2014 August Dairy Newsletter

Genetics Australia

NEWSSpring 2014For better Australian herds

Genetics Australia has welcomed General Manager Jayne Senior to head the Co-operative. Jayne joins us after extensive experience in business management with a background in corporate strategic development, marketing and business development — all valued skills that will help to lead Genetics Australia.Jayne has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Genetics, a Master of Science in Genetics, a Master of Science in Bio-Aeronautics, a post-graduate Diploma of Marketing, and the Company Directors Course through the Australian Institute of Company Directors.In addition, Jayne has a very practical and logical approach to business, aiming to create a customer-focused environment that encourages the development of staff. In following the Co-operative’s renewed strategy of placing a stronger focus on supplying the best available genetics for our customers, Jayne will be integral in fulfilling this strategy. General Manager Jayne Senior

Genetics Australia welcomes new General Manager

Genetics Australia MRI for Holstein siresSire MRIMAEBULL 203WYMAN 202CADELEVANS 183EUROSTAR 181RENNAT 179NARDOO 172ROYALMAN 169DOLBY 168CANDOO 163BUDLIGHT 1627H8081 159

Genetics Australia MRI for Red siresSire MRIDAHLE10801 215ARBLEVER 183ARBLONGBOW 172ARBHILLY 155ENGEBAKKEN73 152ARBREDCHIEF 139SKEI10617 136ARBFROSTY 132ARBICESTAR 129ARBLIPPMAN 126ARBMAWSON 124

New Mastitis Resistance Index (MRI)Genetics Australia’s Mastitis Resistance Index (MRI) is designed to assist farmers

to identify bulls that will sire daughters that will be less susceptible to clinical

mastitis. There have been a number of independent

studies around the world that have identified traits that are correlated with clinical mastitis.

The strongest relationship is with Somatic Cell Count, however the type traits Fore Udder Attachment, Udder Depth, Rear

Genetics Australia MRI for Jersey siresSire MRIGAINFUL 156BADGER 145LARFALOT 136VANBAYLEE 133NAVARIAN 129NBN 128AUSSIEGOLD 124VISTAWALL 118VOYAGEDALE 118TAHBILK 114ASTOUND 109

Leg Rear View and Milking Speed (negative correlation) all influence clinical mastitis. The MRI combines these key traits and weights them to provide farmers with a list of bulls that will contribute to reducing the incidence of clinical mastitis cases in their herd. We encourage farmers placing emphasis on the important economic traits to consider this index when making bull selections.

Genetics Australia NEWS2

Freecall 1800 039 047 • www.genaust.com.au • shop.genaust.com.au • [email protected]

Detecting a cow in heat can be one of the most time-consuming tasks, yet it is one of the most important jobs on any dairy farm. Accurate heat detection leads to more pregnancies from the greater use of top genetics, more days in milk, more herd replacements – all leading to greater profits on-farm. Australian data shows the average 3-week submission rate is 72% (InCalf report 2011). The latest study from Kansas shows the MooMonitor is the world’s most accurate, picking up 88.6% of heats based on blood test and ultrasound data.As a working example, if you had 200 cows to join, that’s 144 as opposed to 176 cows found on heat, or 32 extra heats picked up. Each missed heat costs you $200, so for this 200-cow example that would be $6400 for an average herd. Just for the first heat! MooMonitor picks up your non-cyclers quicker, ensuring they will get more chances to get in calf faster.

MooMonitor never sleepsMooMonitor information has shown that 40% of heats start before 6 a.m. and 35% of heats after 8 p.m. The average cow has a 14-hour heat, but they can be as short as 2 hours to as long as 24 hours (InCalf report). Unlike you, MooMonitor doesn’t need a good night’s sleep, it’s monitoring all the time.For the customers with MooMonitor, one of the major benefits mentioned is that they have more time to spend on things other than heat detection.

MooMonitor will do the work for youThe MooMonitor software and App can not only send you a list of cows, but it can report to your AI technician, so they know how many will be on. If you have a drafting gate, the

software will draft cows for you. Because it is based on the cow’s activity it will find sick cows early, if they are feeling sick and not moving around as they normally would. MooMonitor will let you know.

MooMonitor will:• Identify more heats• Identify the correct cows• Improve conception rate (more correct heats)• Reduce labor costs• Tighten calving interval

James Britt is Genetics Australia’s MooMonitor specialist. For all enquiries about the world’s most accurate electronic heat detection system, please call James on 0408 741 034.

