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The latest ABVs have revealed there”s a bull for every breeding goal in the Genetics Australia team.
The April ABV release has shown the continued strength of Australian-bred bulls, both daughter proven and genomically proven, with many Genetics Australia bulls leading in health, breeding and production traits.
In total, 95 per cent of the Genetics Australia Holstein bulls are in the top 5 per cent of the breed for BPI and 19 of the 23 Jersey bulls are in the in-demand A22 category.
Genetics Australia CEO Anthony Shelly said the ABVs showed there was a ‘bull for every breeding goal’.
The increased emphasis on improved health traits and acceleration of these traits through genomic selection in the Holstein breed is clearly evident. Of the 42 Holstein bulls, 41 are over 100 for both Mastitis Resistance and Daughter Fertility.
There are 19 A22 Holstein bulls, 10 polled bulls including five Homozygous polled and 26 different sire lines.
Daughter proven bulls SILVERLINE ($373 BPI) and MAEBULL ($363 BPI) led the charge for ranking the best two Australian standing bulls proven bulls while genomic sires SONDALO ($531 BPIg), KARAT ($528 BPIg) and SAMARIA ($519 BPIg) rank as the top three Australian standing genomic sires.
The Jersey ABV results show a clean sweep for Genetics Australia. ALGERNON ($281 BPI) is the highest standing daughter proven Jersey bull, while amongst the genomic bulls DOUGGAN ($393 BPIg) PICKLE ($381g), DOBSON ($372g), TRECKER ($372 BPIg) and BAZYLI ($366 BPIg) are the top five Australian standing Jerseys.
Regional sales manager for northern Victoria and South Australia Greg Tiller said the ABVs reflected the depth of Genetic Australia”s Holstein and Jersey teams.
‘Gone are the days of just breeding for production,’ Mr Tiller said. ‘We have nice Type bulls to suit that breeding goal, bulls at the top of the rankings for health traits, mastitis resistance and calving ease, plus bulls that fit the needs of those chasing production.

‘We”re trying to breed blended cows that will be long lasting and profitable in Australian conditions.’

Daughter fertility rates are high, with OPTICS 118 and full brothers KARAT rating $528 BPIg and 115 for daughter fertility and KARDEW, 112 for daughter fertility.

As a daughter proven bull with added reliability, SINGULAR excels in offering exceptional daughter fertility (114), cell count improvement (172) and mastitis resistance (104). At an impressive 509 for Health Weighted Index [HWI], he will be in high demand in 2021 and early ordering is advised.

Mr Tiller said the 2021 team was the most complete group of bulls ever offered by the cooperative and urged farmers to go to the Genetics Australia website at www.genaust.com.au to view the electronic bull catalogue.

Nearly 60 years of history came to an end on Friday when the last collection was processed at Genetics Australia”s Parwan Park bull farm at Bacchus Marsh.

Holstein bull TIRANO P will go into the record books as the last bull to have his semen processed at the facility.

The milestone came just short of 60 years after the first collection was conducted on July 12, 1961.

The property at 144 Woolpack Road, Parwan Park is now on the market after Genetics Australia”s purchase of Total livestock Genetics (TLG) and its decision to relocate its bull management, semen management and semen collection and production services from Bacchus Marsh to south-west Victoria.

All semen has been relocated and most bulls have now moved to the TLG collection facilities at Camperdown and Glenormiston, with the final 20 expected to move by the end of April. All collections and semen processing will now be performed at these facilities.

Genetics Australia CEO Anthony Shelly said the relocation was an exciting time for the co-operative but also an emotional one after such a long association with the Bacchus Marsh site.

‘We acknowledge the dedication of all the current farm and production staff, particularly in the past four months since the announcement of the purchase of TLG and the closure of Pawan Park,’ he said. ‘They have ensured the bulls were moved with care and continued to meet the day-to-day demands of collections and processing to meet current orders.

‘We also thank the staff at the TLG site for making sure the bulls have settled in well at Camperdown and Glenormiston.’

New holding yards and infrastructure have been built and the laboratory updated at the Camperdown site.

Mr Shelly said Genetics Australia was leaving a lot of history at Bacchus Marsh. ‘We acknowledge the past production staff who have worked at the facility during the past 60 years,’ he said. ‘Their work in many ways pioneered the development and progress of herd improvement in Australia and they have made a significant contribution to the industry as we know it today.’

Set on about 50 acres, Parwan Park is now on the market through selling agents Stockdale and Leggo Bacchus Marsh.

One of the most famous farming properties in the Bacchus Marsh region is now on the market.

For more than 60 years, Parwan Park has been the headquarters of Australia”s biggest animal breeding and genetics organisation, Genetics Australia.

