Scotland’s Strategic Dairy Farm is hosting a meeting on 25 April to look at the importance of breeding quality dairy cattle.
Host farmer William Baillie will share his approach to making the best breeding choices for his herd, which has allowed him to grow his pedigree Holstein herd from 50 to 310, with a top 15% genetic merit ranking.
William recently had his youngstock genomics tested and will share his thoughts on using that information to guide his future decisions.
“It’ll be really interesting to compare the genomic results with the predictions we’ve always used in the past, as those should be much more accurate, meaning we’ll be able to make better decisions about which animals we breed from,” he said.
As the farm is part of AHDB’s optimal dairy systems programme, a review will be conducted into how Hillhead compares with key performance indicators (KPIs) for Ayr calving herds.
AHDB genetics specialists and Colin Penny from Zoetis will be present on the day.
The event begins at the Tinto Hotel, 44 Biggar Road, Symington, Lanarkshire, ML12 6FT, moving to the farm after lunch.
To book a place, contact the AHDB by calling 01904-771216 or email ke.events@ahdb.org.uk
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