World’s most accurate electronic heat detection system

“I’m really looking forward to the joining season this year! I’ve been very impressed with the performance of the MooMonitor, it picks up cows I haven’t seen that were on heat overnight that I would not have picked up. When the power was off for a couple of days the computer and MooMonitor started up with the generator and my on-heat cows were drafted.”John Bilney Mirboo North, Vic.“We were spending a lot of time looking at cows, and even though we were using heat detection aids some cows on heat were missed. It is surprising how many cows come on heat at night – MooMonitor picks them up and we wouldn’t have picked them up visually. Where MooMonitor shines is picking up ‘silent’ heats, short heats overnight and heats on cows that won’t let other cows mount them. We also get a lot of flies in summer, and a lot of heat detection aids get set off by cows flicking their tails.”“It saves time. In the evenings I can spend time with my family instead of down in the paddock”.Rohan Sprunt, Kaarimba, Vic.“What I really like is I can rely on it. It really is a low-fuss way of detecting heat. The collars are easy to put on and move from animal to animal, and I haven’t lost a collar yet. There is no way I’d go back to anything else.”Tom Cochrane, Nowra, NSW

Spring 2014 3

Bundalong Marks MEDALLION leaves his mark

MEDALLION daughter, Renyard Family, Timboon, Vic.


It was always going to be hard for any INFORMER son to follow in his sire’s footsteps. However, Medallion is solidifying his spot as heir-apparent proof run after proof run. In an industry where Donor, O-Man, Goldwyn and Shottle have had high use, MEDALLION has managed to surface at just the right time for much needed outcross. Unfortunately for INFORMER he had limited influence due to his premature death, but that makes MEDALLION far easier to use on a variety of pedigrees. He has the unique quality of wide strong frames while maintaining an ABV of 101 for Calving Ease (99% reliability). MEDALLION is the ideal mating for Goldwyn bloodlines, with his shorter stature and added strength. As more daughters are added to his proof, his proof has remained extremely consistent: Protein with moderate milk, and super “welded on” udders with great workability.There has been international interest in MEDALLION. Semen has been exported to the US, UK, New Zealand and South Africa. The comment from South Africa is that they are very keen to have a bull that adds strength to the frailer “US style” cow that they have seen in recent times.Amy Wright has been evaluating cows and sees a lot of MEDALLIONs in their working clothes.“Having evaluated over 100 MEDALLION daughters in the last couple of months, it is fantastic to see the outstanding uniformity and quality that this bull promised now being delivered. Across a range of bloodlines he stamps sensational udders and is one of the best sires on the market to add valuable dairy strength and capacity without extreme stature or sacrifice in production.” “They are modern day dairy cows that know how to work with cracking udders, handmade for Goldwyn and Shottle daughters.”

MEDALLION daughter owned by Wim Kampschoer and Chris Bell, Cooriemungle, Vic.

We think he is wonderful, but what do you think?“We’ve used his sexed semen over our maiden heifers. Our MEDALLION heifers have average stature but they have plenty of strength and capacity. We look forward to them calving-in.”Gary McNamara, Irrewillipe, Vic.

“It seems a combination of their qualities makes them the hard working, trouble-free cows that any farmers would be happy to milk.” Tim Flemming, Boorcan, Vic.

“Our first Medallion calved in at 21 months and has done an incredible job with a PI of 115 in a 450-cow herd. The rest of the group are just as brilliant ... tremendous udders and outstanding temperament. We have over 30 milking now and we will continue to use him in our WMS mating program.”Tim and Mary Parish, Bambra, Vic.

“Medallion is one of those great commercial bulls: manageable size, fantastic udders and most importantly, judging on farmer feedback, extreme customer satisfaction. We have and will continue to use and recommend Medallion heavily throughout our business.” Stuart Jackson, Sales and Marketing, HICO, Colac


Strong Jersey Team from Genetics Australia

VOYAGEDALE – Wallacedale Mels Voyage (s. VANAHLEM )One of the leading genomic sires in the Jersey breed for confirmation (+112 Overall Type), backed by two generations of Excellent dams and descending from the Melanies at Wallacedale Jerseys. VOYAGEDALE presents a great opportunity to invest in this quality genomic sire. Increased returns — highlighted by his +222 APR, a nicely-balanced production proof (+613 Milk, +24kg Protein and +34kg Fat, while also offering positive components — are a good reason to choose VOYAGEDALE among your choices in 2014. Clearly our most popular Jersey FutureGEN sire in 2013, VOYAGEDALE is presented again in 2014 among the Genetics Australia Jersey FutureGEN sire offering.

