Tactical use of AI
A major player in this project is LIC with Beef Genetic Product Lead, Paul Charteris pointing out his organisation have the majority market share in terms of inseminations of dairy cows.
Rebecca Hickson says no one breed of bull is better than the other – it’s the traits and the genetics that counts. She says there are good and poor performing bulls in every breed, so understanding the traits of any bull should be the focus.
“When you look at the question of should you use a bull or a straw, there’s a whole lot of things at play. I believe that if you use a straw, use a good one that will deliver for you and for the most part won’t cost more,” she says.
But she adds, if a farmer is going to use a bull, they should use a good one. Hickson says farmers have told her they don’t need genetics because they feed their calves well. But she notes that while better feeding will always give you a better animal, even on a lower nutrition plain, better genetics will always outperform lower genetics.
When rearers are selecting calves, Hickson says there is sometimes a tendency to select the bigger calf over the smaller one. But she says there is no guarantee that a bigger calf will grow into a bigger animal and there is data to suggest that the small calf may in many cases be the best bet.
“This is because the beef breeders have done a phenomenal job of creating ‘curve bender bulls’ – meaning that while a calf may be born small, it will grow fast, will calve easily, but is at least, if not more valuable than the larger calf,” she says.
Hickson says farmers, calf rearers and finishers who have long standing, close relationships do their best and this is the pathway to producing better beef animals. She says she’d encourage farmers when they are picking the straw for their dairy cows to not only look after their own needs, but to think about others down the value chain.
There are calls for the Reserve Bank to drop its banking capital rules, which Federated Farmers says is costing farmers a fortune.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on livestock farmers to take part in a survey measuring the financial impact of facial eczema (FE).
Soon farmers and working dog breeders will be able to have a dog that best suits their needs thanks to a team of researchers at Massey University.
OPINION: President Donald Trump's bizarre hard line approach to the world of what was once 'rules-based trade' has got New Zealand government officials, politicians and exporters on tenterhooks.
With wool prices steadily declining and shearing costs on the rise, a Waikato couple began looking for a solution for wool from their 80ha farm.
The Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) team is looking forward to connecting with growers at the upcoming South Island Agricultural Field Days, says HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott.
OPINION: Donald Trump's focus on Canada is causing concern for the country’s dairy farmers.
OPINION: The fact that plant-based dairy is struggling to gain a market foothold isn’t deterring new entrants.