Breeding and genetics

The pillars of sustainability

In 1814, New Zealand’s number one sector started with dual-purpose Milking Shorthorns. Demand for butter grew globally, so NZ brought in Jersey genetics and butter became our largest export. The demand shifted to protein, and Holsteins became the solution. Now with animal welfare and anti-microbial pressures, it’s again time to bring in new solutions from abroad.

As we look into the future of our industry and megatrends happening overseas, sustainability and efficiency are often at the roots of the discussion. But what are the pillars of sustainability for NZ?

Mastitis

In NZ, the opportunity of managing mastitis through genetic strategies is one key to our industries future. The cost of mastitis impacts the bottom line of every farm. DairyNZ estimates the industry loses $180 million a year to treatment and production losses and Fonterra measured clinical mastitis at 11% within their suppliers.

“Our goal, by 2030 New Zealand will not need antibiotics for the maintenance of animal health and wellness”, NZ Veterinary Association (NZVA) says.

Despite NZVA’s goal, mastitis resistance has no direct breeding value in NZ.

International genetics offer the possibility to rapidly decrease the need for antibiotics through robust breeding values for mastitis resistance, helping reach the NZVA goal.

Udders

NZ Animal Evaluation Limited’s (NZAEL) Farmer Survey returned both udder conformation and health at the top of the list of traits farmers want to see prioritised. The NZ Index (NZI) puts significant emphasis on the improvement of udder overall.

Fertility

One of the key pillars of a profitable dairy farm. The NZ target is to achieve a 78% pregnancy rate in the first six weeks of mating. Currently, we average 66%. DairyNZ’s NZAEL Farmer Survey highlighted that the farmer’s key area of concern is udder conformation and fertility, with a majority of stakeholders believing fertility is underweighted in NZ. Across the world grazing indexes typically weigh fertility four to five times higher than NZ, to account for its importance in seasonal calving.

Polled

Fonterra’s Animal Wellbeing Plan includes polled as a key genetic strategy. The polled genetic progress around the world has opened up exciting opportunities for NZ dairy farmers, to include polled in their genetic selections.

Total Feed Efficiency

NZ is focused on maintenance efficiency, but total feed efficiency is measured in three parts: maintenance efficiency (ms/kg of live weight); metabolic efficiency (ms/kg of food); and lifetime efficiency (total lifetime production). Focusing on maintenance efficiency can produce cows with a shortened total lifetime production. A cow with a higher live weight may produce less per kilogram of live weight, but may produce more per kilogram of food, and/or last an extra lactation, therefore, her overall efficiency could be higher.

Dairy-beef

A solution for improved sustainability and a profitable return. Beef+Lamb NZ reports that 52% of beef production comes from dairy and dairy beef cross animals in 2021. Dairy-beef has significant efficiency benefits compared to traditional beef production. With a growing number of trials, proven results and the innovative development of the dairy-beef coordinator role, dairy beef solutions are quickly becoming the future of the beef industry.

The daughter of high ranking NZI sire, Joppolo PP is a prime example of good udder conformation.

“As we look into the future of our industry and megatrends happening overseas, sustainability and efficiency are often at the roots of the discussion.”

New Zealand Index (NZI)

Based on farmer’s feedback, the development of the NZ Index (NZI) has utilised economic values that aim to better represent the true cost on farm. It also ensures traits have sufficient weighting to make gains or prevent a genetic slide in farmer’s key areas of concern. While the NZI emphasises udders, udder health and fertility, it continues to weigh all the key traits in the national index with an 87% correlation. n

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Implementation of these pillars of sustainability has been made easy with the 2022 Samen NZ Breeding Guide. Jersey Blue is a high yield beef solution for farmers looking for great profitability and sustainability.

The New Zealand Index (NZI) is based on farmer feedback on the economic values aiming to better represent the true cost on-farm, ensuring traits have sufficient weighting to prevent a genetic slide in farmer’s key areas of concern.

New Zealand Index

The Whole World Wants A Balanced Cow

2022 has arrived and brings with it a market-leading line-up that simply cannot be missed. Selection is based on farmer feedback, you will find solutions dedicated to breeding well-balanced healthy cows that perform on New Zealand pasture-based dairy farms.

Liveweight Litres Penalty Fertility Somatic Cell Udders Residual Survival Body Condition Fat and Protein More

Sexed semen is an effective tool to drive the rate of genetic gain in herds across the country.

Sexed semen adds value

By Cheyenne Nicholson

Sexed semen is driving genetic gain in both on-farm herds and the national herd leading to better quality animals.