AUSSIEGOLD – Broadlin Aussiegold P ET (s. Elton )Genetics Australia continues to field enquiry from foreign markets for semen from AUSSIEGOLD. We have supplied to USA, Uruguay, New Zealand and the United Kingdom at this stage. The diversity surrounding his pedigree and his genetic profile that offers the ‘polled’ gene is very appealing, and again in 2014 he continues to be one of the most popular Jersey FutureGen sires this year.

NAVARIAN – Colnarco Navarian (s. VALERIAN )There is no doubt that NAVARIAN is the best Jersey bull for all round performance, with an APR of 330. High production with +268 ASI, super udders with a Mammary System ABV of +109 and +122 for Cell Count makes for a really well-balanced proof. This VALERIAN son is as strong as any daughter-proven sire across the Jersey breed for Profitability, Overall Type and Mammary traits.

RACEWAY – Aberdeen Valerian Sandown ET (s. VALERIAN )The August 2014 ABV release has seen additional daughters added to RACEWAY’s proof. With more than 90% reliability he is a super choice for your breeding program. He offers a nicely-blended production proof combining increased protein yield (27kg) with superior type (110) and outstanding workability traits, he is a popular choice this season. Developed from the ‘Sandras’, initially at Rye Valley Jerseys through the early ’90s, we now see many bulls from this family breaking the barriers and RACEWAY has met and exceeded the expectations of his genomic proof in April 2013.

RACEWAY daughter, Gelbeado Park Jerseys, Won Wron, Vic.

Our Jersey bulls showed significant improvement in the August 2014 ABVs, with NAVARIAN lifting over 40 points on APR alone. The August 2014 ABV proof release consolidated the fantastic new daughter-proven sires added to the active list in April. Great genomic sire proofs also highlighted the 2014 FutureGen sire line-up. When you analyse the group of Jersey sires collectively, Genetics Australia’s line up is the strongest when it comes to elite genetics … something we are very proud of.

NAVARIAN daughter, B & J Dickson, Terang, Vic.

Jersey Sexed Semen in limited supplyGenetics Australia is currently holding limited doses of sexed Jersey semen across the Jersey breed. We encourage those that will require this product for Spring–Summer matings to order as soon as possible. Bulls currently available are 7J860 Maack Dairy Eclipes-P, RACEWAY and GAINFUL.


Spring 2014 5

Strong Jersey Team from Genetics Australia


7J860 Maack Dairy Eclipes-P ET (s. Action)Early daughter reports turned into a great proof in April. The feedback from breeders across Australia was consistent with his excellent workability traits – 106 Milk Speed, 105 Temperament and 106 Likeability. This specialty sire that offers the “polled” gene is also siring daughters with superb type and udders with a PTAT of +1.82 and +4.31 for JUI.

7J1038 All Lynns Louie Valentino ET (s. Parade Louie )With early daughters now beginning to calve down in Australia and lots more soon to calve, Valentino remains a heavy use sire for many Jersey breeders and commercial dairyfarmers in Australia today.7J1038 Valentino daughters are tall and angular with plenty of strength, and at +5.17 JUI he is leaving daughters with well attached udders, exceptional height and width, combined exceptional feet and legs. A breed leader, 7JE01038 All Lynns Louie Valentino ET is a high milk (+1608), fat (+55), and protein production (+50) sire that excels in Type and Udder Index. At +2.60 PTAT Valentino ranks No. 1 on the World Wide Sires line up for Type and is the No. 7 JPI sire at +207.

VALENTINO daughter Dutch Hollow Valentino Cheryl ET

From the United States

Over the past 12 months daughters of 7J860 Eclipes-P have competed successfully at major shows and the on-farm challenge competitions that are becoming increasing popular. In particular, Wallacedale Eclipes Marie 88pts (max) has been exhibited with tremendous results across this period, placing first in both the Central and South Gippsland on-farm Challenges in 2013, and a second prize in the senior 2-year-old in-milk class at IDW 2014. She is performing well with a Production Index of 107 in the Wallacedale herd. The Melanies continue to be represented among the young sire program at Genetics Australia, most recently with VOYAGEDALE (Wallacedale Mels Voyage), a member of the 2014 Jersey FutureGEN program.