The property at 144 Woolpack Road, Parwan Park is attracting strong interest since going on the market for expressions of interest this month through selling agents Stockdale and Leggo Bacchus Marsh.

The sale follows Genetics Australia”s purchase of Total livestock Genetics (TLG) and its decision to relocate its bull management, semen management and semen collection and production services from Bacchus Marsh to the TLG site near Camperdown in south-west Victoria.

The site is known locally as the ‘Bull Farm’ but by the end of March all 100 bulls will be relocated to Camperdown and Glenormiston along with more than a million units of semen.

Genetics Australia CEO Anthony Shelly said urban sprawl and changing rural landscapes meant GA needed to relocate to be closer to the heart of the dairy, beef and sheep industries.

‘We are leaving a legacy of 60 years at Bacchus Marsh but with strong demand for land in the region we expect to see the start of an exciting new legacy and chapter for this property,’ Mr Shelly said. ‘The area effectively outgrew us and we were landlocked by the urban sprawl and surrounding small property holders, but it”s a unique property with great land and extensive infrastructure.’

However, Mr Shelly doesn”t expect the site to remain as a livestock facility. ‘Demand for land in the region probably means it”s too valuable for running livestock but there has already been strong interest from a variety of industries including vegetable and horticultural producers and other potential users.’

Set on about 50 acres, Parwan Park is currently zoned farming and features huge shedding and storage facilities with a range of undercover and outdoor animal housing options, and a large air-conditioned office and administration complex including a meeting room which can cater for up to 100 people.

This sale follows the sale of GA”s Parwan Park South in 2017, however the co-operative will retain a presence in the Bacchus Marsh region with a new two-year office lease at Parwan Park South.

Expressions of interest close March 19.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Anthony Shelly 0408 529 410

All at Genetics Australia mourn the passing of one of the herd improvement industries greatest advocates, former VAB/GA Director and Chairman Peter Stewart of Stratford.

Peter gave lifelong service to the herd improvement industry and was highly respected by all organisations he served.

Running the family dairy farm Peter could see the value genetics and herd improvement would play in the future of dairying in Australia and in 1955 joined the Maffra Heyfield Herd Improvement Association at the ripe old age of 18. Chairman Geoff Webster at the time told Peter he was just not to be a pretty face at board meetings and had to express his opinion and contribute with ideas, traits that held him in good stead for his future board roles. Peter was always willing to ask questions when needed, challenge when he thought something was not as it should be or if he failed to understand or believed everything he was told. Peter served the Association for 25 years as Director and 5 as Chairman.

He also has a great passion for the environment and the Avon River and in the early 1970s held various positions on the Avon and Macalister Improvement Trust, Landcare groups, State Rivers and Water Commission Advisory Committees, Salinity groups, in all over 30 years were spent contributing to environmental committees.

In 1981 joined the Victorian Artificial Breeders Coop Board, an important time in the history of the Cooperative. This role took him away from the farm a minimum of 1 day per month to firstly Melbourne and then onto Bacchus Marsh, subject to Melbourne traffic an 8 hour or longer round trip. Following the merger with the DPI AI breeding center Wacol AB in 1993, Genetics Australia was formed and Peter was just the right man to be appointed the inaugural Chairman of Genetics Australia in 1994. Peter remained Chairman until 1997 and he retired from the Board in 2001. His contribution during his time at the cooperative was highly valued and he gained a great deal of respect for his well thought and conciliatory style of leadership.

In 1999 Peter received the Sir John Monash Award for Agribusiness Cooperative Directors recognising his 35 years of contribution to the community, an award he greatly treasured until his passing.

Peter passed away on the 22^nd December 2020 and our thoughts and wishes go to his wife for over 58 years Margaret, their 5 children and 13 grandchildren.

Genetics Australia has announced the Cooperative is strengthening its position in the herd improvement industry with the acquisition of Total Livestock Genetics (TLG).

Genetics Australia will take over the TLG trading name from January 4, 2021 and GA”s bull management, semen management and semen collection and production services will be transferred to the TLG site in Camperdown, Victoria.

The $5.8 million purchase will create efficiencies in the semen production system that will reduce GA”s cost of production per year, allowing the co-operative to substantially build its business turnover. The purchase is a good strategic fit and will provide a platform for sustainability and growth. Adding capabilities to continue developing Australian genetics and create greater efficiencies to continue semen production in Australia has been at the forefront of the decision. The purchase will mean new products and revenue opportunities that will boost the service and capabilities offered by the Cooperative.

