Monks Communication
Friday, 12 February 2016
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Newsletter Grab from ADHIS
(the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme)
For immediate release: 3 February 2012
HEAD: Better genes, more milk (350 words)
Genetic improvement has contributed to more than 32 per cent of productivity gains in Australian
dairy herds over the past decade.
This is just one of the many insights available in the latest edition of the Australian Dairy Herd
Improvement Report released recently by the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme
(ADHIS) and the National Herd Improvement Association of Australia (NHIA).
Adrian Drury, ADHIS chairman said almost 30 years of investment in independent genetic
evaluation by the Australian dairy industry has resulted in steady improvements in the genetic
potential of our cows, and in dairy herd productivity
“It’s a fabulous achievement and every dairy farmer in Australia benefits from it when they use
artificial insemination and Australian Breeding Values,” Mr Drury said.
Most of the insights in the report are drawn from data which is collected through herd recording,
Some highlights from the latest report based on 2010/11 data include:

Milk production by Australian cows is 55% higher now than it was in 1990.

Most dairy cows are bred via artificial insemination (69% of herd recorded Holsteins, 67%
of herd-recorded Jerseys and 91% of herd recorded Australian Red Breeds).

Herd recording is performed on about half (49%) of Australia’s dairy farms.

On average, herd recorded cows produced 32% more milk than non-herd recorded cows
(Dairy Australia in Focus 2011 and ADHIS 11).

Each year, the improvement in genetic merit of Holstein cows is worth an extra 9.15 profit
per cow per year ($11.32 for Jersey and $7.92 for Red Breeds).
A dairy farmer himself, Mr Drury said the management tools arising from the industry’s investment
in dairy genetics were used in his business on a daily basis.
“Like most Australian dairy farmers we use artificial insemination, progeny test sires, proven sires
and herd recording results. These tools have been integral to our management for many years and
their improvements over the years have had a direct impact on our profitability,” he said.
“The Herd Improvement Report gives us an annual insight into dairy genetics and enables us to
track these benefits over time,” Mr Drury said.
ADHIS is an initiative of Australian Dairy Farmers’, that receives the majority of its funding from
Dairy Australia through the Dairy Service Levy.
The report can be downloaded from www.adhis.com.au or contact ADHIS to request a print copy
Monks Communication
Friday, 12 February 2016
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ph (03) 8621-4240 or email maxford@adhis.com.au.
ENDS
Image: Click here to have a high res image sent to you by automatic email: adhis-HIreport2011@monkscom.com.au
Caption: Dairy farmer and ADHIS chairman, Adrian Drury said the management tools arising from the
industry’s investment dairy genetics were used in dairy businesses on a daily basis.
Media contact: This media release has been issued by Monks Communication on behalf of ADHIS. Contact Monks Communication for inquiries
about photos and interviews or to have your contact details removed or updated on our distribution list:
Lee-Ann Monks ph (07) 5450 0946 mob 0419 349 244 email: media_releases@monkscom.com.au
Note: we are in a poor mobile reception area – try the landline first.
About ADHIS (background information for media)
The Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS) is an initiative of the Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) to assist genetic improvement in the
dairy industry. ADHIS maintains a national database of performance and pedigree details for individual dairy animals. The data base is used to
generate Australian Breeding Values (ABVs) which indicate a cow or bull’s potential genetic merit (ie it’s breeding value to a dairy herd).
Genetic gain has increased significantly since 1983 when farmers began utilising ABVs. Each year the genetic merit of artificially bred cows is
increasing, worth about $9.40/cow/yr in extra profit. The value of these gains to the industry is approximately $20 million per year. ADHIS is partly
funded by farmer levies through Dairy Australia.
ABVs and ABV(g)s are produced for a variety of traits including milk yield and composition, workability and survival as well as profitability. Updated
ABVs are released twice a year (April and August) for use by dairy farmers and artificial breeding companies. ADHIS also releases ABV(i)s for
foreign bulls three times per year (January, April and August).
ADHIS is an initiative of Australian Dairy Farmers’, that receives the majority of its funding from Dairy Australia through the Dairy Services Levy