NEW Jersey genomic sire 14J664 All Lynns Irwin NEVIN (s. Irwin)We are very excited to announce the new addition of NEVIN – All Lynns Irwin Nevin to our international Jersey line-up. His dam, Spring Creek TBone Netty ET Ex90, is a very smart daughter of TBone. NEVIN offers high milk flow, 2.5 Productive Life, superior type with no ‘holes’, and a JUI of 5.69. All Lynns Irwin Nevin

US TYPE

PTATJUIStatureStrengthDairy FormRump (side view)Rump WidthRear Leg (side view)Foot AngleFore UdderRear Udder HeightRead Udder WidthUdder CleftUdder DepthFront Teat PlacementTeat Length

–1 0 1 2

2.605.693.000.702.201.001.100.700.802.202.301.800.802.202.500.10


International sires get their chance with milking daughters

WYMAN (Goldwyn x Oman) daughter milking in Italy.

WYMAN – Pirolo Goldwyn Wyman (s. Goldwyn ) With many daughters calving in Australia across the Autumn–Winter period, Wyman added Genomic data and reliability to his ABV(i), and remains Goldwyn’s highest son when combining profitability, production, calving ease and, importantly, health and fitness traits.

Luck-E Guthrie Kleopatra VG86, daughter of 7H9420 GUTHRIE (Goldwyn x Blitz). With many second-crop daughters now calving in all corners of the world, Guthrie demonstrates his ability to consistently sire daughters with outstanding udders and increased productivity, and truly highlights the quality of this sire.

For a period of time now Genetics Australia has been able to offer a top range of international sires from all corners of the world. In recent months we have seen for the first time daughters sired by WYMAN, BERRYHILL and 7H9420 Guthrie milking in Australia. The feedback on this group of popular international bulls is very pleasing and many farmers have takent the opportunity to reuse the bulls in their 2014 breeding program. Genetics Australia will also be adding a group of NEW Genomic sires to the Australia market this spring. Further details can be found in the Spring 2014 International Catalogue available now. If you have yet to receive one in the mail contact your usual semen supplier or go to www.genaust.com.au to view a copy online.

7H9420 – Fustead Goldwyn Guthrie (s. Goldwyn )Our experience to date identifies 7H9420 Fustead Goldwyn Guthrie as another international sire that we have identified as a heavy-use sire across the Autumn–Winter period. He will demand increased attention for the remainder of the Spring. Daughters are beginning to calve in Australia and we expect them to deliver on the many qualities that Holstein breeders and commercial dairyfarmers are identifying as important in their decision making process. Increased returns from a high APR ranking while also offering an outstanding udder rating, calving ease and improved health traits will all lead to increased usage for 7H9420 Guthrie across the Spring period.


WWS Premium G-Force siresHolstein Sire PTAM F % PTAF P % PTAP Rel PL SCR SCS PTAT DPR UDC FLC TPI RRP Spring Offer*7H11351 Supersire Robust 2467 0.08 112 0.02 79 77 4.9 –0.10 2.87 2.40 –0.10 1.68 1.17 2444 $80.00 $65.00 7H12222 Kian McCutchen 1917 –0.04 59 0.00 59 74 4.6 2.70 2.66 3.53 0.20 3.15 2.95 2421 $80.00 $65.00 7H12009 Hartford Mogul 1373 0.11 80 0.07 59 75 4.9 –0.90 2.73 2.87 1.20 3.31 1.99 2454 $60.00 $51.00 7H11477 McCutchen Bookem 1342 0.07 67 0.05 53 79 3.4 2.10 2.80 3.50 0.50 3.21 2.44 2373 $60.00 $51.00 7H11928 Partyrock Maurice 893 0.17 76 0.07 44 74 5.9 0.60 2.63 2.53 1.30 2.43 2.52 2360 $45.00 $38.00 7H11118 Brokaw Atwood 276 0.05 25 0.05 21 78 –1.9 2.70 3.11 4.72 –1.10 3.92 3.18 1895 $55.00 $47.00 7H11283 Mayfield Domain 1385 –0.04 41 –0.01 39 79 3.4 3.00 2.91 2.89 0.90 2.61 1.73 2140 $40.00 $32.00 14H7241 Royal Shamrock 888 0.12 65 0.06 42 78 4.8 –0.50 2.89 2.81 1.50 2.08 2.20 2264 $35.00 $28.00

* Conditions apply, refer to Spring catalogue

Spring 2014 7


Follow us on FACEBOOKFollow us on facebook and keep up to date with the social media news at Genetics Australia. This social media outlet from time to time highlights topics across merchandise and both beef and dairy news. We would like to hear your good news stories that we can then share with other like-minded customers.

