Dairy farmers get a chance to shape the cow of the future at a national road show over the next month.
The 20 events from Kaitaia to Invercargill are for farmers to give feedback on the National Breeding Objective.
The dairy cow is the engine of the New Zealand dairy industry, with 4.4 million cows producing more than 1.4 billion kilograms of milksolids every year. The National Breeding Objective is to identify animals whose progeny will be the most efficient converters of feed into farmer profit, otherwise known as Breeding Worth (BW).
NZ Animal Evaluation Limited manager, Dr George Cruickshank says farmers have the opportunity to say whether the current BW meets their needs, and how they would like to see it change in the future.
“Our aim is to ensure that New Zealand dairy farmers have access to animals that will best suit the dairy industry of the future,” says George.
“One of the things we want to establish is if farmers think the current traits have the right economic weighting or if they think others should be added. We will also be discussing the limitations of the current cow and the traits of importance for the future.”
Along with providing feedback on the day, farmers will also have the opportunity to participate in an online survey. The survey will focus on determining the traits of importance for farmers across the full spectrum of farming systems across and within breeds.
“The road show is an important step in the development of a strategy for the National Breeding Objective,” says George.
“I encourage farmers to attend and have their say in the future of the New Zealand dairy cow.”
National Breeding Objective Roadshow
| Date & Time | Town | Venue | Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tues 18 October 11am - 12.30pm |
Whangarei | DairyNZ Offices | 259 Jordan Valley Road |
| Tues 18 October 7pm - 8.30pm |
Kaitaia | The Northerner Hotel | 33 North Road |
| Thurs 20 October 11am - 12.30pm |
Rotorua | Distinction Hotel | 390 Fenton Street |
| Wed 26 October 11am -12.30pm |
Ngatea | Ngatea Rugby Club | 29 Hayward Road |
| Thurs 27 October 7pm - 8.30pm |
Matamata | Matamata Club | Rawhiti Avenue |
| Fri 28 October 11am - 12.30pm |
Te Awamutu | TA i-SITE | 1 Gorst Avenue |
| Wed 2 November 11am - 12.30pm |
Havelock | Slip Inn | Havelock Marina |
| Wed 2 November 7pm - 8.30pm |
Tukurua | Kahurangi Function Centre |
1552 Takaka- Collingwood Road |
| Thurs 3 November 11am - 12.30pm |
Westport | Westport Motor Hotel | 207 Palmerston Street |
| Fri 4 November 11am - 12.30pm |
Hokitika | Conference Centre Westland Milk |
56 Livingstone Street |
| Mon 7 November 11am - 12.30pm |
Stratford | War Memorial Hall | 55 Miranda Street |
| Mon 7 November 7pm - 8.30pm |
Hawera | WTARS | 42 Whareora Road |
| Wed 9 November 12pm - 1pm |
Balclutha | Rosebank Lodge | 265 Clyde Street |
| Wed 9 November 7pm - 8.30pm |
Gore | James Cumming Wing | Ardwick Street |
| Thu 10 November 12pm - 1.30pm |
Invercargill | Federated Farmers Building |
70 Forth Street |
| Mon 14 November 11am - 12.30pm |
Rongotea | Te Kawau Sports Complex | Wye Street |
| Mon 14 November 7pm - 8.30pm |
Pahiatua | Sports Park Complex | Huxley Street |
| Wed 23 November 11am - 12.30pm |
Timaru | Grosvenor Hotel | 26 Cains Terrace |
| Wed 23 November 7pm - 8.30pm |
Culverdon | Amuri Community Centre | School Road |
| Thur 24 November 11am - 12.30pm |
Ashburton | Hotel Ashburton | 11-35 Racecourse Road |
About NZAEL
New Zealand Animal Evaluation Limited (NZAEL) is the guardian of the national Breeding Worth index for artificial breeding (AB) sires. NZAEL is a subsidiary of DairyNZ. It makes its decisions with an overall goal in mind - efficient conversion of feed into profit for New Zealand dairy farmers.
For more information go to www.nzael.org.nz or www.dairynz.co.nz/events
