The Council of the Society resolved to set up the Australian Shorthorn Herd Book in September 1972.  The first volume of the Herd Book was published in 1974, together with Volume 25 of the Beef Shorthorn Herd Book.  The regulations pertaining to the new herd book were published at that time.  They were very simple, and were heavily weighted towards giving breeders an opportunity to register inspected cattle of suitable shorthorn type.  There was no provision for "breeding up" through the new herd book into the Beef Shorthorn Herd Book.  There was only one way of doing that - through the appendix register in the Beef Shorthorn Herd Book.

That was the situation when I first bought Beef Shorthorn females in 1974.  I began with 16 females bought at Mansfield and then added 16 females in calf to a Tippett bull bought at Bendigo.  I soon added 20 heifers bought at Casterton.  All this happened before I acquired my first stud female - which I see was in July 1975.

Between 1974 and 1991 I ran my stud and grade females as a single herd.  They were joined to the same Beef Shorthorn bulls, and culling was done on a whole herd basis.  Although I gradually built up the number of my stud females, grade females always predominated.

From the very beginning, a visitor to Morningtime would have been unable to work out which females were registered Beef Shorthorns, and which were not.  But I have no doubt that the grade females embraced a wider gene pool.

By the late 1980's, the Australian Shorthorn Herd Book regulations had been amended to permit breeding up through that book into the Beef Shorthorn Herd Book.  What was envisaged was the inspection and registration of horned females, and then the use of registered Beef Shorthorn bulls through the succeeding generations.  Then, as now, this was simply one alternative.  Many breeders of Australian Shorthorns have no interest in doing such a thing.  Their interest, for example may be in registering polled cattle, or Beef Shorthorn/Poll Shorthorn crosses.

In 1991, years later than I should have done, I had 35 of my grade females inspected - 24 reds and the balance roans.  My plan was to use the Australian Shorthorn Herd Book to breed up to acceptability for the Beef Shorthorn Herd Book.  In the years that have followed, I have got closer and closer to achieving that goal.  It's been slow work, because I always cull between two thirds and three quarters of my heifer calves and I do not join females until about 21 months.  Obviously a breeder with a different programme could much shorten the time for achieving Beef Shorthorn Herd Book acceptability.

First in 2006, and much more greatly this year, I have reached where I was headed - which required that on each side of the pedigree there are 15 registered cattle (this includes an inspected female).

The figures tell the tale.  Of the first 40 calves dropped in 2006, 13 were registrable as Beef Shorthorns and 27 were registrable as Australian Shorthorns.  Of the first 40 calves dropped this year, 24 are registrable as Beef Shorthorns and 16 are registrable as Australian Shorthorns.  The trend will accelerate, for another year I will be joining the first group of females which reached Beef Shorthorn Herd Book acceptability.

As I see it my "new" Beef Shorthorn females reflect the end product of more than 30 years use of identifiable Beef Shorthorn sires - bulls bought and bred, and of the highest calibre.  I think it is a good thing for the wellbeing of our Society that they are now registrable in the Beef Shorthorn Herd Book. From my perspective, based on their performance and that of their forbears, they have a fair bit to offer.

Justice David Ashley, "Morningtime", Elingamite