Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:24

Young Jersey sires to the fore

Written by 

JERSEY NEW ZEALAND, releasing its 2012 Jersey Genes team, says this year's young Jersey sires are "unparalleled".

Jersey Genes, a sire proving joint venture between Jersey New Zealand and CRV Ambreed, has for 19 years achieved a graduation rate of 1.38 bulls per year.

Jersey Genes sires are nominated by breeders and, for the first time this year, are also sourced from the new JerseyGenome elite heifer programme. Jersey New Zealand members prove these bulls in their herds and they are included in CRV Ambreed's commercial Progeny Test programme.

CRV Ambreed marketing manager Peter Berney says JerseyGenome and Jersey Genes are benefitting from CRV's genomic selection technology, and they show the success of the technology.

"This data added by genomic selection allows us to look at more bulls (or in the case of JerseyGenome, heifers) and select the best," he says. "And it's working. The latest graduate of the Jersey Genes programme, Pukeroa TGM Manzello, is not only a Jersey Genes bull, but was also marketed by CRV Ambreed as an InSire bull. His strong daughter proof is evidence that we've got this right."

DNA information will be shown this year alongside traditional parental average information for each sire in the Jersey Genes catalogue. This will give farmers and breeders all the information they need to make "great decisions," says Berney. CRV Ambreed is also publishing individual genomic information on its own InSire bull range in the forthcoming Dairy Sires Catalogue. Jersey New Zealand general manager Jenny Taylor says its members have driven the programme's success. "Clients... have acknowledged its merit and proactively used it within their own herds."

The 2012 Jersey Genes lineup is strongly influenced by Okura Lika Murmur S3J, a 2010 graduate. Among the breed's best transmitters for protein, Murmur is said to be consistently turning out daughters with high production, low somatic cells, good fertility and longevity. Five of the seven 2012 Jersey Genes young sires are Murmur sons.

These sires are available as a team and individually to Jersey NZ members.

More like this

Climate-friendly cows closer

Dairy farmers are one step closer to breeding cow with lower methane emissions, offering an innovative way to reduce the nation's agricultural carbon footprint without compromising farm productivity.

First polled bull to make prestigious ranking list

CRV has produced the first homozygous polled bull to make New Zealand’s prestigious Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) list, demonstrating the strides the company is making in breeding top-quality polled bulls.

Embracing Jerseys with no regrets

The last thing most Jersey members would expect to read in the Jersey Focus is an article about the well-known Holstein Friesian and Ayrshire breeders Gary and Karen Peters of the Rock View stud, Midhirst, Taranaki.

Two hemispheres tied together through cows

One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.

Featured

$52,500 fine for effluent mismanagement

A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.

Ospri brings Bovine TB testing in-house

The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.

National

Machinery & Products

Fliegl offers effluent solutions

Founded in Germany as recently as 1977, today, the Fliegl Group employs more than 1100 workers, offering an expansive range…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

It's all about economics

OPINION: According to media reports, the eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister Nicola Willis to ask for a…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter