Genetics Australia Theme

Fiona Hanks has been honoured with one of the most prestigious awards in the dairy industry, the 2025 Bette Hall Power of Women in Dairy Award.

Power of Women president Jade Sieben presented the award during International Dairy Week’s 35^th anniversary dinner, describing Fiona as an essential part of the dairy industry, especially within the registered sector.

Fiona makes a significant input across much of the Genetics Australia business, including marketing the GA and TLG brands, contributing to product development in breeding and bull selections, and coordinating genomic services.

Fiona grew up on her family’s dairy farm ‘Wellcoora Holsteins’ in Western Victoria and was very involved in local shows and calf days from a young age, attending her first IDW as a nine-year-old. She quickly became a ‘go to person’ to prepare quality cattle and travelled to shows all over Australia.

Fiona prepared and led Brooklane Belt Jemima to victory in 1999 at IDW, winning Intermediate Champion, and the following year she won the RAB Youth Ambassador Award, which included an exchange trip to Canada.

In later years, Fiona assisted the manager in organising the daily running of IDW and remains an integral part of the event by taking photos, compiling results, volunteering as a Power of Women in Dairying committee member and much more.

Fiona lived and breathed her mentor Sheri Martin’s drive and passion for youth development, and headed up a committee to run four successful Western District Youth Camps, an event that continues today.

Working with three major Australian AI companies, including Genetics Australia and TLG, Fiona is also in demand for independent work. Her skill in graphic design with AI publications, sale catalogues and adverts, along with her photography, help elevate the Australian dairy industry to the world.

Fiona and husband Craig run their own innovative business and volunteer within their local community.

Jade describes Fiona as an “amazing lady” with passion, motivation and kindness. “Fiona Hanks is truly one of the great people in this industry and without doubt a very well-deserved winner of the Bette Hall Award.”

Fiona was nominated by Beck Robertson who said: “If we could all put a little bit of Fiona in our lives the world would be a better place.”

GA CEO Anthony Shelly said Fiona was an integral part of the GA team and a highly respected member of the dairy industry.

“Fiona exemplifies excellence in all that she does,” Anthony said. “She’s an absolute professional and has so much energy to make sure everything is taken care of. She’s a great part of the team and an inspiring role model for young women in the field. We feel there couldn’t be a more worthy recipient of the Bette Hall Award.”

Although initially a bit shocked and emotional, Fiona described the award as “a real honour”.

“I’m very humbled but proud to be recognised,” she said. “We do these things to be good for the industry and to keep shows like these going.”

Fiona was surrounded by family for the presentation, but the honour came as a surprise. “I had no idea; the committee did an amazing job of hiding it from me.”

She thanked her family and many mentors who helped shape her positive outlook on life, and said she hoped others could learn from some of the things she’s done.

As for her philosophy on making a mark while working in the dairy industry, Fiona has a simple message: “Take every day as it comes and get on with the job.”

Fiona is the ninth recipient of the Bette Hall award, joining previous winners Lyn Boyd, Jenny Grey, Pam Malcolm, Lisa Broad, Trish McGraw, Leanne Dobson, Mandy Pacitti and Winsome Anderson.

Formed in 2016, the Power of Women in Dairying is a network forum for women in dairy to gather, network, be inspired and learn new skills and knowledge to assist them in their every-day lives.

Southern Beef Sales Representative Ashlea Cross has developed new skills in assessing cattle after attending an intensive training course.

As one of five recipients of an Angus Youth Foundation scholarship, Ashlea attended the December 2024 Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course, which she described as an incredible experience.

Ashlea applied for the course with the goal of improving her cattle assessment skills, particularly in evaluating steers and heifers for different markets and refining her judgment on breeding animals.

It worked. “Though I don’t own cattle, the knowledge I gained has proven incredibly valuable in my role,” she said.

The course combined theory classes, practical judging sessions based on industry scenarios, and group discussions. Over three intensive days, it focused on key areas such as carcass, structure, maturity pattern and condition assessment, and identifying cattle that best suit specific market requirements across commercial cattle and breeding animals.

Ashlea said the learning environment was intensive and engaging, allowing participants to apply what they learned in practical judging classes.

“I saw a vast improvement in my decision making and cattle assessment skills from day one to day three,” she said.

The course provided opportunities to ask questions and discuss reasoning with the overjudges and fellow participants and was a fantastic opportunity to network and exchange experiences and gain insights from different career paths within the beef cattle industry.

