John and Jen milk 540 cows on their 193ha farm at Temuka. They’re in their 21st season there, having moved south from the Waikato, and have been with CRV since John’s early sharemilking days.
Top genetics and quality people have kept them with CRV all these years, Jen says.
“We’ve always been happy with CRV, so we’ve never left. We’ve always had great reps and the people I ring on the helpdesk are always so helpful.”
The herd is predominantly Friesian and Friesian-cross, producing 237,000kg MS last season on the DairyNZ System 2 operation.
Jen rates the CRV cows for their strength, temperament and staying power.
“They’re sturdy, they’re not weak cows, and they just seem to last. I’ve got one turning 17 this year.”
This season the herd had a six-week in-calf rate of 85%, with just 8% not-in-calf.
John and Jen do their own AI, choosing the best sire for each cow from their chosen team of about six bulls.
It is simple to quickly pull a cow’s data on myHERD before each insemination to help pick the right bull, and then it’s simple to record each mating on the spot, Jen says.
Jen does most of the recording, and she likes that myHERD doesn’t overcomplicate things.
“It’s super easy to add bulls to your team and record a mating.