ABS Australia News
Brent Mitchell shares his story
His story:Mitch Holsteins in Bamawm, Victoria is run by Brent and Kim Mitchell. They milk just short of 300 cows with split calving in autumn and spring and do all their own AI work. They have around 400ha of farm spread between three different locations. “We place a big emphasis on cows, we love our…
Genetics solutions for farm business decisions
Milking less cows, moving and changing their herd’s calving pattern. Guy and Leanne Gallatly have a few things on their plate in the next year. But what might seem like daunting changes for some, have been made much easier for this Maffra couple because they’ve embraced breeding tools and genetic solutions. Working with ABS Sales…
A milk management tool with a cash bonus
Flatter milk production, a shorter spring joining and a ‘second opportunity’ for quality cows, these are just some of the benefits one Gippsland family have obtained from using a specified dairy-beef insemination program. The fact they also get valuable ABS InFocus™ animals delivering a “cash cow” later in the season is just a bonus. The…
Environmental focus for Gippsland breeders
Genetics is helping one Gippsland dairy farming family reduce their business’ carbon footprint, while bolstering herd health and productivity. Stuart and Jacqui Tracy, with their son Angus, milk 700 cows at Waratah Bay in Victoria as part of a family business which also includes their daughters Carmen and Leila. Their Holstein herd is ranked number…
Australian first – celebrating ABS JERONIMO P’s female dominance
ABS JERONIMO P makes Australian dairy history with 16 of the top 17 cows. Holsteins CHARLEY and his son DURABLE are proof that health, production, and sustainability go together. Young genomic Jerseys rank well on the new Sustainability Index. ABS’ Norwegian Reds dominate polled and health indexes. Australia’s favourite Holstein bull is breeding the nation’s…
Breeding for polled position
When it comes to breeding, Megan Coster doesn’t want to sacrifice anything. For the past decade, the West Gippsland dairy farmer has been on a quest to develop a polled herd. Dedicated to ridding her family’s business of the practice of disbudding, she was also conscious that choosing polled sires in the early days could…
Easy breeding at Toora
When it comes to breeding dairy cattle, Dan Knee likes to keep it simple. In fact, the Gippsland dairy farmer would prefer to have as little to do with the genetic selection within his herd as possible. After all, he’s the first to admit he doesn’t know a lot about breeding and is “happy to keep it…
Beefing-up calf stocks at Yanakie
Demand for dairy-beef has been that hot, one Gippsland farming family joked they’d sold next year’s calves- and the cows weren’t even joined. This comes as they have also installed automatic calf feeders ahead of calving this autumn, in preparation for rearing the most heifer calves they’ve had at their dairy farm. This year, Paul Hannigan and Kylie Irvin will…
US bovine breeding technicians helping Aussie farmers
Two experienced artificial insemination technicians from the United States of America will be breeding cows in Australia this year to help alleviate staff shortages in the sector. And this comes as Australia’s dairy industry prepares to relaunch standardised artificial insemination (AI) training to develop local breeding professionals to service the growing demand. ABS Global bovine…
ABS sires proving their worth for Australian dairy farmers
Famer favourite bulls headline latest rankings April Australian Breeding Value (ABV) highlights: Record-breaking proven polled and A2 sire ABS JERONIMO-P continues his run at the top. New young genomic Holsteins make a mark. Demand is hot for Australia’s highest ranked true polled Holstein. Overseas markets want our Jerseys. ABS has nine of the top 10…