| 2013-01-30 |  |
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A Charolais bull that was hotly tipped to lead the bidding at the Stirling Bull Sales next month (February 2013) has been snapped up by Cogent Breeding prior to the sale.
The withdrawal of the bull – Alwent Goldbar – means his elite genetics can now be made available to the widest possible cross-section of Charolais breeders and commercial beef producers.
Alwent Goldbar
“This bull is right at the top of the Charolais breed,” says Cogent’s beef specialist Boomer Birch who sourced him for the stud. “I’d seen his Estimated Breeding Values and knew they alone made him something special, but when I saw the bull himself I knew I had to pull out all the stops to acquire him for use in AI.
“Genetics like this do not come along very often, and Goldbar not only has figures that rank him in the top one per cent of the Charolais breed, but he also has unbelievable physical appearance, is put together correctly in every way and has fantastic breed character,” he says.
But in addition to figures and form, Goldbar also has a sought-after pedigree, being a son of Blelack Digger and out of Alwent Daffodil, who comes from the same family as the record-breaking 70,000 guinea Barnesford Ferny.
“Goldbar is without doubt the best bull we have ever bred at Alwent Hall,” says his breeder, Steven Nesbitt who farms with his brother and father at Winston, near Darlington. “His dam, Alwent Daffodil, is an easy fleshing animal with terrific growth, and when she scanned exceptionally well, we decided to flush her as a maiden heifer.
“Goldbar is the first son to result from this flush and is a combination of two genetically outstanding animals.”
EBVs in top one per cent
Highlights of Goldbar’s EBVs include +69 and +81 for 400 and 600 day
weights respectively, +7.5 eye muscle area, +4.2 retail beef yield
and +84 terminal index, all of which are in the top one per cent for
the Charolais breed.
“But it isn’t just the terminal traits for which this bull excels,” adds Mr Birch. “His self replacing index of +77 is also in the breed’s top one per cent, so I’d expect him to produce outstanding suckler herd replacements as well as the next generation of elite sires.
“Goldbar’s use in commercial, suckler and bull-breeding herds is therefore assured and I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to secure the Charolais breed’s most elite genetics for widespread use across the UK and internationally, where I believe he will provide the modern day beef industry with just the product it needs.”
