Genetics landscape is evolving
New Zealand's genetics landscape will continue to evolve, says outgoing New Zealand Animal Evaluation Ltd (NZAEL) chair Mark Townshend.
Go online to see the impact of genetic improvement on farm profit and team averages, says NZ Animal Evaluation Ltd (NZAEL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DairyNZ.
This is made possible through a new online bull team builder. Instead of flicking through catalogues to compare bulls; farmers will have all the information now available in one place, says NZAEL manager Dr Jeremy Bryant.
“They will be able to visit the DairyNZ website and select bulls which meet their specific needs without compromising Breeding Worth (BW). Preferred traits might include enhanced BW, productivity, fertility, long-life, calving ease, conformation or temperament,” he says.
Once the most suitable sires have been chosen, farmers will be able to benchmark their teams against the Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) average, to see how their bull team stacks up across a range of traits.
Hauraki Plains farmers Heather and Stewart Fowlie have tested the team builder and appreciate its user-friendliness.
“I really love the programme. It enables me to move bulls in and out easily and see the effect of my decisions on team average breeding values and BW. If I want to strengthen udder traits in the herd, and also want to select say three bulls from the top five indexed bulls, it certainly is a quick way of choosing those traits without compromising overall team BW. It’s very easy to navigate and I think we will use it a lot,” says Heather.
Bryant says the team builder was developed to give farmers power at their fingertips.
'A lot of interest and positive responses' appears to be the way farmers are viewing the Government's initiative to hold a series of woolshed meetings around the country.
A Southland farming leader wants the regional council to delay a proposed regional rates hike, much of which is intended to fund flood protection works.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) says access to personal banking services in rural communities is fundamental to promoting outcomes that benefit Kiwi consumers.
A group set up to boost education and promotion of wool says it has made positive strides during the first year of its three-year strategy.
Meat processor ANZCO Foods says despite a challenging business environment, it has posted a net profit before tax of $61 million for 2023.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.