Improvements to better reflect herds for gain

• Published date: 18 January 2023

NZAEL — New Zealand Animal Evaluation Ltd — is a wholly owned subsidiary of DairyNZ that manages the national breeding objective to ‘‘breed dairy cows that are able to efficiently convert feed into profit’’

The updates to Holstein Friesian cows and days of milking follow the NZAEL team comparing every animal evaluation run to identify areas for improvement.

The first update enables NZAEL to identify what proportion of a Holstein Friesian cow is Holstein and what proportion is Friesian. Important differences between the breeds mean this information will help improve farmers’ breeding decisions.

The second update better reflects the number of days farmers milk per year, with herd testing data collected over up to 305 days now included in animal evaluation (increased from 270 days).

‘‘These improvements are part of NZAEL’s commitment to continuous improvement,’’ NZAEL manager Andrew Fear said.

‘‘It’s important data captured in NZAEL’s Dairy Industry Good Animal Database (DIGAD) accurately informs our animal evaluation process, and provides meaningful insights for farmers.

‘‘We want farmers to have confidence the data they use to make their breeding decisions is the best it can be.’’

The new formula to identify the proportion of Holstein and Friesian in each Holstein Friesian animal in a farmer’s herd gives farmers better information on the genetic potential of those animals.

Holsteins are usually larger and typically have a higher Udder Overall BV (Breeding Value). Friesians produce less...