Displaying items by tag: LIC

Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.

An LIC bull, Tronnoco AR Sadio-ET S3F, bred by Tony and Keri O'Connor of Tronnoco Farming Co Ltd near Timaru, has won the 2026 Mahoe Trophy.

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is estimated to cost New Zealand's dairy and beef industries more than $150 million every year, yet many of the tools needed to control it are already well understood. After more than 25 years in veterinary practice, Andrew Weir, animal health technical specialist at LIC, has seen firsthand the impact BVD can have on herd performance. We asked him about the role of persistently infected (PI) animals and the practical steps farmers can take to reduce their risk.

In the past, a bull could sit comfortably in a breeding team for several years with little change, but today, that’s no longer the case.

Paynes Titus Excelsior ET, an LIC bull bred by Brad Payne and Claire Brodie in the Waikato, has won the JT Thwaites Sire of the Season 2026 Award.

New season data from LIC shows a strong reproductive performance for the 2025-26 season, with a lift in key metrics compared to last season.

OPINION: Farmer confidence can feel a bit distant until a decision made at board level lands right back at the farm gate.

Visitors to the LIC stand at this year’s Fieldays can expect practical farm conversations, specialist drop-in sessions and exclusive shareholder events.

OPINION: While some international systems reward milk volume and encourage breeding for larger-framed, high-output cows, New Zealand farmers operate under a very different set of incentives.

A hypothesis in a major dairy research programme that bulls genetically proven to be low methane producers could pass this trait onto their lactating daughters has been proven to be incorrect.