Herd Improvement Roadshow 2017 Presented by: Greg Hamill
Our National Breeding Objective Revenue Cost Protein Fat Fertility Body Condition Survival Volume Somatic cells Liveweight
Liveweight 50kg = 1 bale silage for maintenance 500 kg cow requires 10 bales 600 kg cow requires 12 bales Liveweight is a key component of efficiency (kg s out compared to Kg s in)
Our Dairy Industry 2015 4,997,811 2014 5,018,333 2013 4,922,806 2012 4,784,250 2011 4,634,226 2010 4,528,736 2009 4,396,675 2008 4,252,881 2007 4,012,867 The average cow is now producing 100Kg/MS more than what she was 20 years ago. 2006 3,916,812 2005 3,832,145 2004 3,867,659 2003 3,851,302 2002 3,740,637 2001 3,692,703 2000 3,485,8863 1999 3,269,362 1998 3,289,319 1997 3,222,591 1996 3,064,524 1995 2,935,759 Historically the national cow population has increased by 100,000 cows per year for the last 20 years 1994 2,830,977
Spotlight on cow quality 160Kg
Bob s herd On average the difference between the top quartile and bottom quartile is 160 kg / milksolids
The next generation Are we guilty of rearing too many replacements from poorer cows? Breed the best Feed the best Milk the best Hope 4 the best
What can you control? 142 Passion. Action. Cadence. Excellence.
Identifying your quartiles Breed the best Feed the best Milk the best Hope 4 the best
What s a BW unit worth in MS? Protein 1.11 kg/year Fat 1.04 kg/year $11 BW = 2.15 kg/ms/year Breed the best Feed the best Milk the best Hope 4 the best
How we describe our cows Functional Fertile Health Efficient Capacious High Components PROFITABLE
Lincoln case study Make money out of milk, not milk out of money Highly profitable Industry involvement Information available
Lincoln case study Research shows that high BW herds deliver higher outputs with lower costs per Kg milksolids when compared to low BW herds.
Lincoln case study Profitability / Hectare Premier Sires F9< Friesian, F10> KiwiCross Bottom 10% of herd to Hereford Yearling matings (10 days earlier) No intervention policy Heifers grown to target liveweight 670 cows /reduced to 560 (lift residuals /grass quality) Kg s MS increased from 400 520kg MS/cow 2.53 kg/ms peak Weekly farm walks Condition scoring/weighing Make money out of milk, not milk out of money
Lincoln case study Up to 2010 2011-2012 2014 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Hectares 160 160 160 Herd size 670 630 560 Cows/Hectare 4.2 3.95 3.52 Kg Liveweight / ha 1987 1870 1750 Kg MS / cow 398 474 520 Kg MS / Ha 1666 1866 1820 Total MS 266,660 298,620 291,200 Kg N applied / ha 262 345 150 Purchased supplements fed / cow 355 397 300
Lincoln case study Make money out of milk, not milk out of money
High Input Herds Make money out of milk, not milk out of money
High Input Herds Make money out of milk, not milk out of money
High Input Herds Make money out of milk, not milk out of money BW 124/2 PW 234/-19
Australia
Take home message Your herd your making Identify your robbers Breed from your best cows cull your poor performers Don t ever compromise on your genetics
Reproduction- Driving Profitability And Productivity Joyce Voogt Technical Manager, LIC
Reproduction Central To Optimising The Conversion of Feed to Profit Initiates lactation Impacts lactation length Provides the next generation
Reasons for Culls in NSW: 20% reproductive failure 32% low production Creating An Efficient Herd Herd Improvement Fundamentals
Genotype Heritability low at 9% Considerable phenotypic variation Impact of correlated traits (high volume)
So, by using LIC genetics farmers can expect more fertile cows because: BW includes a 15.4% weighting for fertility BW rates milk volume per se as a negative value In addition our sire selection teams remove much of the phenotypic variation risk in the genetics side of things by choice of sires Dams of sires must get pregnant every year Overseas genetics are filtered through the progeny test scheme to make sure they are fertile. Daughters of these sires must be fertile in our conditions before they can be used as sires of sons Most of the factors affecting fertility are within the farmer s control
Heterosis effects NZHF X NZJ Trait Impact of Heterosis Milkfat +4.7% Protein +4.6% Milk volume +4.2% Live weight +2.1% Cow fertility +5.2% Somatic Cell Count -4.1% (favourable) Days of herd life +13.5%
Heterosis effects Dam (breed 16ths) Sire (breed 16ths) F16J0 F12J4 F8J8 F2J12 F0J16 F0J16 100 75 50 25 0 F4J12 75 63 50 38 25 F8J8 50 50 50 50 50 F12J4 25 38 50 63 75 F16J0 0 25 50 75 100
6 Week In-Calf Rate Empty Rate
Distribution Of Actual 6 Week In-Calf Rate 2014/15 Season
Mating Length And Empty Rate Adapted from the expected empty rate (%) given 6-week in-calf rate and length of mating table The InCalf Book (page 127)
Why the variation in performance? Phenotype = Genotype + Environment Heritability (h²) of fertility = 9%. i.e Low but strain differences exist for HF Environment is huge! Explains 91% of the variation What do we need to do to optimise the environment for the genetics we breed to maximise fertility?
NZ 2016 Fertility Performance- 4000 herds Seasonal Calving Herds (n=4005) Recording in MINDA 2016 season 6 Week In Calf Rate Not In Calf Rate 3wk Submission Rate Conception Rate Upper Quartile 75 13 84 58 2nd Quartile 69 15 81 53 3rd Quartile 64 17 77 50 Lower Quartile 55 22 69 45
Value of Improved Fertility Seasonal Calving Herds (n=4005) Recording in MINDA 2016 season 6 Week In Calf Rate Not In Calf Rate 3wk Submission Rate Conception Rate Upper Quartile 75 13 84 58 2nd Quartile 69 15 81 53 3rd Quartile 64 17 77 50 Lower Quartile 55 22 69 45 6 week ICR difference value = 400x$4x20% =$32,000 Empty rate difference value = 400 x$10x9% =$36,000 $68,000 profit difference Calculations using DairyNZ InCalf gap calculator
In-Calf Rate
Achieving High Reproductive Performance On Farm
Achieving High Reproductive Performance On Farm Aim for
Breeding The Efficient Herd Calving Pattern Impacts
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Creating An Efficient Herd Herd Improvement Fundamentals