosis, which further qualifies their meat.
The Braford male is extremely fertile, virile and precocious, adapting very well to field breeding conditions. Holder of exceptional muscle mass; is unparalleled in its mission to produce calves.
“I will seek to direct Braford towards the production of genotypic selection. We will look for productive animals, with finishing and good indexes”. In females, it will evaluate the calf production capacity. “I don’t want muscularity in females. Let’s look for animals with good mammary devices.”
In its 40th edition, the International Exhibition of Animals, Machines, Implements and Agricultural Products takes place this year between August 26th and September 3rd, at the traditional Assis Brasil Exhibition Park, in Esteio, RS.
Source: Agrolink
