36 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Doug Courtman Doug backs easier recording and registration Kim Newth Since the BreedIT system developed by Holstein Friesian New Zealand on behalf of all the New Zealand dairy cattle breed societies was released around a year ago it has transformed the way breed societies collect and access data, says Holstein Friesian New Zealand president Doug Courtman. Partially funded by MPI under the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund, BreedIT is a $1m plus project that took over two years to develop using a local IT firm with ag industry expertise. It includes the redeveloped Traits Other than Production (TOP) system as well as an administration system for breed societies to access data straight from the Dairy Industry Good Animal Database (DIGAD). Holstein Friesian New Zealand holds contracts with LIC and CRV to complete TOP for their sire proving herds annually. The TOP aspect of the development was released in spring 2020 with the administration side of the system following in August 2021. Agreements have been made between Dairy NZ, LIC and CRV so approved data is readily available. Doug says the result is more straightforward office systems for easier recording and registration of animals improving the services that breed societies can offer to their members. BreedIT development has been complemented in 2022 with the introduction of a TOP Farmer Trait app. The new app enables farmers to complete their TOP farmer traits for animals eliminating the need for the manual paperwork. Doug says that registered pedigree stock sold well last autumn underpinning the advantages of recording animals. “Registered Holstein Friesian stock sold for twice the price of commercial stock. Some herds averaged around $4,000 and the best close to $10,000, so there’s good advantage to having registered pedigree animals. With more money floating around in the industry people have gone looking for good quality stock, underpinned by fully recorded ancestry, and invested in quality genetics.” Doug is keen user of BreedIT and the app in his own dairy farming operation and Holstein Friesian stud Carse-o-Fern. Doug and wife Lorraine run a 56ha effective unit on the main road between Otorohanga and Te Awamutu. They milk 140 pedigree Holstein Friesians through a 14-aside herringbone shed. The only luxury in the shed is meal feeders, which were put in to reduce workload. The Courtman’s feed four kilograms of meal per day to the herd during milking season. They use contractors when necessary but apart from that do everything on the farm themselves. Doug uses overseas genetics in the Carse-o-Fern herd and aims for a big high producing cow bred Holstein Friesian New Zealand president Doug Courtman. 83 Kio Kio Station Rd, RD4, Otorohanga Ph: 07 873 1800 Mob: 029 833 0011 Email: johnclarkcontracting@xtra.co.nz for protein, udders, and capacity among other traits. This has sometimes worked against him in terms of the BW system, which doesn’t tend to favour larger cows. His herd is high producing, averaging around 450 kilograms of milk solids per cow. In its best year, the farm produced 500 kilograms of milk solids per cow. He doesn’t sell to overseas buyers and says he’d rather sell to the local market and have the stock in this country supporting the breed in New Zealand. Contact Daphne Gordon 027 653 6744 kenmure4@xtra.co.nz Kenmure Ayrshires - Proudly bred and owned by Daphne, Hamish, Alistair & Robyn Gordon E S T . 1 9 3 8 • I N G L E W O O D , T A R A N A K I Highest Ayrshire BWHerd in Taranaki Breeding for capacity, fertility & udders. Bull used in herd are NZ Bred Sires. Lowest Ayrshire Somatic Cell Count in Taranaki (Ward 5) 2020-21.
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