“Since completing the course, I have already noticed a significant difference in my confidence and ability to perform my sales role,” Ashlea said. “The knowledge gained at Tocal has enabled me to better assist producers in selecting semen sires suitable for their specific markets and breeding objectives.”

The final ABV release in December clearly demonstrate the strong performance of Genetics Australia sires and clearly shows why our 2025 bull teams are the strongest we have ever made available.

Australian Jerseys top the local bull tables and are building in demand around the world, it is easy to see why. The highest bull in Australia with daughters milking and a publishable ABV is BORUNG [Malachi x Askn] at $427 who is closely followed by DOUGGAN [David x Murmur] $376 BPI.

We congratulate both Brookbora and White Star Jerseys for breeding these two world class bulls. We also thank them for supplying other top bulls from their herds and to all the breeders of the other Jersey bulls in the team, several with multiple bulls in the Team. It is of no surprise that Australian Jerseys breeders have developed some of the best cow families in the world and we are fortunate many of the resulting bulls from these top families are in the current Jersey Team.

In the Australian Reds Breed, we introduce new sires ARBMOPOKE [Cygnet x VR Firmino] $282 BPIg and ARBCHARLIE [Caesar x Tokyo] $316 BPIg, as the two highest bulls standing in Australia. We thank Longroad Australian Reds and Oaklands Pastoral Australian Reds for breeding these highly rated young bulls.

These bulls are closely followed by ARBSKEETA [Onstad x Foske] $270 BPIg and ARBNORMAN [Primestad x Faber], a new 2025 addition and bred by Oaklands Pastoral Australian Reds.

CNLYONS [Beemer x Ilex] remains the No.1 BPIg Illawarra sire and also tops the Sustainability Index (SI) list. He has attracted widespread interest, and we thank Hamilton’s Run in Mt Gambier for breeding such a top-ranking bull.

It has been several years since we have included an Australian standing Guernsey in our team. The wait has been well worth it, PAPARAZZI is turning heads with his stylish appearance. His Dam, Kerrilyn Pistol Peach EX94 2E has taken the world by storm in the past few years. She is Australia’s higher ever Guernsey cow and was named All Australia Cow in 2022 & ‘23. She was also Senior Champion Cow, Best Udder and Grand Champion Cow at IDW in 2022 & ‘23, and Supreme Senior Champion All Breeds IDW in 2023. Based on early feedback we would be surprised if he is not one of the most popular Guernsey bulls internationally in 2025.

Also included in this catalogue are Brown Swiss and Montbeliarde sires, which are listed from leading international suppliers.  Montbéliarde sire included in our Summer team are PORTORICO [Nino JB x Jebalan] and SAVINO [Paraguay x Mitsouko]. Brown Swiss sires worth highlighting are SUPERSTAR [Blooming x Payssli] and PAYMAN [Paypal x Arrow]

You’ll also discover our ‘Summer Specials,’ offering not only the best from our team but undoubtedly the best value as well

The December ABVs release clearly demonstrates Genetics Australia’s commitment to supplying elite genetics from a wide range of breeds to current and future dairy farmers.

Bulls in the Genetics Australia teams are world class and farmers can be confident they are using elite bulls selected for their daughters to perform well in Australia.

If you would like more details on any Genetics Australia bull or on any service or merchandise products, please contact your local Genetics Australia representative.

2024 was a landmark year for Australian breed genetics, with outstanding achievements across all breeds and multiple ABV releases showcasing the industry’s progress. The dedication and hard work of Australian breeders have driven these exceptional results, giving farmers plenty to celebrate.

The latest ABV release underscores the excellence of Australian genetics on a global stage. Bulls from around the world are ranked based on progeny performance and genomic testing, and once again, Australian bulls have demonstrated their ability to compete at the highest level. Their strong 2024 results reinforce their value as a top choice for Australian farmers.

Australian proven Holstein bulls with daughters milking, PILBARA, LASTIN and PEMBERTON, are the top three bulls available in December. These popular bulls have hundreds of daughters milking with PILBARA at $516 BPI, 1079 SI and 45kgs protein clearly a gold medal performer, offering improvements across production, health and type traits. LASTIN follows closely at $503 BPI while popular sire PEMBERTON is in third place at $476 BPI. He can be used with confidence with more than 600 milking daughters making him 99% reliable.

