News

“If you go up the driveway of farmers and you don’t believe you can make their lives better, you may as well not be there.”

Dairy farmers are being urged to use genetics to breed facial eczema (FE) tolerance into their herds, with unseasonably humid conditions nationwide again creating the perfect environment for the disease to thrive.

Using DNA to identify the unique make-up of a dairy cow will become an increasingly powerful tool for dairy farmers as they look to fast-track the genetic gain of their herds, says new CRV myDNA Product Manager Anna Morrow.

New CRV sales consultant Brooke Kennett will be a familiar face to those she visits as she makes her way around farms in Coastal Taranaki over the next few months.

Facial Eczema is a devastating disease that costs New Zealand dairy farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost milk production each year. Not only is it costly in dollar terms, but it can also have severe implications for animal health. In this episode, CRV’s Mitchell Koot is joined by CRV head geneticist Phil Beatson and VetEnt vet and research head, Emma Cuttance. Listen as they discuss why FE is such a concern for our dairy industry, and the short and longer term options available to manage it.

Getting cows in calf has become part of the family business for CRV artificial breeding technician Joanne Polglaze from Kaikohe in Northland.