| 109 nzdairy DAIRY SERVICES » CRV Ambreed New facility supports precision breeding Kim Newth Dairy farmers seeking out herd improvement know they have a trusted partner in CRV, which has been progressively unlocking herd potential in New Zealand’s dairy sector for more than 50 years. It is an exciting time for CRV and the sector today, with innovative technology ushering in a new era of precision breeding. CRV has a wide range of local and global sires available to help dairy farmers access the grass-fed genetics they need for health and ef ciency, with CRV’s star line-up including facial eczema tolerant sires (exclusive to CRV), LowN sires, and polled bulls. With CRV, the farmer can build their own bull team and choose between sexed or conventional dairy or dairy beef. New technology launched by CRV earlier this year is now also transforming the quality of sexed semen available to support farmers wanting access to tailored solutions. In January, CRV opened a new sexed semen processing facility at its Bellevue production and logistics hub in the Waikato. Equipped with advanced IntelliGen® Technology, the new facility is cutting-edge and processing very high-quality sexed product. The proven technology, which has successfully inseminated millions of cattle around the world, is the only commercial laser-ablation semen sexing tool available in key global markets. Demand from dairy farmers for sexed straws is unquestionably rising fast. CRV saw a triple-fold increase in demand for its sexed semen between the 2020/21 season and 2021/22 with demand growing year on year. The new Bellevue sexed semen facility is now superbly well-equipped to meet this surge in demand from farmers wanting to accelerate their herds’ genetic gains and reduce bobby calf numbers as part of animal welfare programmes. As CRV Managing Director James Smallwood explains, IntelliGen® Technology is a gentler process for developing sexed bovine genetics compared to traditional methods. “It does not subject semen cells to the high pressures, electric currents and shear forces that are used in the traditional sexed semen technology, which reduces stress on the cells as they are processed,” he says. “This means we can provide farmers with a high-quality sexed product that will help them to maximise their pro tability and achieve genetic gains faster and in a more ef cient way.” For herds with good fertility and management, using sexed semen from the very best bulls on the best cows is the most effective and fastest way to get ahead. CRV has responded to the need for tailored genetic solutions to achieve optimal results for farmers. CRV managing director, James Smallwood. Sexed semen processing lab near Hamilton. “We call it ‘precision breeding’. We are helping farmers select the right mix of sexed semen, conventional semen and dairy beef sires to breed better replacements, higher value dairy beef calves and reduce the number of bobby calves.” CRV also offers precision tools to help farmers capture, interpret and link data on breeding, including myHERD for easy herd recording and reporting and myHERD testing to readily identify high and low performers in the herd. Futureproo ng on farm is now much easier with myDNA. Once tested, farmers can easily track stock throughout their lives. 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 genetic gains in their herds. Contact: Hayley Gavan, 021 309 725, Hayley. gavan@crv4all.co.nz
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