Genetics Australia will continue to market products nationally and internationally under its own name while TLG”s portfolio of genetic products will stay within the new Total Livestock Genetics Victoria (TLGV) entity as a separate channel of products. The TLG acquisition will also provide a platform for potential new international and domestic alliances and partnerships, create easier access to sexed semen services, and additional space for expanding bull numbers.

TLG partners Shane and Erin Ashworth and Steve and Michelle Williams, will stay on with the business. The move of livestock and production will mean several GA staff will be offered redundancies as part of the changes.

TLG will become the production and distribution facility for GA, with all bull and semen assets held at Parwan Park planned to be moved to Camperdown by the end of March 2021.

GA”s accredited collection facility at Bacchus Marsh ‘Parwan Park’ will be sold during the next two years, although the cooperative will retain some office facility in the region. The Bacchus Marsh properties were increasingly becoming landlocked and the region fast becoming impacted by urban sprawl. By moving the collection facility to a more rural area was one of the great assets of the TLG business as its properties at Camperdown and Glenormiston have unlimited capacity for managing bulls for semen collection.

The opportunity to acquire TLG followed an exhaustive due diligence process and the benefits became clear. The Bacchus Marsh location has served the cooperative well for over 60 years and it will be a sad day for many when the ‘Bullfarm’ is no longer linked to the region, as it will be for the staff not going forward with the business. Many of these staff have played a vital role behind the scenes and the cooperative is indebted to their dedication and commitment and we thank them and wish them and their families well for their future endeavours

The acquisition will ensure the ongoing relevance and success of GA in providing the best locally sourced dairy and beef genetics to domestic and international markets. The existing TLG service business, especially in toll collection of beef bulls and the recent work into ovine semen and embryos will provide an immense opportunity for GA to grow and offer all our customers world”s best products and services.

For more information:

Anthony Shelly 0408 529 410 or Trevor Henry 0429 451 548

Genetics Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of HRM Dairies as a distributor of our product in Pakistan.

‘Pakistan has one of the fastest growing dairy industries in the world and it is great to partner with the team from HRM to bring our world class genetics to Pakistan’, states Export Manager Rob Derksen.

The first shipment of semen to Pakistan will take place this November and includes the likes of GILES, MASNAH, SILVERLINE, ASKN and AUSSIEGOLD.

Mr Derksen said Pakistan has benefited from the introduction of live dairy heifers imported from Australia but until now has not been able to use the best genetics from Australia. The release of breeding values on Heat Tolerance and Feed Efficiency and our emphasis on developing genetics to produce a medium size, functional cow suitable for long term, efficient milk production will appeal to progressive farmers in Pakistan.

H.R.M. Dairies CEO Muddassar Hassan said he was keen to see the best Australian genetics now available in Pakistan.

‘H.R.M imported some heifers from leading breeders in Australia and we have seen firsthand the top performance of these animals in our own herd. Going forward HRM will be a showroom of top Australian genetics’.

We are really excited to be appointed as Genetics Australia”s exclusive distributor and we look forward to building an even closer alliance between our two countries”, Muddassar concluded.

Australian farmers are being advised to breed healthy ‘green’ cows to meet community expectations and take a long-term outlook in their breeding program.

Genetics Australia CEO Anthony Shelly said that even with the advent of genomics, breeding was still a long-term process.

‘The results of the sire selection decisions you make today don”t impact on your bottom line for another three-four years,’ Mr. Shelly said. ‘If you make a directional change in your breeding and assuming a 20 percent replacement rate, the transformation of your herd will be at least an eight-year project. So, when thinking about your breeding for this season, you need to think beyond the here and now.’

Breeding healthy cows now and into the future is one area that won”t change.

‘When thinkingabout the future, one thing is certain: the need to breed healthy cows that meet broader community expectations will be the order of the day,’ Mr. Shelly said.

The comments reinforce points made by Mr. Shelly at the recent GA 2020 online conference series where he spoke about the need to breed ‘the Green Cow’. ‘We need to be thinking about healthy cows that calve easily, are less susceptible to disease, produce less methane, are efficient users of feed, are more comfortable in hot weather, and are born without horns,’ he said. ‘We have the ability to breed for most of these things now.’

Genetics Australia”s breeding program is designed to produce bulls that address many of the emerging issues directly related to farming social license. Mr. Shelly said that across the Genetics Australia sire line-up, farmers will find bulls that will enable them to start their journey towards ‘the Green Cow’.

‘Genomics and the dominant inheritance of the polled gene have allowed us to increase the number of high-profit polled sires available today,’ he said.

