Newsletter Grab from ADHIS
(the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme)
For immediate release: 21 December 2011
HEAD: Keys to better dairy fertility (350 words)
Daughters of bulls with higher Australian Breeding Values (ABVs) for daughter fertility achieve
13% higher 6-week in calf rates compared to their lower ranked counterparts.
This was one of the factors to better dairy herd fertility identified by a study which analysed the
records from 74 herds over a 10-year period. The findings were recently presented by InCalf and
the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS) at a series of service provider forums
held by the Department of Primary Industries across five Victorian locations.
The study identified trends in dairy herd reproductive performance between 2000 and 2009 and
identified the factors that influence fertility. Better herd fertility was strongly associated with:
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The use of ABVs for daughter fertility.
Higher milk protein concentration.
Middle-aged cows (3-4 years).
Longer intervals between calving and mating start date.
Michelle Axford from ADHIS said the results demonstrated the value of considering ABVs for
daughter fertility when selecting bulls.
She has three recommendations for improving dairy herd fertility.
“Firstly make sure you choose bulls from The Good Bulls Guide with an ABV for daughter fertility
of more than 100. This is an indicator of the bull’s genetic potential to sire daughters with higher
than average fertility,” Mrs Axford said.
“Secondly, check the semen fertility values of the bulls on your short list. Semen fertility is an
indicator of the bull’s semen to get cows in calf,” she said
The ADHIS website lists semen fertility values for bulls with more than 400 matings. Most bulls
have a value between plus and minus 2.5% Avoid using bulls with lower semen fertility values.
The third recommendation is to use enough straws to cover the number of replacement heifers you
need in the herd in three years time.
“We work on a rule of thumb that you need six straws for every replacement heifer.”
For more information contact Michelle Axford at ADHIS ph (03) 8621-4240 or email
maxford@adhis.com.au.
ADHIS is an initiative of Australian Dairy Farmers’, and is partially funded by dairy farmer levies
via Dairy Australia.
ENDS
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automatic email adhis-Fertilitytrends@monkscom.com.au
Caption: To improve dairy herd
fertility choose bulls from the
Good Bulls Guide with an ABV
for daughter fertility of greater
than 100.
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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’, and is partially funded by dairy farmer levies via Dairy Australia.