When it comes to breeding decisions, farmers need to make the most of the value proposition at both ends of their herd, LIC general manager NZ markets Malcolm Ellis says.

Utilising sexed semen for the top 15-20% of a herd accelerates the rate of genetic gain by focusing on generating replacements from your top cows. Farmers can then consider alternative beef AB or short gestation options for their poorer-performing animals, enabling them to either significantly reduce the number of bobby calves leaving the farm or capture additional milking days, both options adding to the value obtained from the bottom end of the herd.

“If farmers used short gestation semen on their bottom end, you get more days in milk, which is money in the bank, particularly given the current milk price,” Ellis says.

“The alternative beef option opens other opportunities; there’s value to be had there as well. It’s important to look to make gains at both ends of the herd.”

Typically in a herd situation, the BW differential between the top 20% and the bottom 20% is in the order of 100-150 BW. Even at 100 BW, if farmers can obtain more of the required heifer calves from their top cows, and by using dairy beef or short gestation options for the bottom end, those heifer calves from higher ranked cows will be 50 BW superior to the expected outcome of breeding from the poorer-ranked portion of the herd.

“When I talk about this example, that’s the ‘aha’ moment for a lot of farmers,” he says.

“When we were in the cow growth years, no one cared much about this sort of selection pressure, but now as a consequence of that, we have a big range of BW within individual herds and in the wider national herd. Sexed semen is an effective tool to drive the rate of genetic gain.”

The technology for sexed semen has been around for a few decades, but since the country hit ‘peak cow’, interest in the technology has been rising. He 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.

“Since hitting peak cow in 2015, cow numbers have started to decline, and farmers are recognising the need for fewer but better-quality cows and

retaining offspring from the best cows. We’re heartened by the fact that the majority of our farmers that are using fresh sexed semen, say their main driver is the positive impact on genetic gain they’re getting,” he says.

Ellis says that herd improvement will do a lot of the heavy lifting to offset cow number and milk decline. Average cow production has increased by around 5.9kgMS each year over the last 10 years. It is estimated that 40% of this is directly attributed to genetics.

“If national gains in the rate of genetic gain increased from 10 to 1520 BW points per year, the associated productivity gains would go a long way to counteract declining cow numbers and overall milk production,” he says.

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 genetics with less waste overall,” Numan says.

Prior to the current upward trend of sexed semen, there was a degree of negativity around the associated non-return rates. In a 2017 blind trial comparing frozen sexed semen with frozen conventional semen, the differential came in at -13.4%.

When Ellis first came into his role in 2016, he says he knew the potential of sexed semen and hoped gains could be made to improve that non-return rate figure.

“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 option that doesn’t notably compromise that goal,” he says.

The breakthrough was in using fresh sexed semen where the differential can be significantly reduced to -5%, with LIC’s most recent data for 2021 spring mating’s sitting at -4.7%.

For the 2021 mating season, a staggering 201,700 cows were mated using sexed semen, up on the previous years 110,000 and 33,000 the year before that.

“Next season, we are projecting growth to 300,000. We have to be really clear in our projections to ensure we’ve got the daily processing capacity,” Ellis says.

To meet the increasing demand, LIC repurposed an area within their Hamilton headquarters to accommodate a new laboratory facility solely for the production of sexed semen. The state-ofthe-art lab sits alongside LIC’s bull farm and semen processing lab and is the world’s biggest fresh sexed semen sorting facility. The lab hosts Sexing Technologies, a US-based company who is contracted to sex-sort semen from LIC’s top dairy and beef artificial breeding bulls.

“It means we no longer need to transport semen offsite to be sex-sorted, so the time between collection and insemination is reduced, enabling longer use in the field, which ultimately allows more farmers to tap into its value,” he says.

“While any big investment like that comes with risks, we knew that we needed to increase capability and capacity because of where the market was heading. It’s been a big couple of years in this space and it’s only set to get bigger as more farmers realise the potential of sexed semen within their herds.” n

“When we were in the cow growth years, no one cared much about this sort of selection pressure, but now as a consequence of that, we have a big range of BW within individual herds and in the wider national herd.” Malcolm Ellis

A new state-of-the-art lab, which sits alongside LIC’s bull farm and semen processing lab, is the world’s biggest fresh sexed semen sorting facility.

LIC general manager NZ markets Malcolm Ellis says demand for sexed semen has increased as farmers realise that if they are milking less cows, they need to be milking better cows.

Joyclas bags top award at NZDE

By Dianna Malcolm

The overwhelming response coming out of the New Zealand Dairy Event (NZDE) was exhibitor relief that the show went ahead.

