Forum
| #1 Recent herd walks |
| By Guest (Jun 13 2015, 5:15 AM) |
| After the recent herd walks of our farm and the Graham's farm, I'd like to see comment on what people think, Comment negative if u like, I'd like to see peoples real thoughts. I was very open of what I saw in SA. |
| #2 Recent herd walks |
| By Anna (Jun 13 2015, 11:36 AM) |
| First I want to say that we visited two farms yesterday that would be among the very best red herds in Australia so congrats and keep up the good work.Both herds had very even cows and for me that is successful breeding. But what I am missing when we do farm visits is production figures, fertility data,SCC, calvings etc. We as a breed society say that we have the best fertility and health compared to other breeds but no one see those figures when we do herd visits because we "only" look at the cows. I think we need to show some figures (even if it is only on some separated cows) to attract new people to the Red breeds other than just looking at the cows conformation on the herd visits but this is just my personal opinion. I will follow with interest what other people will have to say in this thread./Anna |
| #3 Recent herd walks |
| By (Jun 13 2015, 12:10 PM) |
| Tom, thanks again for your time and willingness to let us look through your herd. I totally agree with Anna, that you have some great type cows. But looking at the outside of the cow is only a part of the picture, and probably the best tool we have now is the "genetic progress report" which highlights specific areas of your whole herd. Identifying trends in your herd (like fertility or SCC) is essential to correct traits that are hidden from the eye. We all know from the Holstein experience that just chasing extreme type and high production, is negatively correlated to fertility. And it seems that (some of) the Holstein farmers now understand this and are aiming to breed a more profitable cow. Hopefully the red breeds, including Illawarras, learn from the Holsteins mistake, and continue to breed a more balanced cow. |
| #4 Recent herd walks |
| By Tim (Jun 13 2015, 5:48 PM) |
| Yes, as always I really enjoy looking through the herds yesterday. Sam, I am biased towards the Aussie Reds as you would expect. I really liked the Foske's and Tosikko's in your herd. I was pleased to see their size. Sometimes on the Youtube videos and photo's they appear larger than they actually are. I certainly like my cows to be significantly smaller than Holsteins. I agree with Anna it would be nice to have fertility figures. Another report that gives a good indicator of fertility is the "Incalf Fertility Focus Report". This report comes for three different calving patterns. Seasonal, Batch Calving and Year Round Calving. It can be generated from Easy Dairy or Mistro records and can be obtained from your local Incalf Adviser |
| #5 Recent herd walks |
| By Graeme (Jun 14 2015, 4:27 PM) |
| It has been many years since I looked through Kangawarra, or indeed any Illawarra herds. The herd is more even for type and colour,with cows maybe wearing a little better than I remember. The even red colour is surprising given that so much R&W Holstein has been blended into the breed, approximately 50% was one estimate. Yes, consistency was a feature of both herds and it is something I believe that all red breeds need to concentrate on. ARDB breeders were probably unfamiliar with the sires that Tom mentioned and would like to see more ABV data on them. I guess this points to the ARDB being data focused to a large degree. |