The performance on the BPI genomic list is just as impressive with Genetics Australia holding the four of the top five positions with JOBOLT [Bolti x Pemberton] 599 BPIg, closely followed by AUSTRALIND [Rocknroll x Jeronimo] $594 BPIg, JORDLIV [Varley x Nippon] $586 BPIg, AUTOBOT [Letsgo x Lambax Informer] $576 BPIg and POLMAX [Fedora x Jeronimo] $558 BPIg follows at number 9, with TLGENZO [Dropbox x Einstein] $558 BPIg closing out the top 10.

Not only is it pleasing to see the strong performance of bulls sourced from Carenda Holsteins in WA, but we must also congratulate Wilara Holsteins and Jelbart Dairies in Gippsland. The cow families these elite breeders have developed are making a solid contribution to genetic improvement in Australia and matching it with the best in the world.

Holstein daughter fertility has taken a significant lift in recent years, with genomic technology at the forefront of this improvement. The polled gene is also rapidly gaining in interest and within a relatively short time, a number of high-rated polled bulls can be confidently used in breeding programs.  ILLUMINATOR P [A2P2 x Delta] $452 BPIg, VISSLA P [Magicball x Superhero] and TLGMDOUGLAS PP [Fomo x Bighit] $414 BPIg are three bulls that have proven popular for farmers looking to reduce or eliminate dehorning.

The SLICK gene leaves cattle with a shorter and sleek hair coat and research has shown animals carrying the gene have a greater thermal tolerance. We are excited to introduce our first SLICK bulls. HONDA P [Solar x Lundy] $411 BPIg and ICEMAN PP [Solar x Jeronimo] $452 BPIg, not only warrant their place in the team for SLICK, but for several other key profitable traits.

The December ABVs release clearly demonstrates Genetics Australia’s commitment to supplying elite genetics to current and future dairy farmers. Bulls in the Genetics Australia teams are world class and farmers can be confident they are using elite bulls selected for their daughters to perform well in Australian Conditions.

If you would like more details on any Genetics Australia bulls or on any service or merchandise products, please contact your Genetics Australia representative listed on the back cover.

With a flat milk contract and 720 cows in a barn, Dehne and Sarah Vinnicombe are used to a daily calving routine. But a group of calves hitting the ground in March will hold special significance for the farmers from Calivil in Northern Victoria, Australia.

They will be their first calves born under the Co-operator program, a collaboration between Peak Genetics and Genetics Australia as part of the URUS joint venture.

Dehne and Sarah are among a small group of Victorian farms in the Co-operator herd program, which brings together the best of Australian and American genetic pools.

For Dehne, the program is a way to increase his herd’s genetic base and access international cow families with Australian genomic performance breeding values.

“Without a doubt we’ll finish up with a better herd,” he says. “We’re looking to increase the genetic base of the herd and find the cow families that fit. By using genomics, we can see which ones come up better.”

“It’s a win-win for everyone. Genetics Australia will benefit with new genomic bulls and we’ll get some extra cow families.”

Females born in the program stay at the Co-operator’s farm, with elite offspring added to future breeding schedules. The genomic breeding values of male calves will be assessed and elite males will join A.I with Genetics Australia for Australian farmers to access.

Genetics Australia regional sales manager Gerald Brislin says the Co-operator program is “combining the best of both worlds”.

“It’s not unique to have embryos made in the USA coming to Australia, but what is unique is that we’re sending our local semen to the US to Peak Genetics to sire these embryos that come back,” Gerard said.

“It’s a unique opportunity to access international cow families with Australian genomic performance breeding values.”

Genetics Australia chose to initially position the collaborative program with the Holstein breed with embryos generated by TransOva Genetics in the U.S, whilst a large cohort of donor females are selected and genotyped from the nucleus breeding program at Peak Genetics.

Gerard says the uptake of technologies such as gender sorted semen has meant there are less elite bull calves being offered to A.I companies in Australia, so diversity was needed in the breeding program.

However, he adds that the Australia breeder remains an important source in providing genetics for the future.

“We’re still encouraging local breeder herds to sample bulls with the potential for these young bulls to enter the young sire program” Gerard said. “Breed leading Holstein bulls in recent intakes at Genetics Australia have come from Australian breeder herds, such as AUSTRALIND and more recently JOBOLT and JORDLIV, so it is important to continue to draw on local genetics,” he said.

“Genomic technology is far reaching around the world today, it doesn’t matter where the male or female is born in the world, to have a breeding program performing at a high level it is important to find the best and breed them better which is what the co-operator herd program offers Genetics Australia and its shareholders.”

