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Recording parentage

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Recording parentage, and measuring cow performance on-farm enables farmers to make informed decisions about which cows to breed from and which to cull.

Cow data contributes significantly to the rate of genetic gain across the national herd. The information feeds into the Dairy Industry Good Animal Database (DIGAD) improving the accuracy of Breeding Worth (BW) and Production Worth (PW) indices.

Create a strong foundation with parent records

  • Calving and mating records create a 'link' between a calf and its parents.

    This allows data to flow between the animals.
  • When a calf is born, her BW is calculated as the average of her mother and father.
  • When she enters the milking herd, her own perfomance information will begin to contribute to her BW.
  • A heifer's performance data will flow backward to strengthen the BW of her sire (and dam).

    This is particularly important for her sire, as he cannot accumulate records in his own right.

Recording births and matching cows to calves

  • Record the date, cow (dam) tag number, calf sex, calf ID and whether or not the cow required calving assistance.
  • Take care matching cows to calves. If in doubt, checking the breeding information can help; is the cow due? When was the mating date? Does the breed match the bull/sire?
  • Have a system in place to temporarly ID calves in the paddock, so that you can put proper tags in at the calf shed where it is clean and dry.

Verifying parents through DNA

DNA sire verification is a useful tool that can confirm the fathers of your heifer replacement calves.

  • Use DNA sire verification across your entire mob of replacement heifers, or on a strategic basis where parentage is uncertain.
  • A simple ear punch provides enough DNA to complete the test.
  • The mothers of your heifers can also be confirmed using DNA verification, but this involves an initial investment to obtain a DNA profile for each cow in the herd.
  • DNA sire verification costs around $30 per animal.

Six steps to a high BW herd

1: Use high BW sires
2: Keep accurate and detailed records
3: Use DNA sire verification
4: Measure cow performance
5: Use AI over your best heifers
6: Target replacements from your top cows

VIEW ALL SIX STEPS HERE

Reeve farm: 6 steps in action

Despite tougher financial times, Waitomo farmers Euan and Claire Reeve have maintained a strong focus on genetic gain in their herd, which consistently ranks in the country’s top five percent for BW. Learn about the steps they follow knowing it’s something that will prove worthwhile. READ MORE

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