Wednesday, 29 September 2021 07:55

Sexed semen demand rises

Written by  Staff Reporters
LIC is preparing to inseminate around 200,000 cows with fresh sexed semen this Spring, up from 110,00 the previous year. LIC is preparing to inseminate around 200,000 cows with fresh sexed semen this Spring, up from 110,00 the previous year.

The number of New Zealand dairy cows mated to sexed semen is set to double this year as farmers look to capitalise on the technology which delivers a 90% chance of producing a female calf.

LIC, the largest supplier of artificial breeding services in New Zealand, is preparing to inseminate around 200,000 cows with fresh sexed semen this spring, up from 110,000 the previous year.

Malcolm Ellis, LIC general manager NZ Markets, says the increased demand is driven by a deeper understanding and realisation among farmers that if they aren't going to be milking more cows in the future, they will need to be milking better cows.

"Using sexed semen helps farmers accelerate the rate of genetic gain by effectively guaranteeing female offspring, their next generation of replacements, from their highest genetic merit cows."

Ellis says it's pleasing to see farmers applying additional focus on the offspring of their superious cows and avoid retaining female replacements from the tail-end cows - a critical aspect of the herd improvement equation.

"Farmers don't need to leave the gender of their calves to chance. By knowing sufficient replacements will be generated from their best cows, farmers are able to consider alternative beef AB options for their poorer performing animals, enabling them to significantly reduce the number of bobby calves leaving the farm."

Otorohanga farmer Marian Numan used sexed semen for the first time last season to help reduce the number of bobby calves their herd produced.

"It was always disappointing to see some of our lovely crossbred bulls going on the bobby truck. Using sexed semen across our top-tier cows has allowed us to produce roughly 30 heifer calves that would have otherwise been bobbies. It's a win-win - we can retain more of our good geneti with less waste overall."

LIC has been supplying sexed semen to farmers for over a decade, but interest in the product has grown significantly in the past two years.

"Weith farmers proactively looking at ways to mitigate consumer, environmental and animal welfare concerns, sexed semen is a useful tool for them to have in their toolbox," Ellis said.

To meet demand, LIC has repurposed an area within their Hamilton headquarters to accommodate a new laboratory facility, says Ellis.

Fresh is Best

LIC is the only provider of fresh sexed semen in New Zealand, which delivers a noticeably better chance of getting a cow pregnant than the frozen alternative.

Ellis says combining LIC's long last liquid semen processing technology with Sexing Technologies' expertise produces a sexed semen product with a near normal conception rate to that of conventional semen.

"Getting cows in-calf is one of the most important parts of any dairy farmer's seasonal focus, so it's critical we deliver a sexed semen product that doesn't notably compromise that goal."

Having Sexing Technologies onsite also means LIC's fresh sexed semen is available to more farmers.

"As we no longer need to transport semen offsite to be sex-sorted, we have significantly reduced the downtime between collection and the sorting process, enabling longer use in the field which ultimately gives more farmers in the opportunity to tap into its value," says Ellis.

Sexing Technologies chief executive, Juan Moreno, says the company is pleased to strengthen their decade-long relationship with LIC.

More like this

LIC ready for challenges ahead

Herd improvement company LIC says it's well-positioned for the challenges ahead and remains focused on its core purpose - delivering value for farmer shareholders.

Breeding heat-tolerant cows for Africa

LIC is embarking on a ground-breaking project aimed at breeding heat tolerant and disease resistant dairy cows for Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the global leader in precision breeding, Acceligen, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Scheme to pick high potential 'underdog' bulls

Holstein Friesian NZ, and herd improvement co-operative LIC have launched a joint sire proving scheme that aims to select and prove Holstein Friesian bulls for New Zealand dairy farmers.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

OSPRI's costly software upgrade

Animal disease management agency OSPRI has announced sweeping governance changes as it seeks to recover from the expensive failure of…

Machinery & Products

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the…

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Chinese strategy

OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.

Not fair

OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter