By Simmental UK
In another sizeable pedigree Simmental export, 32 embryos from the noted Kilbride Farm herd of WH Robson & Sons, Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, have been exported to Australia and the Knox Farms Simmental Fleckvieh herd of Jeff & Robbie Knox, ‘Kokomo’, near Goulbourn, New South Wales.
With an interest in both horned and polled cattle, and liking the type of cattle seen on the Kilbride Farm Facebook and Instagram posts, Jeff Knox originally contacted the Robsons to enquire about importing semen from the herd’s homozygous polled stock bull Kilbride Farm Hans PP. With the semen not qualified for export to Australia, some further research and discussion led to the collection and sale of the embryos.
Through analysis of pictures, pedigrees, and performance information of many of the herd’s cows, Mr Knox particularly liked the daughters of the bull Crugmelyn Brenin and picked out Kilbride Farm Gina 26F and Kilbride Farm Eunice 206G. Kilbride Farm Kells, a Sneumgaard Imperator PP son out of Kilbride Farm Gina 26F, finished second in the young bull class of the Society’s 2020 Virtual Show and was subsequently sold to the pedigree Kilcorn herd of Mr M Hamill, Portadown. Kilbride Farm Eunice 206G is described as ‘a massive cow weighing 1090kg’ with a stated aim of Mr Knox being to introduce more size into his herd. Previously her full brother Kilbride Farm Digby, sold for 11,500gns in Stirling.