Dairy NewS AUSTRALIA october, 2012
breeding // 19
Farmers can lift in-calf rate in six-week period retained in the herd and genetic gain is maximised. While genetics drive profitability, a carryover cow is an unjustifiable cost. “By six months a carryover cow is almost 200 days in milk. Her reproductive potential doesn’t get any better the longer she’s left. In fact, the quality of her eggs deteriorates the longer she’s left,” Perotti said. “More peaks, more calves, no carryovers – that should be our aim. I tell my clients to get serious about reproduction – it drives your profit.”
Sales calendar DATE
SALE
WHERE
Oct 19
McNamara Dairying Special Spring Sale
Colac Selling Centre
Oct 23
Almervista Jerseys Dispersal Sale
on-property, Drouin Sth, Vic
Nov 1
Spring Spectacular Dairy Sale
Shepperton Selling Centre, Vic
Nov 20
Lynstar Holsteins on-property sale
Gympie, Qld
Nov 22
Southern Milkers Special Sale Historic Tilba
Tilba, NSW
Nov 23
Globull Fusions First Edition Holstein & Jersey Sale
Berry, NSW
Nov 29
Midway Park Ayrshires Final Sale
Tatura, Vic
Nov 30
North West Stars of the Future Sale
Echuca, Vic
“The Chinese and Russians won’t develop their own genomic databases; they’ll simply adopt the North American database. After all, it’s a global industry; the bovine genome is a global entity which we can all use and contribute to.”
Charlie Perotti, global director of corporate programs for Alta Genetics.
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In Eastern Europe, countries like Ukraine and Kazakhstan have a growing middle-class average milk per cow per day demanding quality dairy prodand growth in livestock invenuct. They are becoming wealthtory, says Charlie Perotti, global ier through sales of oil and gas director of corporate programs to Western Europe. Russia too for Alta Genetics. has the desire to increase dairy Advanced synchronisation output and India is now lookprograms now offer dairy farming to move away its traditional, ers the opportunity to create the low production system to high maximum number of pregnantech, high productivity dairying cies in a six week joining period. systems. Farmers adopting these pro“We are very involved in grams could expect a calf rate of China where they are buildat least 70%, according to Charing a quality dairy industry,” lie Perotti, global director of corhe said. “They are porate programs for hungry for knowlAlta Genetics. “Data has told us if bulls don’t edge but we have Perotti, who has perform by 16 months they to remember they been a regular visiare really first gentor to Australia for aren’t going to improve.” eration dairymen. the past four years, Selecting, rearing and prog- Many of them have come off travels the world advising on dairy profitability, genetic devel- eny testing bulls is a major 10 cow, hand-milking farms so opment, personnel development business activity for genetics they know little about managand management, sales and mar- companies and bull fertility and ing a 5000 cow enterprise. But keting, and large progressive management has been a spe- they do want to learn.” The fast moving global induscial challenge as competition dairy project development. “With advance synchronisa- increases and margins become try that these emerging countries are entering will see them tion programs, there’s no heat tighter. Recently, Alta Genetics rapidly adopting the technologdetection, no palpating cows and no need for induction,” Perotti changed its approach to bull ical improvements developed in management to meet these new the West and adopted over sevsaid. “With three opportunities challenges. Using data gathered eral generations. These newto get them in calf you should from a number of core partner comers will adopt genomics, herds, the company concluded synchronisation, sexed semen expect a 70%+ in calf rate. “The first time you run a that bulls that didn’t produce and other advances and rapidly synch program it seems like quality semen by 16 months of reap the rewards of genetic gain and high productivity. hard work but when you’ve done age were not going to improve. “Genomics is a ‘game “In the past we kept a bull on, it once you find you’re running the dairy operation differently – based on his parentage and our changer’,” said Perotti. “The US more efficiently and more prof- expectations of him, in the belief and Canada started building the he would eventually provide bovine genomic database in 2003 itably. “If you’re running your dairy good quality semen,” Perotti and by 2007 there was an unoffias a business you have to have said. “But what the partner herd cial genomic evaluation on bulls an aggressive reproduction pro- data told us quite clearly was that which added about 10% to their gram with a minimum number this was not so. If they didn’t per- general reliability. “Today, just five years later, of carryover cows. Then you form by 16 months they weren’t the general reliability of a young can cull on profitability and going to improve.” In his role, Perotti has access bull using genomics alone is select which animals to sell and which to keep on their true per- to both emerging and estab- 76-82%. The speed of genomic lished dairy industries and has progress has tripled. Today formance.” Culling on profitability witnessed the revolution that is 50% of joinings in the US are to rather than because a cow is taking place in dairying across genomic-only bulls. They don’t want to be left behind. empty ensures the best cows are the globe. Maximising reproduction drives profit through
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www.absglobal.com/aus l abs.au.info@genusplc.com l Ph: 02 6049 9200 l Fax: 02 6026 2387 semen orders only, freecall 1800-abs-bULL
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