Our Cows
Most of our present cows can be traced back to a herd of mixed age cows out of Mid Canterbury and lines of in-calf heifers from the North Island; bought in to populate Woldwide One in 1991, about 360 in total.
Over the years the numbers have grown through natural increase using AI. Our breeding policy has swayed somewhat from overseas to New Zealand genetics and back again to Dutch.
Origin
Genetics
At the moment our cows weigh about 570 kg, produce about 580 kg MS and are mainly Friesian.
Our main focus is to optimize the genetics of the herd for our farming system. Our ultimate goal is to breed 600 kg cows that can produce 660 kg MS per lactation under a pasture based system with moderate supplements.
Efficiency Goals
We have introduced a lot of Dutch genetics into our herd. We select semen from top bulls from the Dutch TIP ranking list and are very happy about how their daughters perform under New- Zealand pasture-based conditions. From 2020 onwards, all our heifer calves are DNA tested to ensure more accurate breeding decisions, and we use Dutch and New Zealand genetics side by side, to benefit from hybrid vigour, and to accurately determine what “genetic blend” is most suitable for our farming style. Ultimately our focus is on high production capacity, sound udder and legs, lactation persistency and fertility. Our aim is to increase lifetime production. This will drive better efficiency and -sustainability