Gerard added that the embryo services at Genetics Australia’s Camperdown facility enabled this program to happen.
“This is a great example of collaboration, which is something farmers want us to do.”

Dehne says the invitation to be part of such an exciting venture between Genetics Australia and Peak Genetics was too good to pass-up.

It follows the family’s shift four years ago to a free stall barn that houses 720 mostly Holstein cows with feed being generated from their 1214-hectare property.

“We owned a few farms and wanted to consolidate them and thought a barn was better for the weather conditions,” Deyne said.

“We were feeding a lot on feed pads and wasting too much. It let us down when it was too hot and too wet because it had no cover, which are the main two times you need a feed pad.”

After some initial issues, the cows are now milking exceptionally well in the barn.

They started with 400 cows in the barn before buying a herd from Manna Farms in South Australia to build up numbers, which will continue to grow with heifers and young stock to join in the next 18 months.

Traditionally the Vinnicombes calved twice a year but it’s now every day for the flat milk contract.

Dehne, 49, has a long history with Genetics Australia. “I’ve worked with GA since I was a teenager. I used to get bulls ready, take photographs of bulls and cows for catalogues, and we sold bulls back to GA when I was at home. We’ve had a partnership for all that length of time.”

The latest connection is the “next step” that will benefit both parties.

“We are using top-end cows and will get good heifers out of them and it also addresses what is happening with bobby calves,” Dehne said.

“We’ve had two lots of embryos go in and I’m looking forward to seeing them on the ground and running around. We see it as a big win for us and a great ongoing partnership.”

One of Australia’s premier Holstein herds will open its gates on February 5 to showcase some of the first milking daughters of a world-leading homozygous polled sire. Based at Calivil in Northern Victoria, Calister Holsteins was established more than 20 years ago and in 2024 was added to the Genetics Australia’s honour board.

Craig Lister’s Calister Holsteins at Calivil in northern Victoria is now milking more than 50 two-year-old daughters of Vogue A2P2-PP that will be on display during the Genetics Australia open day. Mr Lister said he wanted a bull that would facilitate the process of moving the Holstein breed to becoming polled. “We’re at the precipice where in the next few years, the Holstein breed could theoretically choose to be a polled breed,” he said. “We’re in the early stages and can’t jump right in now, but it’s something I believe we should investigate. “A2P2 is a bull that allowed me to make a very significant step towards that conversion.”

On a 2016 study tour, Mr Lister saw the first daughters of Powerball-P, a bull that bridged the gap between polled being a niche consideration or a realistic option for commercial dairy farmers. “It’s amazing to see that in less than 10 years we now have a number of options that allow us to make choices for polled without stepping too far away from our normal breeding goals,” he said. “We need to use these influential bulls wisely so we can take the next step to make polled a significant option for people who choose to farm that way.“A bull like A2P2 allowed me to add polled and then go back to the best of the non-polled Holstein bulls to add in diverse genetics which will eventually broaden the polled gene pool.”

Mr Lister said the A2P2 daughters were excellent. “I believe they are going to have long and profitable careers in my herd,” he said.Vogue A2P2’s supplies sold out last year but a new shipment is arriving and will be marketed by Genetics Australia. A2P2 is bred by the Vogue Cattle Co in Canada and has more than 2500 daughters worldwide.

Genetics Australia’s Northern Victoria Regional Sales Manager Jon Holland said A2P2 was ranked number 2 in Canada for type and his first Australian milking daughters had ranked highly at more than 110 for overall type in Australia.“He’s one of the global leading confirmation bulls…a global polled phenomenon,” Mr Holland said.

“Being a homozygous polled bull sets him in a league of his own.” Mr Holland said the first lactation milking daughters were a great success at Callister Holsteins. “Craig used A2P2 very heavily, not just as a good bull but largely for the polled factor, and the consistency has been outstanding.”

The February 5 open day starts at 10am at Calister Holsteins, 142 Listers Road, Calivil. Callister Holsteins has also contributed leading bulls to the Genetics Australia program, including Decipher and his best-known entry to the GA program, Maebull.

[box] RSVP to A2P2 Daughter Showcase
People wishing to attend can RSVP to Genetics Australia representatives Jon Holland – 0412 848 505 or Mat Dennis – 0467 027 178. [/box] 

Nearly 50 young people from across Victoria and South Australia got a a taste of the dairy industry at a camp at Noorat last week.

The Western District Youth Camp at the Noorat Showgrounds from January 6-8 has attracted a capacity 44 participants aged 8-16 from Gippsland, northern Victoria, south-east South Australia and the local community.

