Export – sire profile:
MANHATTEN – Protein King
No other Jersey bull in New Zealand can touch the sire Manhatten for his protein power, overall conformation and farmer appeal. Now in his fifth season since graduating in 2003-04 Manhatten still maintains the no.1 New Zealand Merit Index (NZMI) spot for the breed and is yet to be dethroned after five years as the highest ranking jersey sire in the country for protein, with a current protein BV of 37kg, clearing his nearest rival by 8kg!
Okura Manhatten ET SJ3 entered AmBreed’s progeny test scheme in 2000 through Jersey Genes, a Joint Venture project with the Jersey New Zealand breed society (JNZ). Sired by Fyn Lemvig (a high profile Danish sire) out of a Tregarden Ponsonby cow, his genetics were considered “a little bit left-field”, according to AmBreed sire analyst Aaron Parker, with Lemvig being an outcross bull AmBreed used only sparingly at the time. His dam Kaipara Moonshine SJ2 VHC had already begun to establish herself as a bull mother with AI companies as well as a prolific breeder of elite females, and was owned by the Okura Jersey stud of Bruce and Ngaire Cutforth, Northland.
Currently with 8,726 daughters in his New Zealand production proof, and 1038 daughters in his type proof, Manhatten’s 2008 figures have remained remarkably strong in all areas when compared to his initial crop figures in 2004 based on 85 and 42 daughters respectively. Indeed his protein has increased 2kg with his second crop, along with farmer Overall Opinion score. He sires capacious cows with strong udders and high milk volume, and exhibits breeding values well above breed average for all these traits, including those for Longevity, and Dairy Conformation.
Given these facts it’s no wonder the popularity of this “all-rounder” has soared amongst New Zealand dairy farmers, and semen sales very quickly extended to the export market. This year his total semen sales overseas will approach 200,000 straws. Initial sales in 2004 to a handful of countries have now trebled, and currently extend to 12 countries. In South Africa, one of the first countries Manhatten semen was exported to, he is now the highest-ranking Jersey sire.
And sales don’t look like slowing either, despite the only blip on Manhatten’s radar being occurrence of an abnormal condition in a small percentage of Manhatten progeny. Although otherwise normal, some calves have been reported exhibiting weakness at birth, and muscle tremors. AmBreed continues to research this phenomenon that is revealing no simple link to genetic or environmental influence.
Moonshine
The influence of Manhatten is set to bloom even more this year, with the first group of Manhatten sons to graduate, along with 3 years worth of sons in-waiting likely to be brought forward through genomic selection! His dam Moonshine is now proving herself the cornerstone of a very successful cow family at Okura producing sires Moonstruck, Moneymaker, and more recently successful AmBreed graduate Mercury (a grandson of Moonshine), along with many contracted daughters and granddaughters successfully moving around the country.
The Okura stud, situated in a dairying pocket of land at Hukerenui, carries three generations of Northland Jersey breeders behind it. Bruce Cutforth began the Okura stud within his parent’s herd in 1978, eventually taking over the herd, increasing cow numbers to 500, and moving it’s breeding focus from a “more traditional” to “high performance” one. Today the farm is run in partnership with Bruce and Ngaire’s daughter and son in-law, and carries 260 cows, on 88 ha (effective) centering around a pasture-based system supplemented with maize grown on farm.
The stud’s sold many animals over the years, the family maintaining a heavy involvement in the breed. Bruce is a classifier and past President of JNZ. Indeed it was during the latter he discovered Manhatten’s dam, Moonshine, when organizing a JNZ Annual Conference Invitation Sale in Dargaville. Moonshine was on offer in the sale as a yearling heifer. Bruce had taken a liking to the animal and subsequently purchased her at the sale. On stage at the time of purchase was also a bottle of ‘moonshine’ to go with the animal. Not being a drinker Bruce said he received many jokes on sale night regarding this, and subsequently the bottle mysteriously disappeared a little while later! However it did reappear, magically, several years later at another JNZ Annual Conference…. the year that Manhatten graduated!