The timing of the government moving New Zealand to a red traffic light covid-19 protection framework couldn’t have been worse, with exhibitors either already at the show at Manfeild Park, Feilding, or on the way.

Exhibitor numbers were immediately limited on-ground to 100 (plus event staff), and any hope of spectators being allowed onto the showgrounds were dashed.

Part of the solution came in the form of bidr®, NZ’s online selling platform, which stepped up to livestream the event. It is the first time that’s happened in NZ.

Owner of the Ayrshire Champion and NZDE committee member Selwyn Donald says the organisers were put in a tough situation, but the positive exhibitor response has been deafening.

“So many people have come to me and thanked us for pushing on with the event under trying circumstances,” Donald says.

“We could have pulled the pin and sent everyone home, but if we did, everyone would have spent a lot of money getting cows ready and not know where they fitted amongst their breeds.

“It was a huge call. But we also must congratulate and thank the exhibitors for also doing their part to make it possible, and the livestream was brilliant. I had messages from South Africa, the UK, the US and Canada congratulating us on our win [Ayrshire Grand Champion with Aaron Rondo Lohnro, whose lead-up was hampered by Theileria and mastitis]. That probably wouldn’t have happened if it had been open to the public. The livestream was a definite positive to come out of the week.

“Across all the breeds the championship line-ups were pretty outstanding. That was the best Holstein show I’d seen for a while.”

It was the Holsteins that won the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Supreme awards of their ages after the scores were collated from the five interbreed judges who awarded a black Holstein, Joyclas Sammy Moo, the Supreme individual title of the show.

Lawrence and Judi Satherley got the chance to watch their daughter and sonin-law, Robbie and Anna James win with Sammy Moo in a triumph they could never have imagined.

The last time Joyclas Holsteins won Champion Holstein was at the Hastings Royal Show in 1993. Since then, the herd has passed through some family members’ hands, and while some cows have had to be retraced the herd today is run by the James’. They milk 300 cows on 150ha at Linton in the Manawatū. This year was their second outing at the NZDE.

Charbelle Tatoo Pix, owned by Charbelle Farms, in Hamilton won Best Supreme Udder of the Intermediate Show. This was their third NZDE.

The two-year-old Holstein was last year’s Holstein and All Breeds Junior Champion.

In a one-two for their team, Tatoo Pix’s four-year-old dam won the four-year-old class in the Holstein show.

Larkspur Lauthority Whip from Fusion Genetics was the Junior Supreme of the show and the combined breeds Grand Champion was a nine-year-old Brown Swiss, Thurvalley Wm Rosey, sired by Top Acres C Wonderment, and owned by the Thurvalley partnership, at Rotorua.

Ferdon Genetics, NZDE’s most successful show string, which had not shown for three years reintroduced itself to the winner’s circle.

Ferdon Genetics had won Champion Jersey seven times at the NZDE, Grand Champion Jersey six times, Supreme Champion All Breeds four times, and Premier Exhibitor 10 times (every year it had shown).

This year it reclaimed the Grand Champion Jersey, with Ferdon BS Vienna-ET and bred and showed the Junior Champion Jersey, Ferdon Ribbon Eliza, who was owned by Frenchman Clement Illand. n

Owned by Lawrence and Judi Satherley of Manawatū, Joyclas Sammy Moo was named Supreme Champion of the New Zealand Dairy Event 2022. Isacc Kelson leads the Supreme Champion Joyclas Sammy Moo in the ring Photo: Mud Media.

Using sexed semen will see better results in genetic gain in herds.

Sexed semen on the rise

By Samantha Tennent

More and more farmers are using sexed semen across their top cows to produce better cows with better genetics.

The pressure to drive herd efficiency has led to an exclusive relationship between CRV and Genus. The new sexed semen laboratory at the CRV facility in Pukemoremore, near Hamilton, began producing their first units last month.

“Since we are in peak cow numbers, we know as a sector we are going to have to do more with less,” CRV managing director James Smallwood says.

“Cows are going to have to be as productive as possible and to achieve that we need to produce heifers from mating the best cows to the best bulls to increase our rate of genetic gain.”

By having access to their own facility, CRV can ensure they will be able to provide sexed semen from the best genetics they have on offer.

“Sales of sexed semen have been growing rapidly as farmers are gaining more confidence in the product,” he says.

“Our relationship with Genus came as a response to the demand, we need to be able to produce larger quantities of sexed semen as efficiently as possible and from our top bulls.”

With pressures on the sector to manage stable or declining cow numbers and look for solutions to minimise bobby calves, farmers are looking for ways to continue to drive their herds forward without compromising on productivity.

