BVD Control Begins Long Before You See A Problem
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is sometimes viewed as a dairy industry issue, but the reality is that the disease can have serious consequences for beef breeding herds as well.
IT'S THE stuff animal breeding sales representative dream of - selling 70,000 semen straws in a season.
CRV Ambreed is celebrating the success of its long serving sales representative in central-northern Southland, who has just sold her 70,000th semen straw of the season for the herd management company.
Irene Saul has worked for CRV Ambreed for nine and a half years and has consistently performed highly in the role. This season, however, is a personal best and an achievement that any sales consultant in New Zealand's competitive dairy genetics industry would respect and acknowledge her for.
"It's all about service," says Saul.
"I have been able to pick up more clients because I'm passionate about where my farming clients want to go with their herd and how I can get them there."
Saul says the job means more to her than 'just selling semen', and what she loves the most is helping farmers improve their animals and give them the best advice about how they could achieve their goals.
"I have taken a real consultant approach to the role and spend a lot of my time walking around the farm with my clients," says Saul.
"I'm also really passionate about CRV Ambreed's products and strongly believe that they will strengthen clients' farming investments. I wouldn't be working for CRV Ambreed if I didn't truly believe in the products and what I can offer my clients."
Saul's client base is broad, ranging from farms of 200 cows to up to 3,000, and there is a balance of corporate farms and privately owned.
"All of my clients are different and I am always willing to go one extra step for them. As a result, I have a great relationship with my clients and there's definitely some that I have a special friendship with."
Regional Sales and Services Manager Sue Duffy says Saul was a real asset to CRV Ambreed and a pleasure to have on her sales team as she always goes that extra mile for her clients.
Farmlands has reported higher operating earnings and a profit before income tax of $4.5 million, up 118.9%, for the year ended 30 June 2026.
AgriZeroNZ has invested a further NZ$17.7 million in methane vaccine developer ArkeaBio and NZ$5.1 million in BioLumic, a New Zealand-founded company that uses ultraviolet light to develop low-emissions pasture..
Good news for Fonterra farmers. The co-op has raised this season’s farmgate milk price mid-point by 25c to $9.75/kgMS.
OPINION: Political parties are getting plenty of advice and recommendations from sector groups as the election approaches.
In farming there are external factors that can influence behaviour of a whole herd, such as a bad weather event, triggering false positive heat detections or health attentions.
For Canterbury dairy farmer Cameron Henderson, supporting Meet the Need comes down to a simple question: how can the success of New Zealand farming benefit more than just those within the industry?
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.