Gippsland - How Now Gippy Now - April 2010 Edition
Making the right match in herd heaven
With breed companies releasing the latest data on their bull teams and offering sales deals, now is the time to review your long term breeding objective for improving profitability in your herd.
Success relies on having an action plan to turn your idea into reality and the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS) has a few tips and a new tool to get things rolling along this season.
Your breeding objective should identify the traits required to improve the profitability of your herd and this is likely to stay fairly constant over several years. The action part is the breeding plan with the list of tasks you need to do this season towards achieving your breeding objective.
For a breeding plan to work, it must be practical, cost effective, manage risk and adjusted each season. It should also cover key decisions about semen budget, sire selection, the AI program and a system for matching individual sires to individual cows.
The first step is to set a semen budget and to calculate the number of doses needed.
The next step is to choose sires to use over the mature cows and ones suitable for your maiden heifers.
Using a team of AI bulls reduces risk. Choose between four and 10 bulls to use over the mature cows.
Start at the top of the bull list and highlight the ones that meet your breeding objective, being mindful of inbreeding pedigrees, and are within your budget.
Using AI bulls over maiden heifers helps to speed up genetic gain.
As well as meeting your breeding objective, you’ll want to select bulls for calving ease. For maiden Holstein heifers, use either a jersey bull or a Holstein bull in the Top one per cent for Calving Ease ABV.
Once you’ve decided which bulls to use it’s time for a little match making.
There are several approaches to matching bulls to individual cows: bull-of-the-day, bull-of-the-day with in-breeding check or a corrective mating program.
More details on different matching programs and other decisions to make for your breeding plan are available in a Breeding Plan Worksheet,published recently by the ADHIS. It guides dairy farmers through the decisions that need to be made at breeding time.
Free copies are available from your semen supplier or www.adhis.com.au
For more information contact Michelle Axford at ADHIS on (03) 8621 4240 or email maxford@adhis.com.au