“We are trying to get better cows faster and we know the pressures from the customer and consumer mean we need to address animal welfare concerns, sexed semen will help,” he says.

He explains how many farmers have been using sexed semen on their top cows to get their replacements and then they have the flexibility to use more beef semen in lower cows and target the dairy beef market.

“Farmers are using all of the technologies that are available to drive their genetic gain and precision breeding decisions.

“Tools like DNA testing and herd testing are utilised to rank animals and the various semen products are used strategically across the herd.”

Although the New Zealand market is their primary target, because their facility is at EU standards, opportunities to CRV managing director James Smallwood says sales of sexed semen have grown rapidly as farmers gain more confidence in the product.

export semen are available as well.

“Sexed semen is already widely adopted around the world. Statistics show in places like the United Kingdom over 60% of their semen market is sexed, 47% in the United States and even 17% in Australia,” he says.

“Where in New Zealand only 5% of our semen market is sexed currently, but that’s going to grow a lot faster now.

“And with other countries developing interests in pasture-based systems there will be demand for our straws internationally too.”

Genus is connected to the largest bovine genetics company in the world, ABS Global. They are based in the United States and their bovine sexing technology is one of only two in existence.

With the Genus equipment sexing the semen is performed by laser, the males and females are identified and the laser deactivates the male cells.

“The laser is a gentle method of sexing semen, the cells are already fragile and we want to look after them as best as we can throughout the process,” he says.

The team stress that meeting general best practices on-farm are paramount for the success of the product, particularly around heat detection.

“Cows need to be given the best chance to get in-calf; farmers don’t want to be wasting the cost of a premium product or risking a top cow ending up empty,” he says.

This is the time of year when the team on the ground are working with farmers to identify their breeding objectives and formulate their breeding strategies for next season. And CRV are excited to have more sexed semen available to help farmers meet their goals.

“The demand is going to continue to grow and we are pleased to provide a sound solution for our farmers.” n

A lab technician looks at a bull semen sample through a microscope, while the bulls in the background are being prepared for semen collection. Photo: Paul Sutherland Photography

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Growing NZ’s genetic pool

By Samantha Tennent

A genetics company with a firm base worldwide is now set to make a splash in New Zealand and help farmers achieve their herd breeding goals.

Excited by the opportunity to have a direct influence on the product offering for farmers, Brett Fitzhenry is looking forward to getting stuck into his new role as product manager at ST Genetics.

“When they first contacted me I thought it was a sales role but once I understood a bit more and discovered it was a role with a lot of autonomy and a massive amount of learning and development opportunities that really inspired me,” Fitzhenry says.

“I felt like I have achieved a lot in my previous role and to be presented with an opportunity to help develop the business in New Zealand and support the dairy industry really appealed to me.”

The new venture will mean he can help shape the genetics on offer to New Zealand farmers. The business is well-established globally and is steadily building here now too. There is a team of 15 scattered across the country and Fitzhenry will be based in Hamilton.

“I am looking forward to increasing my knowledge of genetics on a global-scale. The New Zealand dairy industry is wellknown and well-established, but there’s always room for improvement,” he says.

“One example is how we have a national herd of 5.5 to 6 million cows, but a relatively small genetic pool in comparison.

“I’m keen to help grow the diversity of the genetic pool and develop our product with a balanced view of value on-farm as well as on paper.”

He wants to help farmers get to their breeding objectives as quickly and efficiently as possible by making precision breeding plans as simple as possible. He will provide technical support for the sales team and try to get out in the field when he can.

“I want to support my team to improve farmer knowledge and interest in genetics, as well as seek feedback from farmers about what they are keen to improve within their herd,” he says.

He describes ST Genetics as a progressive business that caters for the changing needs of the industry.

“One example is the work they have been doing into dairy beef to help facilitate the movement away from bobby calves, they have the agility to respond to the market,” he says.

Traditionally they have been importing genetics but as they develop the business further they will begin sourcing genetics internally as well.

“I’ve still got a lot to learn about my role and responsibilities, but I am planning to focus on bulls with a balanced view of breeding worth, longevity and conformation to support production and productivity targets but try to keep the animals around for a long time as well,” he says

He wants to emphasise what the farmer wants.

“The farmer will always understand their business and what they’re trying to achieve more than any rep or consultant and it’s important we listen to that, take their feedback and ideas on board and shape our products to meet those needs,” he says.

Fitzhenry hails from an agricultural background in South Africa. He was inspired by the All Blacks and had met a couple of Kiwis in his early teens when he decided he wanted to move here one day, despite never visiting prior. He emigrated in December 2016 and has never looked back.

