Sexed semen delivers options for Herman

The ability to control what and how much feed his cows get underpins Herman Kibler’s success on his 650 cow sharemilking operation near Litchfield, South Waikato.

This season Herman leapt at the opportunity to take that control a step further by participating in AmBreed’s sexed semen trial.

Being able to determine which cows would give birth to high value heifer calves was an opportunity few sharemilkers would turn down.

Like any sharemilker, he was keen to capitalise on the surge in values his livestock experienced over the 2007/08 season.

“We usually do just AB and no follow up bulls, for us a bull calf is not worth anything like what a heifer calf is, so being able to increase the odds was important.”

Being in a trial, Herman was only able to use 24 straws of sexed semen. He admits if he could have had his way he would have put the whole herd to sexed semen.

 “The opportunities that open up by knowing you have a 90% chance of each cow having a heifer calf are just huge. Even at a considerably higher cost it is well worth doing.”

Herman uses all of AmBreed’s services in his business, from mating through to herd testing, including the software management tool MISTRO.

He views sexed semen as the ideal means to build up a second herd. Another option is to use it to increase genetic gain within his existing herd by culling out the bottom portion and replacing with heifers bred from higher producing cows.

“The other option is to sell heifer calves. This year nine-month old spring calves were selling for more than $1000, without doing the maths you know that even with grazing there is good profit there.”

Running over 5 cows/ha at Litchfield, Herman’s philosophy is to fully feed the herd all year round, regardless of pasture levels or weather conditions. 

His herd reflects AmBreed’s aim to help farmers breed cows with desired traits suited to the conditions they are being farmed in, rather than a one size fits all breeding approach.

For Herman that means big framed cows that “can eat up large and milk well” on a varied diet consisting of maize silage, grass silage, palm kernel,  brewer’s grain, brewer’s yeast, tapioca and lucerne most of the year. 

His top performers produced up to over 70 litres a day last October and several producing just under five kg of solids a day at their peak.

With such a high performing herd it is understandable why he wants to concentrate on breeding more heifer calves. 

“The more you can control something, the more certain you can be about the outcome, and sexed semen plays a big part in that.”