At Genetics Australia, all of our progeny test bulls have been screened using the latest genomic technology. They have been selected with emphasis on profit, type, fertility and mastitis resistance in line with the needs of the modern farmer.We also pay close attention to adequate pedigree variation, with a wide range of sires and maternal lines used. This year there are 75 bulls in our three progeny test teams with 25 different sires and 27 different maternal grand sires, all from 36 cow families. Our goal is to help you produce trouble free cows that last.Being able to genomically test Holstein and Jersey bulls allows Genetics Australia to cast the net even further to find sires that will have a long-lasting positive contribution to the Australian dairy cow population. Over 450 Holsteins were tested, with only the best selected to enter the 2014 team. In the Jerseys, over 70 young bulls were tested to find the best 15 to make up Team 2014. The standard is high and that’s the way it should be.Genomic testing also allows us to test bulls that have origins from around the world, with bulls included in Team 2014 coming from international-renowned cow families like Lila-Z (through imported embryos), Chief Adeen, Lou Ettas, Walkerbrae Toni, Chief Faiths and the like. We have also selected young bulls from studs like Charlock, PJ Park, Beulah Park, Tramar and Calister that have developed new Australian cow families that typify our breeding goals. Along with previous proven bull-producing families, we believe we have searched the globe for a team of bulls to take genetics forward.The Jerseys are no different. We have left no stone unturned to develop a team of young bulls to deliver genetic improvement to the industry. With cow families such as Babe, Melanie, Ilagay, Fernleaf and Standard Lady represented, and the best of Australian and internationally proven sires of sons, the 2014 Jersey progeny test team is kicking goals. Red Breeds genomics are still being developed, so we source the best-pedigreed red bulls from best-performing red cow families we can find from Beaulands, Loden, Louvic, Orana and the relative newcomer to breeding, Johville Park. We make sure they have high EGVs and deep cow families.

Team highlightsThis year there are four very exciting sons of M-Gee PS Angelica, owned by Brendon Winter. She is a descendant of the great Shoremar S Alicia Ex97 USA. Three of the four bulls are the highest for daughter fertility in the progeny test team this year.Italian superstar Wyman has 13 sons in the team. Their cell count averages 137, daughter fertility 104, and with an average APR of 205 they are a fantastic group of bulls.From across the Tasman, Rengaw Holsteins have five bulls in the team that trace back our well-loved sire JUDGE. As a group they excel at production and longevity.The current Holstein progeny test team averages 214 APR, 132 Cell Count, 103 Daughter fertility.

Selecting the next generationLEVIGENES dam, Vanessa 2701, has done it again. DOUBLEUP, her Aberian son, is the highest profit bull in the team with 83kg of milk solids.VANBAYLEES Tbone dam, Kaarmona Tbone Babe, recently classified Ex90-3yr! It’s fairly easy to see why he has 114 for type and 109 for udders from such a fantastic maternal line.

If we have genomic selection, why continue to progeny test? Genomic technology is a data-hungry technology. Over time, populations change and the genomic technology needs to change as well. The data provided by progeny testing helps maintain the accuracy of the genomic testing by validating the genomic results. There is no doubt that you can have more confidence in today’s genomically-selected progeny test bull than you could have had in his pedigree-selected counterpart from yesteryear. However, daughter-proven sires still have the greatest reliabilty and progeny testing is necessary to identify tomorrow’s best daughter-proven sires.Progeny testing also allows us to develop a range of bloodlines and bulls that suit a larger range of customers. We understand not everyone wants the same things. By testing a range of bulls it allows us to spread the range on numerous traits to deliver to farmers a variety of traits that are important to them.Progeny testing also helps us to identify calving ease sires that may not be the highest in any one particular trait but a good all-rounder whose best attribute is calving ease. These bulls have a place in breeding programs.Remember, with genomics your progeny test sires are even more reliable and by using a cross section of progeny test bulls it can be argued that it offers the most cost-effective breeding program.

Don’t forget your workability!To ensure thorough data capture for proofs we need your help. Please ensure workability scores are returned to your DPC when requested. Only by farmers submitting this data will we be able to identify the very best sires for workabilitiy.


Daughter-proven Holstein sires from Genetics Australia

BUDDHA daughter owned by A & W Eccles, Purnim, Vic.

BUDDHA – Bushlea Perfect Bold ET

(s. Goldwyn)One of the leading Holstein sires in the breed. A high demand sire last year, BUDDHA again offers increased reliability, maintaining his high degree of profitability, solid type and udder characteristics. BUDDHA offers a ‘no fuss’ approach to traits such as calving ease and resistance to mastitis that are highly sought after in today’s farming practices.

