Now DataGene wants more farmers to record the breed of their cows and heifers for a clearer and more accurate picture of the national herd composition.
According to the latest statistics, Holsteins make up 70 per cent of Australia’s national herd, down from 76 per cent a decade earlier.
Jerseys, on the other hand, have been undergoing a slow and steady rise in popularity.
The national herd recorded a two per cent increase in the number of Jersey cattle during the past decade to a total of about 17.4 per cent.
However, 12 per cent of the national herd doesn’t have a recorded breed, according to DataGene analysis.
Michelle Axford from DataGene said recording the breed, if it’s known, assisted the herd improvement sector.
“If the breed of a calf is known, say for example it’s mostly Holstein, recording the breed increases the precision with which statistics can be delivered,” she said.
“It also increases the chance of that animal getting a breeding value of its own, for genetic evaluation.
“However, if a dairy farmer doesn’t know the breed, it is better to leave this blank than record potentially inaccurate information or genomic test the animal for an accurate determination of the calf’s breed.”
DataGene’s Central Data Repository grew by six per cent during 2023-24 to a total of 18.2 million animal records.
This growth has come thanks to DataGene’s development of efficient, high throughput connections between dairies and the Central Data Repository with programs such as Ginfo, the national genetic information reference herd, and the dedication of Australia’s dairy farmers to their herd recording.
DataGene is also investigating options to expand the Central Data Repository outside of herd recording with its DataConnect project.
DataConnect is a multi-year project where DataGene works with milking equipment manufacturers, on-farm software providers and corporate dairy companies to identify the best mechanisms to connect data to the Central Data Repository.
This project will improve the quantity and quality of the information feeding into breeding tools such as Australian Breeding Values increasing reliability and enabling the development of new ABVs.
To find out more, read DataGene’s 2024 Herd Improvement Report at https://www.datagene.com.au/about/corporate-reports/