The camp, revived last year after a three-year hiatus, aims to introduce a new generation of young people to the world of dairy cattle.

Organising committee member Bryan Dickson said the 2024 camp was a resounding success and this year’s event was also fully subscribed.

Mr Dickson said there would be a strong focus on education and dairy career pathways along with animal husbandry and raising cattle.

There will also be opportunities for participants to learn about showing cattle, culminating in a handling competition on Wednesday.

Representatives from WestVic Dairy, DemoDAIRY Foundation and the Timboon Agriculture Project will talk about potential career opportunities and pathways in the dairy industry.

There will also be talks from people who have shown and judged cattle in competitions around Australia and USA.

The camp has received strong support from the industry, including major sponsors DemoDAIRY Foundation, Genetics Australia and Jefo.

Mr Dickson said support from sponsors was essential for the success of the event to support the future of the dairy industry. “The basic reason for running the camp is to get young people interested in dairying and agriculture in general,” he said. “A lot of kids who did agricultural programs at school became dairy farmers because of that exposure, and we want to inspire the next generation to do the same.

“Some kids who attended last year from Melbourne had never been on a farm before or had any involvement with cows and they got a lot out of it. Gone are the days when most people had a relative on a farm that they could visit.”

Most of the participants have some farming background but some are being introduced to agriculture for the first time.

Mr Dickson said the camp was fully booked with people on a waiting list. “It’s a good number and we wouldn’t be able to take any more, but it shows the level of interest in dairy and agriculture,” he said.

Size matters to vet turned dairy farmer Tim Humphris – but so does fertility, vigour and converting pasture to milk.

That’s why he turned to a three-way cross breeding program when he started farming in northern Victoria and has continued the system since he and wife Marie moved to Nirranda South in south-west Victoria five years ago.

“In my opinion, a three-way cross animal is a highly robust fertile animal that may fit many farming systems,” he said. 

Tim recently featured in a Genetics Australia video for distributors and wholesalers of GENEX and ALTA product in Argentina, complete with Spanish translation.

During his 15-year career as a vet working in dairy practice in northern Victoria, Tim noticed a decline in dairy fertility, particularly in Holstein herds.

“When I started farming in 2008 in Northern Victoria, I had a very strong focus on fertility so used a three-way cross breeding program to maximise hybrid vigour to improve fertility,” he said.

It worked and he used the same concept after moving south on a 414ha property that has grown from 300 to 600 cows over the past five years.

The farm relies predominantly on pasture which grows from April-May through to November-December. For lactations to follow pasture availability all cows are calved in April-May. 

The farm can get very wet and the cows sometimes walk up to 6 km to graze, so Tim wants a moderate size cow, smaller than the current Holstein.

The cows consume about three tonnes of pasture, one tonne of conserved fodder and two tonnes of concentrate (wheat, barley and corn).  Heifers are joined at about 330 kg, however with three-way cross breeding and the different sizes of the breeds there is some variability about this joining weight.

Tim’s main focus is to convert all home-grown pasture to milk as efficiently as possible with the focus on total farm production, not per cow.  “We aim to maximise our conversion of pasture to milk, then add in supplements if it is profitable to do so,” he said.  “Pasture utilisation is our main profit driver.”

The cows produce about 7,000 litres and 550 kg milk solids (4.3% fat, 3.6% protein), suiting the payment system based on fat and protein, not litres.

In the 1990s, Tim learnt about three-way cross breeding from Professor Les Hansen to ensure heterosis is above 84%. “I was always convinced that a cross bred cow had higher fertility than a Holstein,” he said. “The program made a lot of sense so I implemented it to improve fertility, using Holstein, Jersey and Aussie Red.”

The three-way cross program maintains heterosis above 84%.  A two-way cross program delivers 100% heterosis to start with but immediately drops back to 50%. 

Tim uses Aussie Reds for their proven fertility, Holsteins for their outstanding production and Jerseys for their components, size and feed conversion efficiency.  He has avoided other breeds such as Brown Swiss and Mont Belliarde as they tend to be larger cows and due to his concern about eye cancers in Mont Belliardes.

To maximise the hybrid vigour, Tims says it is imperative that the correct breed of sire is used over each cow.

“The key to a successful three-way cross program is no different to any other breeding program,” he said.  “I aim to use the best bulls in each breed and use the BPI system to select my bulls.”

