Friday, 16 March 2012 14:28

Indentifying the top Holstein Friesian

Written by 

On a farm just out of Te Awamutu, there is an immense rivalry going on. The purpose of the rivalry is to be identified as the best Holstein Friesian 2-year-old in a group of heifers that have been genomically identified as genetically superior.

A team of 34 in-milk two-year-old Holstein Friesian heifers, from around New Zealand, were identified last year as having very good or very interesting genetics to join the 2011-12 Discovery Project, a Holstein Friesian New Zealand initiative and sponsored by LIC. The heifers were genomically screened by LIC as yearlings and genomic breeding values were added to their information as part of the selection process.

Wendy Harker, chairperson of Discovery Project, says this was the first time females were genomically screened outside of normal information gathering for breeding companies.

"It was a great opportunity to have the heifers screened," she said, "Genomics made it easier to identify the top genetics in the group of animals on offer."

The heifers are being milked on the farm of Robin & Pixie Moss, managed by Douwe & Yvette Ykema, in a herd of 600 cows. They were brought onto the property in June and, since calving, have been regularly tested for weight and condition score, herd tested as well as inspected for type and conformation.

"This is a great opportunity for breeders to compare their heifers against the best," Harker says. With one of her own heifers in the Discovery Project team, Harker appreciates the profile that has been raised for her Te Awamutu dairying operation through the programme. Her heifer, Westell Lebon Gypsy GP84, is having a good season and it looks like she will be near the top of the group.

Other top heifers include Barlee Decee Paul-ET S3F GP84, bred by Brian Hughes of Hawera, Taranaki; Estee Rene Flute-OC S2F GP81, bred by Tony & Sarah Brock of Kaitangata, Southland; and Broomfield F Rose-ET S1F GP83, bred by the Aitken Family of Outram, Otago.

Now dairy farmers and all interested parties are invited to see the heifers and hear how they have proceeded through the season on Wednesday, March 21 on the farm. At the Discovery Project Open Day there will be a range of speakers as well as the opportunity to view the heifers.

The Open Day, Wednesday, March 21 , starts at 10am at 1265 Arapuni Rd. Lunch is provided.

About Discovery Project

Discovery Project measures heifers entering their first lactation based on their milk production, through eight herd tests, being regularly weighed and condition scored throughout the season and assessed on type and conformation.

The heifers are run in a herd and at no time are they given any preferential treatment to the other cows in the herd. During the year, some heifers (identified as a bull dam by LIC or an owner taking advantage of the service) are flushed to produce embryos to produce bulls or to breed the cow family further. Animal Breeding Services (ABS) of Rukuhia provides the service.

More like this

Sharemilker completes the trifecta

The major winners in the 2024 West Coast/Top of the South Share Farmer of the Year award, Michael and Cheryl Shearer were happy to complete the trifecta.

LCAs tackle false narratives

The quest to measure, report and make sense of the energy that goes into food production has come a long way in the past 25 years.

Featured

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.

Better animal genetic gain system

A governance group has been formed, following extensive sector consultation, to implement the recommendations from the Industry Working Group's (IWG) final report and is said to be forming a 'road map' for improving New Zealand's animal genetic gain system.

SIDE 2025's new schedule, venue

Annual farmer gathering, the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE), is set to make history as it heads to Timaru for the first time.

Taranaki piggery goes solar

Installing 400 solar panels at their Taranaki piggery and cropping operation will have significant environmental, financial and animal welfare benefits for the Stanley family.

National

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee,…

Food charity to hold online auction

Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National…

Machinery & Products

An ideal solution for larger farms

Designed specifically for large farms that want to drill with maximum flexibility, efficiency and power, the new Lemken Solitair ST…

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Leaky waka

OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…

Know-it-alls

OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter