PURCHASING sires from seedstock producers is not the only source of herd bulls for commercial producers. There are some producers, especially under extensive conditions in northern Australia, who select sires from within their own breeding programs.
In many cases these programs are influenced by an introduced sire, where the new bull is joined to a select group of elite females in a nucleus seedstock herd, with the best of the male progeny kept as bulls.
There are advantages in these systems, particularly where producers are seeking to set their own direction, selecting for the best…