Bulls such as the homozygous polled sires, CFP, and NIPIT are amongst the highest BPI sires that produce 100 percent polled calves. COLUMBUS, TIRANO, and SAMARIA all carry the polled gene and 50 percent of the progeny of these high-profit sires will be born hornless.

Mr. Shelly said the introduction of the mastitis resistance ABV by DataGene was a great step towards breeding healthier cows. ‘By combining a number of traits with Somatic Cell Count, they have created an index that best addresses both clinical and sub-clinical mastitis at a genetic level,’ he said.

FRANKLAND, KARAT, and AMALFI stand out as options for improving Mastitis Resistance amongst Genetics Australia”s genomic line-up, while MAEBULL is a clear leader in the daughter proven world.

Australia is a world leader in the field of genetic evaluations for feed efficiency. The feed saved ABV allows us to select bulls whose daughters produce more milk with less feed. MICROCHIP and SINGULAR are great choices for those looking to breed feed efficient cows. Both bulls sire daughters of average stature and size who consume less feed than their herd mates without sacrificing production. Aside from siring efficient daughters, SINGULAR is one of our best bulls for heat tolerance. Others that excel in this space are MAEBULL and the homozygous polled sire VOMEMPHIS. Even farmers in the southern parts of the country can benefit from breeding cows with greater heat tolerance.

‘We have all the tools and the bulls to help you breed healthy “Green Cows” today’, Mr. Shelly said. ‘It”s time to start thinking about the future!’

‘Farmers will notice the outstanding performance of Australian bred sires in the recent August ABV release’, stated Genetics Australia”s CEO, Anthony Shelly. ‘We are really pleased with the way our Australian bred young sires and emerging proven sires are complimenting our strong daughter proven sires, to give us a complete offering that is hard to match’.

Proven favourites MAEBULL and GILES continue to lead the Holstein contingent. MAEBULL with now more than 550 milking daughters still maintains a 300+ BPI ranking, offering breed leading Mastitis resistance and cell count, superior daughter fertility and positive semen conception rate. 2020 addition GILES continues to perform strongly with 332 BPI, additional daughters and reliability, with the same breed leading gestation length and calving ease. This JoSuper son sires averaged statured daughters that display excellent width and strength. He is the ideal bull for those farmers who experienced success with the highly regarded sire CHRISTMAS.

‘We are very excited to see some previously high-ranking genomic sires, delivering on their promise’ states Shelly. MASNAH, an A22 MVP son who started adding daughters late last year, is emerging as a real prospect with 336 BPI backed by amazing production including a protein rating of +36kgs with +0.68%. Solid type and workabilities have made him a first choice in many breeding programs. Another emerging proven sire is SILVERLINE. With 34 daughters now in milk, he has a BPI of 351 with +35kgs of protein. A rating of 110 for Mammary System and positive Semen Fertility will only see his popularity rise.

PILBARA has emerged as the leading senior genomic sire. This Perseus son now has a BPI of 394 with super ratings for protein and protein%. This A22 calving ease sire has outstanding ratings for Mastitis Resistance, Daughter Fertility and Mammary System. TIRANO and SONDALO are Jeronimo full brothers from a VG88 Main Event daughter. Ranking in the elite end of the BPI list, both bulls offer excellent production ratings, strong fertility, and short gestation length. The brothers transmit excellent udders with TIRANO having the added bonus of being polled!

LASTIN is a Fedora son and one of 2 young Australian sires over 400 BPI. Positive deviations, shorter gestation and excellent survival are features of this profitable sire. He is joined in the 400 plus club by KARAT, the leading Australian bred young sire in the August ABV release. At 414 BPI with balanced production, outstanding Fertility and Survival along with an exceptional rating of 110 for Mammary System, KARAT will be one of the most popular sires available this spring. His A22 brother KARDEW, has similar ratings for Survival and Mammary System with the bonus of higher yields of fat and protein.

‘Our young Holstein sires have never been stronger’ claims Mr Shelly, ‘and they are joined by a strong offering of Homozygous Polled (PP) sires from Vogue Cattle company in Canada’. Lead by Vogue CFP PP at 386 BPI, the highest PP sire available, this group of sires single handedly lifts the genetic calibre of PP bulls in the marketplace. New additions to this group, NPIPT PP and A2P2 PP have BPI ratings of 380 and 334 respectively and like CFP are also A22. CFP and NIPIT will also have sexed semen available.

VALENBLAST leads the way in the Jersey breed! At 299 BPI he is the number one BPI Jersey sire with his first 10 daughters now contributing to his proof. This A22 Valentino son has excellent ratings for Mammary System, Workability and Survival. VALENBLAST is joined at the top of the genomic BPI list by Bazyli a David son with 281 BPI and 103 for Daughter Fertility. Newcomers to Jersey genomic offering are the new A22 sires, BOOST (Publican x David) at 250 BPI and PICKETT (Matt x Valerian) at 245 BPI. Both sires transmit solid production with great deviations, while BOOST sires excellent Type and PICKETT has solid ratings for Cell Count and Mastitis Resistance.

