Informing New Zealand Beef: 16 more farmers join genetics programme

Informing New Zealand Beef aims to increase the use of high-quality genetics in the beef industry.

Sixteen more commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme, to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.

The seven-year partnership, supported by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the New Zealand Meat Board and the Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, aims to boost the sector’s profits by $460 million over the next 25 years.

Focused on increasing the use of high-quality genetics in the beef industry, the four main components of the programme are:

• developing New Zealand-specific breeding indexes
• building an across-breed genetic evaluation and data infrastructure
• running a beef progeny test
• linking in data from commercial herds.

Sonya Shaw, project lead, commercial herds,said it aimed to help commercial farmers understand the value of better genetics.

“We need [them] involved in the programme because they contribute to the accuracy of breeding values of stud bulls available to [other] commercial farmers.

“Being part of the programme also allows for more accurate heifer selection in herds which will have a lasting impact on the commercial herds’ progress towards their own goals.”

The 16 new farmers from Manawatū-Whanganui, Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay, Southland, Otago, Waikato and Taranaki will join the 21 already involved in the programme.

They will provide accurate pedigree recording, assess bull teams’ performances, ensure accurate information for heifer replacement selection and work with their bull breeders to make more rapid genetic progress.

The farmers will also benchmark their herd against others involved in the programme.

The INZB programme aims to add at least 10 commercial farmers each year.

Those selected adopt a recording schedule across the year and, if they wish, can also carry out genotyping of their cow herd and, on an annual basis, calves and sires.

Shaw said there was a “great deal of interest” in joining the programme this year.

“We look forward to inviting more farmers to take part next year.”