Wairarapa Moana – A herd improvement journey

Based in Mangakino, Wairarapa Moana Incorporated (WMI) operates 10 managed dairy farms, 2 share-milked dairy farms and 3 dairy support farms. Together they manage over 10,000 cows.

Over the last 5 years Wairarapa Moana has worked alongside LIC to improve their herd records, in-calf rates and bottom line. Commitment and hard work from their team, together with a belief in the power of quality data and superior genetics has led to a significant turnaround in their operation. So naturally they’re all asking, what can we work on next?

The team were interested to find out how they could improve on their 6 week in-calf rate of 59% and head toward the industry target of 78% and ultimately improve their bottom line. So they were keen to look at a new approach and gather specialist advice.

Data improvements

Together with LIC they worked to ensure all herd records were up to date and well maintained. Able to then pin-point contributing factors, they established a focus on improving heat detection, young stock rearing and BCS at key times of the season. The farm system also changed from high input (sys 5) to medium input (sys 3). The team at LIC advised a breed mix change with mating to achieve smaller, more efficient animals that were most productive under their new system.

With up to date data and records through their use of MINDA® LIVE software, Wairarapa Moana are regularly accessing information and analysing it to make better decisions on-farm.

Nick Hume, General Manager of Wairarapa Moana, recalls the first steps: “LIC’s tags and herd analysis gave us the info to make well-informed decisions. And we keep using MINDA LIVE data to help make big herd decisions going forward.”

Improving conception rates

Raising in-calf rates started by having good data and LIC helping WMI convert that into useful information to understand trends and opportunities across the group. Monitoring all young stock weight gains and targets through MINDA weights, and herds achieving BCS targets were achieved with support from MINDA. There was also a focus on heat detection and a detailed training program delivered with the support of LIC and DairyNZ to the team.

LIC Key Account Manager Neville Cook explains how conception rates were improved across the business, “The team undertook training so everyone became experts in identifying cows ready for insemination, with data management and a variety of heat detection tools providing support on-farm. Farm 6 is now using Protrack Heat™ to make the process even more efficient.”Thanks to the combination of improvements across the board, Wairarapa Moana has seen a dramatic increase in reproductive performance: 

• 6 week in-calf rate  increased from 59% to 72% (average across all farms)
  
• Intervention (CIDRS) reduced from 20% to 13%
  

With these numbers heading in the right direction, we’re now aiming even higher.

Improvements in reproduction have been a real highlight for Nick and his on-farm teams “Two years ago we became self-sufficient in breeding replacements, and now we have surplus young stock to sell, it’s great to be looking at new opportunities and finding ways to generate extra revenue for Wairapapa Moana. Just as important is seeing the excitement from the team of improving their results year on year” says Nick.

While the business is now in a solid position, they’re digging deeper into their data and converting it into useful information to make more improvements, not just in 6 week in-calf rates but also genetic selection. LIC provides ongoing support to the management team and the staff on the ground so they can lead and implement changes on farm. Now WMI with the help of LIC are working on how they continue to improve year on year, because as we all know, there’s always room for improvement.

Find out how LIC could help your operation at lic.co.nz/alwaysimproving.