Farmer advisory panel for animal evaluation

NZAEL manager Jeremy Bryant says it is important for farmers to be involved in genetic evaluation development.

“The perspective and experience of farmers is invaluable in enhancing the animal evaluation system.”

The panel will be a forum for discussion between farmers, researchers and the NZAEL team, and to assist NZAEL in identifying practical issues.

The panel’s six farmers have businesses that represent a range of NZ farming systems. They are advocates of genetic improvement, and will meet five times a year to give practical views on R&D proposed or underway by NZAEL and DairyNZ researchers.

It is now giving feedback on two R&D areas: first, a project to reduce the ‘reproof bias’ in AE enrolled sires; second, a mid-term review of the economic models used to generate breeding worth. The review will begin this spring and the panel and other stakeholders will comment.