Contract Mating Criteria

Contract Mating Criteria

We are often asked “What is CRV AmBreed’s contract mating criteria?”
 
It is fair to say these are some of the more difficult questions asked of us.
For CRV AmBreeds Genetic Development team an elite animal is not measured in BW units, but its ability to breed females with persistent performance that last and improve as they mature.
 
Since 1969 AmBreed has bred elite cows and bulls that produce at high levels, are easily managed in terms of calving ease, fertility and temperament, as well as having capacity and udder quality ensuring durability over multiple lactations. This enduring breeding objective remains the same and is now formally measured by New Zealand Merit Index (NZMI).
 
Therefore offering your highest NZMI cow(s) gives the best chance of selection into CRV AmBreed’s genetic development program. Unfortunately NZMI is not always available to identify animals of interest. The next best option, BW can help to recognise a proportion of high merit animals. It can however, overlook elite animals with lower BW’s that have ideal management and/or type traits and instead promote some high BW animals that have undesirable attributes.
 
Indexes (NZMI and BW) only give us an initial indication of desirable cows and heifers. There are many other important factors we consider, including;

• Sire line-up/Family background
• Progeny performance
• Outcross
• Contemporary group
• Body and Udder Conformation
• Long life attributes

 
We want your best breeding cows. These can be defined as females from families who are likely or have passed on desirable traits to daughters or sons. We are looking forfemales who are;

• Efficient producers of a high-value milk (ie; protein)
• Females from long-lasting cow families
• Good shed traits
• Fertile
• Strong uddered
• Different bloodlines (outcross)

 
As a guide we are targeting cows that are in the Top 1% for a combination of the following traits;

• Production Traits; Protein BV (kg), Milk BV (lt) and Fat BV (kg)
• Management Traits; Liveweight BV (kg), Fertility BV (%), Somatic Cells BV, Total Longevity BV (days), Calving Difficulty BV (%) and Overall Opinion (BV)
• Functional Type; Capacity (BV), Rump Angle (BV) and Udder Overall (BV) 

 
The starting point for offering a bull or cow is index; they must be at least within the Top 10% of their breed for both BW and NZMI.
As the indexes of the offered animal gets lower, the importance of diverse bloodlines, outstanding cow family or extreme BVs for one or more of the key traits listed above (and in bold in the Breed Average Table) is raised.
 
Sires of cows and heifers of interest;
 

HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN	JERSEY	AYRSHIRE	XBRED
Firenze	Stanza	Brody	Ramrod
Mint-Edition Frostman	Ozark Zealot	Phillip Bud	Rockhard Renassance
Ex Presso	Maunga	Blade	*Plus Xbred progeny sired by the
Hero	Jazz	Nigel	Purebred bulls listed alongside
Justice	Henry	Andy
Frostman	Brawler	Brace
Megastud Roderick Banquet Skelton Euon Pierre Extasy Leo Favour	Shawnee Tyrone Exposure Manhatten Charlies Lad Bowie
O-man
Format Planet Dotson Rupert Puzzle Roscoe
Kodiak
Kalumburu Talent Monday

However, these mentioned lists are not all inclusive. Other high genetic merit, Unique (dead, unavailable, farmer proven, old) or international sires may also still be of interest. A good guide is if you would keep a bull calf to mate over your best cows, there is a chance we are interested in considering him for our PT program. To offer elite bull calves or cows please complete forms attached and forward to CRV AmBreed.