CHRISTMAS – Emu Banks Christmas

CHRISTMAS – Emu Banks Christmas ET

(s. Roumare)

The new sensation that is putting width and depth back into cows! CHRISTMAS was the best new Holstein graduate from the 2014 April ABVs and lifted significantly in the August release. CHRISTMAS combines a high APR, a well-balanced production ABV and excellent health and workability traits with an ideal blend of power and dairy strength.

DECORUM daughter, R Paynter, Ellinbank, Vic.

DECORUM – Inverwood Donante Decorum 955

(s. Donante)It comes as no surprise that Donante son DECORUM is leading the new graduates for type (110) and udders (114). A massive 1541 for milk makes him the highest milk flow bull in our line up. He is positive for all body traits, adding chest width (107), body depth (112) and lowering pins (120). And just like his sire he has high wide rear udders with super fore-teat placement (114).


CHRISTMAS daughter, G & J Sherborne, Burrawa, NSW

Spring 2014 9

Top genomic bulls available now!

RENNAT

RENNAT – Ebony Park Iota Tanner ET

(s. Iota)Health traits come to the fore from this Iota son from Western Victoria. RENNAT blends health and management traits from one of O-Man’s best sons with production and type from the Toni family, one of the strongest cow families imported into Australia. Genetics from around the world designed for Australian farmers

STARSHIRAZ

STARSHIRAZ – Jetstar Delsanto Shiraz ET

(s. DELSANTO)STARSHIRAZ features 35kg protein and 37kg fat with 107 for Mammary System and 105 for Type. This Futuregen sire ticks all the breeding goals that farmers desire. Positive daughter fertility adds to this Delsanto son’s attributes in helping breed long-lasting cows.

DIMAGGIO

DIMAGGIO – Bundalong Jetstar Dimaggio ET

(s. Canbee)Outstanding production and profitability stand DIMAGGIO in elite company. His strong workability traits, coupled with his easy to use Type and Mammary scores, makes him so easy to slot into many breeding programs,

Kaarmona Lucky Strike Carla 3, CADELEVANS family

CADELEVANS – Kaarmona Cadel

(s. MEDALLION)It’s no surprise that CADELEVANS slots in as the No.2 genomic bull available for udders when you view his pedigree. Sired by MEDALLION, the No.1 ranked Mammary sire standing in Australia (ahead of breed icons Goldwyn and Shottle), CADELEVANS will sire stylish, well-uddered Holsteins.




August 2014 ABV summaryCHRISTMAS (right), the best new Holstein graduate from the 2014 April ABVs, lifted significantly in August. CHRISTMAS combines a high APR with a well-balanced production ABV and excellent health and workability traits. An ideal blend of power and dairy strength. DELSANTO and MEDALLION added a large number of second-crop milking daughters and continue to impress. DELSANTO is now in the Top 1% of Holsteins on profit while MEDALLION stays in the Top 1% for mammary. He remains the first choice for udder improvement. BUDDHA continues to tick many boxes and also moves into the top 1% for profit. He remains one of the easiest sires to use.EUROSTAR (107) and CARGLO (106) moved forwards in leaps and bounds on daughter fertility. They are both excellent choices for health trait improvement. The genomic proofs are dominated by Genetics Australia bulls, with 15 of the top 20 APR bulls based on ABVg, and 14 of the top 20 on Type. ROYALMAN, DIMAGGIO and PICOLA are best of our team, combining high APR with well-balanced production, excellent health and workability. Look out for new bull NARDOO, who offers health and production traits.Jerseys also showed significant improvement, with NAVARIAN lifting over 40 points on APR alone. He has a genuine “no holes” proof and is the clear No.1 Jersey in Australia. He continues to be in high demand in Australia and a growing number of overseas countries. Full brothers RACEWAY and ROUNDHILL both showed improvement. ROUNDHILL moved up to 103 on daughter fertility. DOUBLEUP leads the way for the FutureGen Genomic team on APR, he is an ABERIAN brother to our most popular FutureGen sire LEVIGENES. In the Aussie Reds ARBBONJOVI had a small lift in APR with 80 extra daughters in his proof, remaining our most popular sire. The new graduates ARBHILLY, ARBICESTAR and ARBNICK are ones to watch, adding daughters and improving their proofs. Norwegian Reds EIK 10540 and the two sons of Olstad, DAHLE 108001 and RAVN 10739, held their proofs. The proof of EIK is now based on data from close to 1400 daughters in Norway. It is always a good sign when a bull adds data from a significant number of second-crop daughters and his proof holds. Look out also for two new bulls for 2014 – TANGVOLL 909 and SKEI 10617.

