Mint bull to go down in history on hall of fame
An elite artificial breeding bull that has delivered a significant contribution to dairy farms nationwide will forever
be recognised as one of the very best after being inducted into LIC’s prestigious Hall of Fame last week.
Fairmont Mint-Edition, a Holstein-Friesian sire bred by Barry and Linda Old of Morrinsville, is the 53rd animal to be
recognised on the Hall of Fame in more than 50 years of artificial breeding in New Zealand.
In a special presentation to the breeders last week, Mint-Edition was praised for “well and truly living up to his
name,” since debuting on the co-op’s Premier Sires team in 2009.
“Mint-Edition very quickly took his place at the top of the team and proved very popular with farmers who consistently
told us he is the best bull they have ever used,” LIC bull acquisition manager, Simon Worth.
“Over four consecutive years as a Premier Sire, Mint-Edition averaged nearly 155,000 inseminations each season, and will
go on record with a truly impressive lifetime tally of just under 800,000 inseminations.
“Currently, Mint-Edition has more than 71,000 herd tested daughters in New Zealand, and they will be joined in the
coming seasons by more of his later born progeny. Daughters can also be found across the globe, in some of LIC’s major
export markets.
“Mint-Edition’s contribution to this industry has been immense, and will continue to be. His legacy will be seen on
farms for generations to come.”
The bull’s superiority also made him an obvious choice as a sire of future sons for the industry, Worth said, with
plenty in the sire proving pipeline and some already taking their place on the DairyNZ Ranking of Active Sires (RAS)
list.
One of Mint-Edition’s son, San Ray Beamer, is currently the number one bull on the RAS list across all breeds, with 318
BW.
“For Mint-Edition to not only lead the team for his four years, and then go on to sire such an extreme son, and more in
the pipeline, that has to be the pinnacle in any bull’s career.
“There is no doubt that Mint-Edition has rightfully earned his place on the LIC Hall of Fame. I congratulate Barry and
Linda for their exceptional breeding skills and for supplying this legend of a bull to LIC, for us to share with our
farmers.”
LIC’s Hall of Fame, located at its Newstead headquarters, is exclusively reserved for animals whose achievements have
had, and will continue to have, a profound influence on the profitability of New Zealand’s dairy farmers and in-turn,
the economy.
The criteria for the Hall of Fame are demanding, and the merits of potential candidates are carefully assessed.
Prior to Mint-Edition, the last animal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was Jersey sire Shepherds Noontime, in 2010.
Mint-Edition was inducted into LIC’s Hall of Fame as part of the co-op’s annual Breeders’ Day event in Hamilton last
week. Read more about the event: http://bit.ly/BreedersDay2015
Fairmont Mint-Edition
· Fairmont Mint-Edition was born in 2004, at the Fairmont stud of Barry and Linda Old, Morrinsville.
· He was the very first bull Barry and Linda sold to LIC
· Created by the mating of Top Deck KO Pierre over the Paladium daughter Mindy.
· The pregnancy took our interest and sure enough, in 2004, a young Mint-Edition was born.
· Mindy’s grandsire was Marty Red. A true outcross, not only through his sire/dam combination, but also because his dam
was four parts Meuse-Rhine-Issel – a breed developed in the south-eastern sections of the Netherlands as dual-purpose
for both milk and meat production.
· Mint-Edition himself is a fully registered pedigree with Holstein Friesian New Zealand.
· He debuted on the Premier Sires team in 2009
· Since then, the bull has accounted for 789,837 inseminations and created 139,577 daughters for the national herd
· 71,000 of these are currently herd tested daughters in New Zealand.
ENDS