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DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel.
OPINION: Kiwi dairy farmers continuously strive to be world-leaders in pasture-based production, emissions efficiency and animal care. Our sector's success in global trade relies on these factors.
Maximising genetic gain is important if New Zealand is to continue being world leading. Genetic gain expressed in Breeding Worth (BW) results in cows that are more efficient producers, meaning they need less feed for each kilogram of milk they produce. Right now we are missing out on genetic gain due to slow on-farm adoption of genomics, fragmented datasets and multiple versions of BW presented to farmers.
That's why New Zealand Animal Evaluation Ltd (NZAEL), a DairyNZ subsidiary, is proposing a single, independent BW index that will include all useful genomic information and make NZAEL's BW more reliable and the sector standard.
Having more reliable information allows farmers to make better decisions, which will help ensure genetic gain is the best it can be for Kiwi dairy farmers. This will help New Zealand keep up with the rest of the world when it comes to rates of genetic gain - meaning our farmers will be able to breed better animals every year.
We want to help all dairy farmers in New Zealand unlock additional potential profit - for their benefit and that of New Zealand as a whole. The work we have done shows us this change is the right thing to do. However, we need an operating model that is fair to all participants - a model that encourages all sector participants to get involved will see everyone working together and give us the greatest chance of success. We have developed a proposal and are now consulting with farmers and sector participants to get feedback to improve our thinking.
To be clear: NZAEL is not seeking to own genomics data. Commercial breeding companies will retain ownership of the genomic data they have invested in collecting.
However, as an industry good organisation we are requesting access to it so the whole sector can benefit. This is the same approach taken to the current phenotypic data - such as herd testing data - that flows into the Dairy Industry Good Animal Database.
This is a significant change for the sector and brings plenty of challenges, but we believe we would be remiss in our duty to farmers not to work towards this change. This is about dairy farmers and us all working together to get the best outcomes.
We believe the development of own BW with genomics by NZAEL as an industry good body, on behalf of the sector, is a positive use of farmer levies.
NZAEL works closely with world-renowned experts - agricultural geneticist Dorian Garrick and AbacusBio managing director and agricultural scientist Peter Amer - who have made it clear New Zealand's rate of genetic gain has not improved to the level we should expect in the past 10 years.
Jim van der Poel is DairyNZ chairman.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.
DairyNZ deputy chair Cameron Henderson has been re-appointed unopposed for another term.
OPINION: The stats speak for themselves.
Farms across the upper North Island are trialling different pasture mixes as part of a research programme that aims to build greater resilience into farming systems.
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) and Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network are calling for investment in a proposed new training pathway for rural GPs, warning that many rural practices are struggling to recruit while a large share of the existing workforce nears retirement.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.