In each breed he focuses on particular traits. “My Holstein bulls must always be of the highest BPI but also above 110 for daughter fertility. My Jersey sires need to be of the highest BPI but positive for udder department. My Aussie Red bulls must be the highest BPI and ideally have strong production traits.”

All animals are tagged with a colour tag that represents the sire they need to be joined to for life. 

Tim uses Datamars automatic heat detection collars and has found them excellent for reproductive management.  He joins to natural heats and doesn’t use any synchronisation. “To thrive in my system, a cow must cycle and conceive quickly in the joining program without any help,” he said. 

Despite his success, Tim still sees a bias against cross breeding due to a variability initially in the animals and possibly a perceived complexity in maintain the breeding program…but it’s working for him.

He has some advice for anyone considering the system. “If you are going to implement a three-way cross breeding program, always use the best bulls for each breed just as you would with a conventional breeding program. Once you have identified your breeding goals stick to them and be consistent.”       

A moderate size cow is favoured by Tim as the farm can get wet and cows can walk up to 6kms or more daily.

The Genetics Australia semen lab at Camperdown has received a tick of approval from the PEAK Director of Global Services, Bill Beckman, building a new level of international cooperation to benefit local farmers.

Bill visited the facilities for a week to identify areas of potential improvement across all aspects of the business. He spent several days in the laboratory, as well as time on collection, in despatch, and with our collection team.

Genetics laboratory manager Emily Fowler said receiving Bill’s feedback had been very encouraging.

“He confirmed that the processes in our lab are of a high standard, and that with a few minor changes, many of which have already been implemented, we will be in line with other PEAK laboratories,” Emily said.

The lab will also be looking to install some new equipment to continue the drive for world-standard quality.

While it was pleasing to receive Bill’s positive feedback about the facilities, the visit was a great example of the value of international cooperation and the sharing of information.

“The connections formed with members of the PEAK laboratory team have already been hugely beneficial to the lab team, and the ongoing communication and opportunity for growth and progress in our lab environment is exciting for all involved,” Emily said.

“It’s all about ensuring our products are made using world’s best practice that will not only benefit the farmers using our products but all private collection customers.”

Australian genetics are set to launch into Latin America with a new campaign to highlight the success of the country’s grazing systems.

The ‘Best Mate’ campaign launched by GENEX and URUS on October 4 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin USA will target a number of Latin Americian countries including Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and with a particular emphasis on Argentina.

The new campaign is a successful outcome of the joint venture between URUS, GENEX and Genetics Australia that was formalised in 2023.

Speaking at the launch in Madison, Genetics Australia export manager Rob Derksen said Latin American countries mostly graze their cattle in a similar system to Australia but didn’t know a lot about the success of Australian genetics.

“The only grazing systems many know about is New Zealand but we feel our product is better suited to these regions as farmers use similar systems to Australia and rely on pastures plus supplements as the main source of feed.”

Genetics Australia has started the push with recent exports to Chile and upcoming sales to Peru and Ecuador.

“This is our first international exposure of our Australian genetics as part of the joint venture,” Mr Derksen said. “We believe there is a good market there with substantial room for expansion, particularly through the networks that have been created through the joint venture with URUS,” he added.

“Getting the most productivity from grazing systems starts with the right genetics and Genetics Australia is uniquely placed to help farmers in Latin America to breed a better grazing herd,” he added.

Australian farmers Con and Michelle Glennen from White Star Jerseys in Noorat in south-west Victoria and Sandra Bacon from Brookbora Jerseys from Tennyson in Northern Victoria also presented at the launch along with Jersey Australia general manager Glen Barrett.

Speaking at the launch, URUS Chief Operations Officer Kevin Muxlow said the world needs cow to do more with less to feed a growing population.

“We believe genetics are a key part of making a better cow and that better cows contribute to a better world,” Mr Muxlow said.

Genetics Australia has joined Jersey Australia and other Australian companies on a joint site at World Dairy Expo over the past three years.

Alta Genetics were also part of the URUS company, were part of the launch at World Dairy Expo. This was the first presentation of its type conducted by Genetics Australia at World Dairy Expo and featured video of Brookbora, White Star, Ravens Hill Australian Reds and Tesbury Holsteins.

Mr Derksen said the event created a lot of interest from multiple countries.

“We want the world to know that we achieve high productivity cows suited to diverse grazing systems that can go the distance with strong feet and legs, have excellent feed efficiency and are reproductively sound.

Australian Genetics has a lot to offer and I’m sure as more counties experience how our genetics perform we can expect growing demand, he said.