Climate-friendly cows closer
Dairy farmers are one step closer to breeding cow with lower methane emissions, offering an innovative way to reduce the nation's agricultural carbon footprint without compromising farm productivity.
Sitting at the top of the ranking of active sires (RAS) list a massive 30 BW$ ahead of the chasing pack, is Pukeroa TGM Manzello.
Sired by one of the most influential yet unrecognised Jersey bulls of the last 20 years, this Maunga son has continued the early promise that saw him selected and elevated into the Jersey Genes scheme – a Joint Venture breeding program between CRV Ambreed and Jersey NZ.
Manzello represents two of the Jersey world's great sires of recent times in Manhatten and Maunga, both from the CRV Ambreed team and both achieving legendary status around the world.
Manzello started his breeding career strongly and is now well represented by 256 daughters milking giving him 91% reliability, with his indexes (NZMI 279 and BW 280) ranking him in the very top echelon.
Those Manzello daughters are proving to be a dairy farmers' dream, pumping large volumes of solid rich milk.
They are well liked in the dairy with excellent farmer scores, particularly for shed temperament and adaptability to milking. These excellent farmer traits are matched by Manzello's good ratings for daughter fertility and longevity.
While certainly the current star, Manzello is by no stretch the only success story to have come out of the relationship between Jersey New Zealand and CRV Ambreed. The two organisations have enjoyed a 20 year working relationship with their joint venture scheme 'Jersey Genes providing New Zealand's dairy industry with 29 graduates since 1993 including sires such as Panache, Sting, Pioneer, Manzello and of course international supersire and sire of sons Manhatten.
CRV bulls have always had a strong presence on the New Zealand's Jersey RAS list.
Along with Manzello, CRV Ambreed sires Murmur, Degree and Iceberg currently hold the top 4 spots with a total of 9 CRV sires ranking in the Top 15 Jersey sires by BW. CRV's influence is further enhanced by its sires of sons with 80% of all bulls in the Top 10 being either a CRV bull or son of one.
CRV Ambreed genetics product manager Toni Trusler says, "We are very pleased with the performance of our Jersey sires, and in particular our extremely successful joint venture with Jersey New Zealand and its breeders and the ability of this scheme to produce top Jersey sires."