During his studies he completed a Bachelor in Science in agricultural economics with animal science, as well as a Masters in meat science before moving over. And once he arrived he went straight into a dairy assistant role in Waikato, which he describes as a real eye-opener.

“I grew up in the drystock industry and had worked on a drystock farm for six months before heading to New Zealand, but there was a big difference in farming in both countries,” he says.

“We had a lot more staff back home and I couldn’t believe how much green grass there was here.”

He had a crash course in dairy farming and the different lifestyle but through a connection he made through a NZ Young Farmers District Contest he landed a role as a sales consultant with CRV that he held for the past four years.

“I learnt a lot in that role, particularly around genetics and relationship development and I have built my confidence to talk to farmers,” he says.

“I had reservations about taking on this new role because the depth of my knowledge isn’t as sound as I would like, but when I’m interested in something I learn quickly.

“And the business growth here in New Zealand with the established global support is exciting, I’m pleased to be part of it.” n

ST Genetics have been sourcing their genetics from overseas, but are now looking at New Zealand cattle genetics. Brett Fitzhenry checks out a herd.

A lot going for NZ genetics

By Samantha Tennent

A newly created role will see more Kiwi cow genetics exported across the world to give overseas farmers more diversity in their herds.

Catching the farming and genetics bug early in her career, Jo Burton knew she wanted to position herself to make a difference in the dairy sector. Not only to farmers themselves, but the sector as a whole.

“Early on I realised what a difference it can make when farmers have the right information,” Burton says.

“With my own farming experience, and being one of those ones always asking lots of questions, I know how hard it can be to find what we need.”

She has just started a newly created role at CRV as export genetics product manager.

“I’m excited to expand my knowledge on a global farming-scale and learn how people are adapting grass-based systems around the world, but also sharing learnings that could benefit New Zealand farmers too,” she says.

“For example, in South Africa, they are utilising technology extensively in farming and there are some great examples for our farmers.”

She has been in a discovery phase, meeting a range of potential international customers through digital meetings. She will eventually travel to build those relationships face-to-face and provide technical support, but at least under the current climate everyone is very conditioned to using digital platforms.

“Covid is certainly creating challenges I hadn’t even considered, like the lack of flights available to export semen and some routes don’t have direct flights at the moment,” she says.

“It’s a logistical challenge to get product from A to B, but it’s a good sign the demand is there.

“It’s a testament to New Zealand’s position in the world. Farmers are looking for the best way to make food with the lowest impact and lowest footprint, and they recognise the benefits of New Zealand genetics towards that.”

She sees the competition the dairy industry both here and internationally, is facing through alternative milks and lab based protein and hopes we can support each other to navigate some of them.

Her role combines sales and in-market technical support being a dedicated resource to help farmers who are keen to learn and it is part of the three-year strategy refresh at CRV.

“CRV are keen to position themselves as market leaders and can see the opportunities in the export market by supporting herd health and efficiency and providing precision breeding tools,” she says.

“Farmers want cows performing at the right level with the right footprint, balancing easy care, health and production and we believe New Zealand genetics have a lot to offer to support farmers around the world.”

Burton comes from a farming background on the Hauraki Plains with her parents and two brothers on the family farm. She went to a bilingual primary school, which has given her a good understanding of multicultural farming and the importance it plays in the agricultural sector.

She studied a Bachelor of Communication Studies through Waikato University, which included a 12-month exchange to Otago University to experience life a bit further from home. She has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and is just finishing her MBA.

Her first role was in the Genemark lab at LIC in case management and after a couple of years she moved into a farmer-facing role where she spent three years as a farm solutions manager, now known as agri managers. She kept connected with head office through some project work and eventually moved into a genetics product specialist role supporting the sales team.

After a couple of years she moved across to Fonterra as an area manager, which covered some of her old patch. She held that role for five and a half years, finishing at the end of 2021.

“I enjoyed picking up some of my old clients and working with them in a different way. The payout was in a dip when I first started and that always makes people look at things differently,” she says.

“I always feel privileged to be part of a farm business.”

Her new role moves her away from the direct connection with NZ farmers, but she has been pleasantly surprised to encounter so many NZ farmers are connected with other countries either on farms directly or with some connection to the business.

“It’s been a great initial learning period and I am really thinking about how we can help farmers achieve their goals and what they want their future cow to look like,” she says.

“Customer wants and needs are the focus and the ultimate goal is having an efficient herd ready for the future.” n

CRV’s new export genetics product manager Jo Burton says there are opportunities in the export market by supporting herd health and efficiency, and providing precision breeding tools.