Genetics Australia continues to offer Australian dairy farmers superior genetics from around the globe through their strong and enduring partnerships the world”s best semen suppliers. From daughter proven sires to gTPI leaders, fertility specialists to the world”s best polled sires, you will find them all in our line-up following the August 2020 proof release.

Feature Sires:

MONTANA (Montross x Uno)

A bull that needs no introduction to the Australian market, his daughters continue to impress.

• Black, A22 and moderate size and stature. MONTANA has delivered correct rumps and is proven to add teat length.
• Highly fertile daughters at +2.1 on DPR
• Available in both sexed 2.1 & 4M as well as conventional to create the next generation of great Australian cows

SAMURI (Spring x Supersire)

Now with over 2,000 daughters milking daughters in the U.S post the August summary.

• This A22 sire, now with a 2700 TPI, has also improved his breeding values for Type & Udder composites.
• Possibly no better bull in the market that offers elite daughter proven TPI and amazing conception rate with an SCR of +2.7.
• Positive Health and Fitness traits and with an economic index of $561 Net Merit dollars.

HOUSE (Hang-Time x Jacey)

• Early daughters now calving in the U.S,
• HOUSE offers a diverse pedigree and a bull that has again improved his position and now can be found over +2700 TPI points.
• His nice balance between Production and Type combines with +1.9 DPR with excellent wellness traits.
• Breeding daughters of moderate size and stature, adequate dairy strength and outstanding udders is what we can expect with this outcross sire.

JSYOLO (Bandares x Meridian)

• Solid ratings for the key indexes in August with +2686 TPI and $555 Net Merit.
• Over +2.00 on udder composite with impressive ratings for udder attachments and udder depth.
• JSYOLO is also one of the best A22 sires on the market when it comes to settling cows with a strong 3.0 SCR score.

MOLINE (Positive x Medley)

• Moline is the #1 $NM & #2 GTPI offering from our friends at Jetstream Genetics.
• He combines +1330 pounds of milk with 167 combined pounds of solids with positive deviations.
• Positive calving ease at 2.1%, moderate stature and capacity throughout with well attached, high wide udders.
• MOLINE is A22 and is readily available for your spring joining program.

MAINSTAGE (Timberlake x Jedi)

• MAINSTAGE offers high milk flow, high components, positive DPR and strong calving ease.
• Offers a neat linear that will deliver moderate statured cows with high, wide well attached udders.
• MAINSTAGE will also offer slope to rump and spring of rib to give you capacious modern cows.

KONRAD (Hotjob x Jedi)

• KONRAD is a moderate milk flow sire with +111 pounds of combined solids with positive deviations.
• Positive DPR and a calving ease rating of 2%.
• KONRAD is an outstanding Type option at 2.20 PTAT and 2.33 UDC. Outstanding production from amazing udders.

SANJAY (Hotjob x Frazzled)

• +1612 pounds of milk with +127 pounds of combined solids and high, wide & well attached udders.
• This young black coated sire has a calving ease rating of 2%
• SANJAY will produce moderate statured cows with width and capacity throughout.

HOWDY (Legacy x Modesty)

• New elite TPI and Net Merit sire @ 2842 gTPI and 757 Net Merit.
• Moderate frames and stature with quality udders make Howdy the modern type.
• This A22 sire with an Udder Composite of 1.60 will have widespread appeal.

A2P2 (Luster x Duke)

• Canada”s number 1 PP genomic sire
• A22 with over 2 points PTAT.
• Superior type proof with not a single negative trait in his proof.

NIPIT (Hotspot x Splendid)

• One of the highest demand PP sires in the world
• Half brother to the popular Vogue CFP.
• Like A2P2 – not a single negative trait in his proof.
• A22 and PP with Sexed semen available.

In brief:

• SOUND SYSTEM has maintained his proof and is number 1 in Italy, number 1 in Canada and number 23 TPI in the USA. First semen due this month.
• SECRETARIAT has also strengthened his proof as he continues to impress with over 1,300 daughters now in milk!
• Last call on BRADNICK for the 2020 spring breeding season. We encourage those looking to continue with this Legendary sire to order ASAP to avoid disappointment.
• DEWARS – last stocks available. Now daughter proven.
• SOGNO is an elite Italian PP Red young sire. Super udders, daughter fertility and calving ease.