Improved performanceWith June 30th now behind us, we are pleased to advise that your Co-operative has experienced a much improved year, from a significant deficit in 2013 to a positive turnaround. While no doubt the improved dairy economy has supported this performance, we acknowledge the strong contribution of the entire staffing group that have operated under some challenging conditions and appreciate the support of farmers and semen resellers around Australia.

Merchandise catalogue out soon The Spring edition of the Genetics Australia Merchandise catalogue will be out soon. Look out for a great range of products at affordable prices, with features on MooMonitor, calf feeders and Alpha sheaths.The catalogue will be posted with the next issue of Australian Dairyfarmer so look out for your copy. Of course, shopping is always available 24/7 through our online store at shop.genaust.com.au.

Call on SharesRecently shareholders received a request calling on members to move their shareholding from partially-paid to fully-paid. Most of the Genetics Australia shares were partially paid at $0.70 for a share that was valued at $2.00, and most shareholders paid $35.00 for 50 Shares that had a full value of $100.00.Since the Co-operative was formed in 1958 there has been many changes in the dairy industry. Drought and a significant reduction in farmer numbers has challenged Genetics Australia to effectively manage the share register. As we operate under the Co-operative Act, it is important to make a call on shares to gain a greater insight into the active members, in order to comply with co-operative rules on maintaining an accurate register. A more accurate and active share register will allow the Co-operative to provide greater shareholder benefit into the future.So if you haven’t taken the opportunity to fully pay your shares it is not too late, the closing date has been extended to Friday September 12th.

A day on the road for Jayne General Manager Jayne Senior values the opportunity of getting into the field and understanding the needs of customers, and there was no better opportunity in accepting an invitation to travel with John Pickford on his AI round. John is the owner and manager of Nationwide Artificial Breeders in Noorat, south-western Victoria.

Jayne Senior and John Pickford

The aims of Genetics Australia’s Aussie Red Progeny Test program include finding new bulls with top proofs and helping dairy farmers to achieve their breeding goals and deliver higher profits. At the same time it is important to avoid future inbreeding problems, maintain genetics diversity and make good use of the range of genetics available to us.

Red team shines bright across the Spring

ARBBONJOVI ARBBONJOVI (Orraryd x Torp 882) is team leader and is in high demand. He offers a significant improvement to protein, fat and components.

He is rated above average for all important traits. He deserves to be used by all Red and cross breeders and is now an international star, attracting a lot of interest in the USA, England and Australia.

ARBLEX ARBLEX (Orraryd x Christiansborg) is outstanding for type and mammary system – he will improve udder depth, fore attachment, front teat placement and centre ligament. He is in the top bulls for survival – his daughters are staying in herds. He has good ratings for daughter fertility, a sound well-balanced production ABV and a high rating for temperament.

ARBLEX continues to be in high demand. He is an obvious choice for all Red and cross breeders.

ARBNICK ARBNICK (Juby 1617 x Orraryd) was bred by Toby Leppin at Bena in Gippsland. He increases protein, milk and fat and holds milk composition. He has high ratings for cell count, survival, daughter fertility and temperament. Farmers certainly like his daughters. ARBNICK’s April proof was outstanding, based on data from a limited number of daughters. Since then additional daughters have been added and his proof is holding. ARBNICK has the potential to become one of the big stars of the Aussie Red Breed.

ARBOBAMA ARBOBAMA (OBrolin x Botans) was bred by Sam Graham, Nowra, NSW. From the large and successful Matilda cow family, ARBOBAMA is quickly becoming a high demand sire. He is third behind ARBLEX and BONJOVI this season. ARBOBAMA has a similar proof to ARBBONJOVI. He offers significant improvement in protein, milk and fat with very positive deviations, making him an obvious choice for high milk flow, low component cows. In addition ARBOBAMA has high ratings for all workability traits and survival.

ARBBONJOVI daughter bred by Beaulands Pty Ltd,

Spring 2014 11


Join our progeny test programAnother group of top young Aussie Red sires are available as Progeny Test bulls in 2014. Aussie Reds continue to be popular in Australia and demand internationally is growing, particularly in countries like the USA where they are included in many cosss breeding programs.One Team 2014 progeny test sire is ARBRON – Beaulands Ron ET (Fastrup x Fyn Aks)Fastrup, another highly-rated son of Orrayd, was proven in Denmark. We need to test his sons from top cows and ARBRON meets our selection criteria. His dam, Beaulands Aks Rosie 2, by Fynaks is an outstanding cow with an ASI of 119. ARBRON is one of many great young sires in our Progeny Test team.

