More using DNA technology
While many farmers work hard each spring to match new calves to their mums in the paddock and protect their investment in artificial breeding, an increasing number are taking advantage of technology which uses the animal’s DNA to accurately confirm parentage.
More than one million animals have now been screened by LIC’s DNA technology since it was introduced in 2001, and more than 1000 herds are utilising the GeneMark parentage service which eliminates the need for farmers to match calves to their mums in the paddock and provides them with the most accurate way to confirm the parentage of their animals.
One of those herds is owned by Tirau farmers, Bill and Lynne Gerring, and one of their 2013-born calves was the millionth to be profiled by GeneMark.
‘‘We’ve been farming for 13 years, but two years ago our son Daniel was starting his dairy farming career with us and I thought GeneMark would help him identify the replacement heifers correctly,’’ Bill said.
‘‘It’s good to know for sure that our young stock, especially those with high breeding values, are out of who they’re supposed to be.’’
With DNA parentage testing, the Gerrings don’t need to match calves to dams, they simply collect calves from the paddock and, with a tool provided, take a small tissue sample from an ear of each calf for GeneMark to analyse.
‘‘The tissue sample system is very easy to use, and GeneMark has certainly given us more confidence when selecting semen for a particular dam.
‘‘It’s rewarding to know the breeding worth of the potential offspring is accurate.
‘‘I also believe that the more farmers who use DNA parentage, the more accurate sire proving will become.’’ One of Bill and Lynn’s 2013 calves was the millionth to be profiled by the GeneMark service, and the Gerrings were presented with a certificate and bottle of wine from LIC in celebration.
LIC’s diagnostics manager, Geoff Corbett, said that the service has been well received over the years, but jumped ahead in 2009 when new technology greatly improved the ability to match calf to both sire and dam, even in the largest dairy herds in New Zealand.
‘‘As farms have gotten larger it has, understandably, become increasingly difficult to accurately record and confirm the pedigree of calves – and that’s important information as they are to be the new crop of cows in the herd.
‘‘Farmers wanted an easier solution; they wanted assurance around their significant AB spend, that they are keeping the correct animals, and that any genetic gain is not lost to misidentification of parentage.
‘‘GeneMark provides them with all that, so they can concentrate more on cow health and wellbeing at calving time.
‘‘It’s delivering farmers a range of benefits, with more investing in the service each year.’’