“We have only used the RMS service for 12 months the results have been exceptional. We received conception rates of up to 81% across Sexcel® and Beef InFocus™ ” Tom Rawson, Evolution Farms
Evolution Farming, owned in partnership by Tom Rawson and Charlie Crotty, comprises six block calving herds, three Spring and three autumn located in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk and two farms in Cheshire. The farms operate on both Conventional & Organic systems. There are 2,500 milking cows across the six farms and 40 members of staff employed across the Dairy, Beef, Sheep and Arable enterprises. A Sexcel® & Beef InFocus™ strategy is implemented across all six farms alongside RMS where Genus ABS Sexcel® semen is used across Irish Holstein, Friesian, Jersey and Norwegian Red breeds.
Introducing RMS…
“We have only used the RMS service for 12 months but the results have been exceptional. We received conception rates of up to 81% across Sexcel® and Beef InFocus™ at our Autumn Block unit in Cheshire.
“In one of our farms we can see that 78% will calve in the first six weeks. At one of our other farms, out of the 300 Sexcel® pregnancies, 247 are due to calve in the first 21 days and 297 will be due in the first six weeks. Sexcel® has really helped to improve the tightness of our block calving system. We use the Genus ABS RMS Technicians to allow our staff to focus on other aspects of the business that need close attention during the busiest periods. Our RMS Technician Kevin Barton is an exceptional operator and he takes care of the fertility of the herd.”
Why Sexcel® & Beef InFcous™?
“Our main aim is to be profitable, which in turn enables us to develop a sustainable business we can invest in for the future to allow us to continue to expand. The Sexcel® & Beef InFocus™ strategy has been a component that has helped us to achieve this so we will continue to implement this strategy as part of our wider plan to get where we want to be.”
Sexcel® allows us to avoid unwanted dairy bull calves, have control over the number of heifer replacements we will get but more importantly by getting a heifer calf from our best cows we are breeding more profitable cows. We have expanded from 120 cows and four employees to 2,500 cows and 40 employees in just four years. The environment we operate in is changing fast and we need to react. We plan to keep expanding with surplus heifers and Sexcel® is supporting that.
Sire Selection…
I keep out of the genetics and let my breeding advisor Richard Lucas to work with each herd manager regarding sire selection. It works fantastically to have that one point of contact.
The highest €EBI sires with excellent Fertility, good Fat and Protein as well as Calving Ease are the main focus of the herd. These are the genetics that will allow us to be more profitable. Our beef calves must calve easy yet have great calf quality; Wagyu, British Blue, Hereford & Longhorn are used with great success.
Sexcel® & Beef InFocus™ is the future…
The way I see it, Genetics & RMS sit in the labour bill, I leave Genus ABS to take care of the fertility of our herds and provide the genetics to allow us to make profit, it’s a great working relationship.
For us, we need to keep growing to keep good people, so it is a no brainer we will continue to use Sexcel® & Beef InFocus™ alongside the RMS service to allow us to do so.
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