Online bonanza for top Hereford breeder

After six decades breeding Herefords, Meath farmer Val Ledwith is more convinced than ever of their merits for quality beef, reports Martin Ryan

Virtual champion: Supreme Hereford Male Champion, Rathregan Bonanza

January 12 2021 06:00 AM

A yearling Pedigree Hereford bull has carved an unusual niche is the history books of the breed after becoming the first ‘virtual’ Supreme Male Champion after being chosen by breeders nationwide in an online poll.

Although Rathregan Bonanza comes from a long line of quality genes built up over the past half century in Val Ledwith’s herd in Co Meath, his success was something of a surprise for his breeder.

“He is a nice little bull, but I hadn’t expected him to do so well although he has a good breeding line behind him” said Val of the champion calf selected by breeders after the cancellation of the Hereford show due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The December 2019-born bull was judged winner of the class for bulls born on or between October 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 before going on to take the title for Male Champion of the Show and Supreme Male Champion of Show in the public vote on the Hereford Society’s web page last month.

“He was a day short of a year old when the society representative called to see him and we put him on the scales and he was just 600kgs (12 cwt) and that was one of the best weights I think that I ever got for a Hereford here off grass,” said Val.

A committed Hereford breeder since his father purchased their first Hereford when Val was a teenager more than 60 years ago, he will calve 80, including twenty heifers, in the herd at Rathregan, Batterstown this spring which makes Rathregan one of the largest pedigree Hereford herds in Leinster.

Val Ledwith with “Rathregan Boyo” born July 2015 and weighed 625kg at 12 months. He was one of the many great sons produced by the herd's stock bull “Corlismore Lad”.

He has been a strong advocate of finishing beef animals for Hereford Prime at 20-22 months. A supporter of the bonus scheme since it was launched, he points to the breed bonus and quality assurance bonus adding at least 40 c/kg to the factory returns as evidence of the scheme’s value.

He described his champion bull Bonanza as “well shaped from behind, with a very nice looking head, a good top line, well sprung in the rib and not too wide on the shoulders”, and attributes his qualities to the dams in the
herd.

“I have spent a lifetime looking for the best mother cows that I can find and I have been to Australia and Denmark and other parts of the world looking for the bulls that can produce good females because I think that if you don’t have a good mother cow you’ll never have good cattle,” said Val.

Rathregan Bonanza was bred by the home bred sire, Rathregan Saurez, a five star bull that is breeding very well.

“His sire, Charlie, is out of a heifer of my own , Rathregan Valeria, a heifer that I bred on the farm but Charlie’s father was Kilsunny Goliath from the well known Dudley’s herd near Thurles. He was out of a cow called Kilsunny Last Wallflower, a very famous cow in the Dudley herd that won a lot of awards,” he explained.

Breeding lines

“On the mother’s side, the breeding goes back to Ballinalick Robin, the last bull that won at the last RDS Spring Show and he was champion at Tullamore in the 1990s. He was a super bull. I reckon that he was probably one of the best Hereford bulls I ever came across in this country.”

Former Rathregan Herd Hereford Stock Bull - “Corlismore Lad” judged Supreme Hereford All-Ireland Champion Tullamore 2012 and Supreme Male Hereford Champion Tullamore 2013.

The herd breeding line also includes Rathregan Pretty Maid 121, a cow of Stephen Kenny’s, a traditional Hereford breeder in Co Offaly.

This breeding line includes FH Patrick, a son of Bowmount Sorren, which goes back to a bull that Val first saw in Australia, Glenden Pack Storm.

“A few years ago I saw a bull being shown at Pembury and he finished up being placed down the line by the judge. His breeder was disappointed and didn’t like where he finished.
I liked the bull and offered the breeder £10,000 for him, but he refused to sell him. A year later he became the champion at Pembury and I got some straws by him and bred some smashing cows.”

Val recalls once told ‘you are going nowhere with the Herefords’, but after six decades of the breed, he remains more convinced than ever of the merits of the breed as profitable beef animals,

Online bonanza for top Hereford breeder

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