From Norway comes TANGVOLL 909TANGVOLL introduces outcross genetics and is another outstanding prospect for Australian farmers. His sire Oygarden performed really well in Australia. Currently he is ranked No.15 on the Red Breeds list with an APR of 174 (79% rel).In Norway TANGVOLL has a Total Merit Rating of +31, ranking him No. 2 in the breed. He has outstanding ratings for improving Protein, Milk and Fat as well as improving protein composition. His Norwegian progeny also rate highly for growth rate, fertility, mastitis resistance and general disease resistance. TANGVOLL is great for both Red Breeders and crossbreeders and is a potential sire of sons.

WBVISCOUNT (Viscount x Redmonarch)We are very excited to introduce a new Illawarra to our line up. WBVISCOUNT – Wallumlands Blush’s Viscount already has show-winning daughters and comes from a very long lived cow and highly productive maternal line. His dam, Blush 4, has an average PI of 119 over four lactations. His 11-year-old grand dam is still in the herd and milking well. On top of that there is international interest in this bull, so get your order in early so you don’t miss out!

Genetics Australia MERCHANDISE12

If you can correctly identify cows in heat, you’ll get cows in calf. The best thing you can stick on an animal to identify heat is an Estrotect patch.

Why do they say ‘as good as a bull’? Simply because the Estrotect shows you cows that are in standing heat; and that is what you need to know to AI your cows. There are many aspects to successful AI, but one of the most crucial is inseminating animals that are in standing heat. Correct AI on cows in standing heat at the correct time will give you good conception rates. Cows that don’t conceive by AI often are still empty when run with the bull. In trials run by the South Dakota State University, detection of standing heat using Estrotect was compared to detection by a bull, and the difference was the bull was 92% correct and Estrotect 91% – almost exactly the same.

You need the best informationWith missed heats costing around $200 per heat, and the majority of heats occurring at night when visual observation is difficult, it pays to use Estrotect. You simply stick the self adhesive Estrotect patch on the cow’s rump and monitor the rub off surface. If the animal isn’t on standing heat and runs away when mounted it won’t rub the surface right off so you can see it isn’t in standing heat. Estrotect is available in five bright colours so you can change colour between inseminations.

Alpha AI sheaths from IMVWe’re getting excellent feedback on the new Alpha AI Sheaths from IMV — faster AI and easier to use, especially on difficult animals. These were introduced after many years of research and represent the first major change in sheath design in many years. Using technology developed in embryo transfer, the sheath end is rounded and the semen is deposited out of dual holes in the end of the sheath. There is very little chance of contamination being picked up and insertion is much easier. The dual dispersal works well especially in difficult inseminations in the cervical folds. The sheath is designed to be used on IMV Kombi guns and we have found they need to be used on these guns for best results. If you are doing your own AI upgrade into a new gun and sheaths – you’ll find AI easier and you’ll be improving the conception potential.

Heat detection: you need the best information

Seals wet weather clothingGenetics Australia stocks the full range of Seals wet weather clothing – parkas, vests, overtrousers and bib and brace overtrousers. Seals has an enviable reputation for durability, being waterproof, breathable and flexible. The design is great, with full cover flaps, adjustable sleeves, strong quality two-way zips and heavy duty pop studs.

See the full range of Genetics Australia merchandise available on-line at shop.genaust.com.au,

or call freecall 1800 039 047 for information or a printed catalogue.

How good is MooMonitor at electronic heat detection? One of the first farms using MooMonitor recently had a pregnancy check of 26 cows. Twenty-four were inseminated after MooMonitor was used for heat detection, and according to the collars the other two cows were showing no signs of heat. The 24 inseminated cows were in calf, the other two were checked by the vet and found to be anoestrus. As far as the farmer was concerned, MooMonitor is close to 100% accurate at heat detection.MooMonitor is a collar system that monitors cow behaviour 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — the employee that never sleeps. It picks up cows even if they only come on heat for a few hours in the middle of the night, and is very accurate (in University tests 87.5% of heats were correctly identified). Combined with a Dairyking drafting gate, MooMonitor can be set it to identify cows in heat and draft them automatically – timed by hour of onset of oestrus to maximise your conception. With an internet connection you can have information on the cows on your phone or iPad.

Users report enormous time savings from simply not being tied to

monitoring cows every day, and getting much better heat

detection results than their previous method. MooMonitor

is fully serviceable, with all parts replaceable including batteries.

2014 August Dairy Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of 2014 August Dairy Newsletter