AgriBusiness News May 2018

CRV Ambreed introduces
index for healthy cows
19
Breeding company CRV Ambreed is now
providing dairy farmers with an holistic
approach to building their herds through a
new style of index for sire selection.
The company is responding
to the changing needs
of New Zealand’s dairy
industry.
The Better Life Health Index
and Better Life Efficiency Index
rank bulls so farmers can easily
and quickly choose those
sires that will produce the most
healthy and efficient herds for
them.
The health and efficiency
index was discussed with farmers
at nationwide roadshows in
March and April and features in
the company’s annual catalogue
of bulls.
CRV Ambreed managing
director Angus Haslett says
there has been a focus for many
years on the traditional traits of
cows such as solids, longevity,
live-weight. But there’s been
a significant swing in recent
times towards farmers wanting
to breed healthy cows that are
resilient and easy to manage.
He says gauging the health
traits of bulls has been part of
CRV Ambreed’s philosophy
for many years. “We know our
farmers have been focused on
healthy cows for some time - not
just on production rates alone -
and so this is really in response
to their needs and formalising
an approach we’ve taken for a
long time.”
Mr Haslett says the index
will help these farmers choose
the best sires for AI on their
herds. “The Better Life Health
Index focuses on all those areas
that help create a robust cow
that farmers enjoy having in
their herds, such as great udders,
fertility, easy calvings and great
temperaments.” The index
also focuses on
Somatic Cell
Count, longevity,
overall opinion
and more.
Mr Haslett
says New Zealand
farmers are
trying to do more
with less, and
using the Better
Life Health and
Efficiency Index,
particularly, will
help shift the dial,
ensuring farmers
are continually
breeding better
cows for the New
Zealand environment.
“The New
Zealand dairy industry, and
individual farmers, are feeling
the pressure from a variety of
areas. There are many aspects
of farming that we can’t control,
such as the weather, but we can
be strategic about the make-up
of our herds in New Zealand
and we can use genetics wisely,
to improve welfare and increase
the sustainability of the New
Zealand herd.”
When the Breeding Worth
index was introduced in New
Zealand in the 80s, it was well
ahead of its time, he says. “But
we’ve not moved on from that
in recent years, and efficiency
indexes – while great for measuring
output – aren’t enough of
a solution for New Zealand any
more.”
CRV Ambreed tested the
index on the performance
records from
more than
300,000 cows it
has herd-tested
since 2010. The
performance of
the best 25 precent
for health
and efficiency
was compared
with the lowest
25 percent by
breed. “That data
showed a remarkable
difference
exists between
these groups and
shows that you
can achieve big
improvements in
a herd by selecting
sires based on the health and
efficiency index,” Mr Haslett
says.
He says showcasing this
index to farmers will help them
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look at genetics in a different
way. “It’s not the only genetics
tool, it’s a way to assess what
the CRV bulls can offer via
genetics. As a forward-thinking
company, we want to help
farmers easily choose bulls
who will produce problem-free
daughters and that means presenting
valuable information
to them in an easy-to-read
manner.”
Feedback from CRV
Ambreed clients shows breeding
healthy cows is a top priority.
“We believe in ‘better
cows, better life’ – the welfare
of the cows feeds into the welfare
of our farmers.
“These indexes capture
the traits that are essential for
health and management, and
we know there’s a really good
correlation between health and
efficiency. Healthy cows will
produce well and have a better
life,” Mr Haslett says.
He hopes the industry will
welcome the holistic approach,
given the changing times
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dairying is facing – it is no
longer in a growth phase and
is trying to be as sustainable as
possible. “This is about being
responsive to the needs of
New Zealand farmers, and the
industry, and being responsible
in sharing it with the country.”
CRV Ambreed is already
known for its team of bulls
that are helping breed higher
tolerance to Facial Eczema and
has also launched homozygous
polled bulls, whose progeny
do not require time-consuming
and costly dis-budding.
The firm hit the headlines
in 2017 with the announcement
of a team of bulls whose
daughters will pee out less
nitrogen. The company estimates
dairy farmers could save
10 million kilograms in nitrogen
leaching a year-based on
the national herd number of 6.5
million dairy cattle.
The announcement is now
the subject of a $21 million
research project, led by Dairy
NZ, that will involve thousands
of cows on farms around
the country to test the effectiveness
of breeding and measure
the reduction of nitrogen
leaching expected through
genetic selection – potentially
up to a 20 percent reduction.
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