Monday, 10 October 2011

Shaping the dairy cow of the future

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

Whangarei
Tuesday 18th October
11am-12.30pm
DairyNZ Offices - 259 Jordan Valley Rd, Whangarei

Kaitaia
Tuesday 18th October
7pm-8.30pm
The Northerner Hotel, 33 North Rd, Kaitaia

Rotorua
Thursday 20th October
11am-12.30pm
Distinction Hotel,390 Fenton St, Rotorua

Ngatea
Wednesday 26th October
11am-12.30pm
Ngatea Rugby Club, 29 Hayward Rd, Ngatea

Matamata
Thursday 27th October
7pm-8.30pm
Matamata Club, Rawhiti Ave, Matamata

Te Awamutu
Friday 28th October
11am-12.30pm
TA i-SITE, Burchell Pavilion, 1 Gorst Ave, Te Awamutu

Havelock
Wednesday 2nd November
11am-12.30pm
Slip Inn, Havelock Marina, Havelock

Takaka
Wednesday 2nd November
7pm-8.30pm
Venue to be confirmed

Westport
Thursday 3rd November
11am-12.30pm
Westport Motor Hotel, 207 Palmerston St, Westport

Hokitika
Friday 4th November
11am-12.30pm
Conference Centre, Westland Milk, 56 Livingstone Street, Hokitika

Stratford
Monday 7th November
11am-12.30pm
War Memorial Hall, 55 Miranda St, Stratford

Hawera
Monday 7th November
7pm-8.30pm
WTARS, 42 Whareroa Rd, Hawera

Balclutha
Wednesday 9th November
12pm-1.30pm
Rosebank Lodge, 265 Clyde St, Balclutha

Gore
Wednesday 9th November
7pm-8.30pm
James Cumming Wing, Ardwick St, Gore

Invercargill
Thursday 10th November
12pm-1.30pm
Federated Farmers Building, 70 Forth St, Invercargill

Pahiatua
Monday 14th November
11am-12.30pm
Sports Park Complex, Huxley St, Pahiatua,

Rongotea
Monday 14th November
7pm-8.30pm
Te Kawau Sports Complex, Wye St, Rongotea

Timaru
Wednesday 23rd November
11am-12.30pm
Grosvenor Hotel, 26 Cains Terrace, Timaru

Culverden
Wednesday 23rd November
7pm-8.30pm
Amuri Community Centre, School Rd, Culverden

Ashburton
Thursday 24th November
11am-12.30pm
Hotel Ashburton, 11-35 Racecourse Rd, Ashburton.

ENDS

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