By Nikita B. Damsgaard
Andrew and Catherine McGregor live with their four children on their farm in Otaraia, Southland. They bought the farm in 2015, as a 170-hectare sheep farm, but they spent about three months converting it into a dairy farm. Since buying the farm they have managed to expand, and it is now 250 Hectares.
The McGregors have faced their fair share of challenges over the last couple of years. Three years ago, they had staphylococcus aureus mastitis on farm. They ended up culling about 15% of their herd, and they were left with 400 cows. Since then, they have had a main goal of rebuilding their herd size, without compromising their production and culling the cows who get mastitis to prevent losing more. These key focuses have been necessary because of their unfortunate situation. When they manage to get their herd size back to 450 cows, they will start focussing on their previous goals; profitability and production per cow. They get 200,000 milk solids on farm from 400 cows at the moment, they want to get it up to 230,000 milk solids with 450 cows.
Breeding strategy
To help grow their herd, the McGregors started using sexed semen from Samen NZ.They started using sexed semen from Rosy-Tree Avatar back in 2020. They trialled the sexed semen with 50 straws of him to see how well it would work on their farm, as the conception rate does differentiate from farm to farm, and they wanted to maintain their conception rate while shifting to sexed semen.
In 2021, the McGregors continued to do trials with 200 straws from different companies. From 2022, they increased their number of sexed semen straws and now only purchase from Samen NZ. In 2023, they used sexed semen on 70% of their herd.
They have been very pleased to see that their in-calf rate hasn’t been reduced since shifting to using sexed semen from Samen NZ. Their six week in-calf rate was at 78% with Sexed semen, which is the same as it was with conventional semen.
With the success of using sexed semen, the family is looking into using some of the other breeding strategies that Samen NZ offers.
Their plan moving forward is to start utilising the Dairy Beef Solution. They will be herd testing four times a year, continue using sexed semen on their top 200 cows, and use beef sires on the bottom line of their herd. They have used Wagyu in the past and will continue to do so and look into different beef breeds.
Their goal with using sexed semen on their best cows, is to eventually have their ideal dream cows on farm. The ideal dream cow for Andrew is a cow who produces more than her weight in milk solids. A 500 kg cow that does 550 milk solids would be a very efficient cow.
Using the Dairy Beef Solution will help them to be more profitable, it will improve their production and efficiency, help them move away from having bobby calves and make every pregnancy count.
Working with Samen NZ
The McGregors have had great success working with Samen NZ. They get the best advice from their breeding consultant Kerri. They know they are in good hands with her, and they trust her to make decisions on which bulls they need in their herd because she knows their goals. They also know that Craig, the genetics program manager, picks only the best bulls who will add value to the NZ dairy industry.
“The fast-forward pack is amazing this year, because the farmer doesn't get a choice because all of them are just as good as the others, so if Samen sells out there will not be any issues replacing that one bull, and there won't be a compromise in what the farmer gets. It is all just perfect” says Kerri from Samen NZ. “And the Samen. cows are about 10% ahead of what the cows have been historically” says Andrew.
Andrew and Catherine say that using sexed semen from Samen NZ has been a game changer for them. Being able to regrow their herd and getting primarily heifers every year has really made a big difference for them.
They are very pleased with how effective it has been for them. Not having any change in the empty rate has been the most surprising and positive part about changing to sexed semen. In addition to the great conception rates, the McGregors got about 175 replacements out of 400 cows, they normally look at 20% and not close to 50% like they got. They are very pleased with these numbers as they are starting to reach their goal. From now they will cut down on the sexed semen and start putting beef on their bottom line to reduce the number of bobby calves and get a more valuable product from their bottom line.
TheMcGregors would recommend using sexed semen to other dairy farmers. However, they suggest doing trials like they have done. Not every farm is suitable to use sexed semen, and conditions on farm plays a big role. Not every farm has the same great results with the conception rate as the McGregors have had. They suggest that farmers contact their local breeding consultant and tell them about their goals, and they will advise you on what to do, or how you can improve your herd to be more suitable to start utilising sexed semen.
Craig Mckimmie says that it is important to know that there can be great value in using Sexed semen in your herd, but you need to have a good starting point in your herd. Using sexed semen isn’t guaranteed to work on your farm; conditions on farm play a big role in whether or not you will have success. The McGregors have had a good and steady conception rate on farm, they have a good feeding system and conditions on farm are great. If you want to start implementing sexed semen on your farm you need to find someone who can advise you on how to implement it in the best way. The handling of the semen also plays a big role in whether using sexed semen will be effective or not, so you’ll need a good and experienced AI technician.
TheMcGregors have been very pleased with the service and guidance their representative,Kerri has given them. “Kerri knows what we are trying to achieve and that's important. We are just really happy with the service that we get, the results are amazing, and they have helped us to achieve our goals” says Andrew.
