Breeding to delete duds

Peter recently joined the WestVic Dairy Board as a specialist director, bringing more than three decades of experience in supporting farmers with herd and genetic improvements.

Over that time, he’s seen breeding innovations revolutionise the dairy industry.

“The ability to change something through breeding has always fascinated me,” Peter said.

“When I started, farmers would have to cull quite a few duds, but now days it’s an exception to the rule if you have to cull one from a line of heifers because of temperament, milking speed or because she hasn’t performed.

“There’s been massive change in producing animals that are ready to go, trouble-free cows that go unnoticed in the dairy herd, and it’s all been delivered by that straw of semen.

“The consistency of animals being bred these days and the lack of duds is the big difference between now and 30 years ago.”

Peter is DataGene’s stakeholder relations specialist, working with farmer customers, artificial insemination companies, genetics and data service providers.

He joined DataGene in 2021 after a 34-year career with Genetics Australia.

Genetics Australia was still known as the Victorian Artificial Breeders when Peter started work with the cooperative straight out of university, initially sales before gravitating to the breeding and genetics department, which was his ultimate goal.

Peter’s parents came off dairy farms in the Camden NSW region and his grandparents were farming until he was in his teens.

“I’d go out to my grandfather’s farm and look at the sales catalogues and see pedigrees and that sparked an interest in breeding.

“At the same time, I was breeding birds and that transferred to the cows to some extent.”

He ended up running the GA national breeding and genetics program, which included an operational role overseeing the semen production laboratory, three farms and animal health and quarantine.

His GA connection came to an end in 2021 after the company merged with Total Livestock Genetics.

His current work as stakeholder relations specialist with DataGene has been described as being like a translator.

“It’s about bridging the gap between the hardcore science part of DataGene and turning the messaging around those changes and initiatives into something digestible for the farming industry,” he says.

“You’ve got to find the balance between making it easy to understand, while retaining the integrity of the message.

“You can’t simplify it to the point that you’re not actually telling it how it is. You’re still educating people and improving their knowledge so they can make better decisions, while delivering it in an understandable way.”

Peter said research played a vital role in farm improvement, and he remains passionate about helping farmers make informed breeding decisions.

“Genetics requires a leap of faith,” he said.

“You make decisions today, but see results years later.

“That’s why clear communication and trust are so important.

“We have wonderful research happening in the background being filtered through to dairy farms to make productivity improvements through genetics.

“It’s a really great model that means farmers don’t have to over-think what they’re doing from a breeding sense.

“Farmers are working with better bulls at the better end of their herd with trusted advisors helping them achieve those goals and it all just flows.

“Achieving productivity goals doesn’t have to involve a lot of practice change, it’s just modifying some bull selection to make some great improvements.”

While Peter sees breeding as one of the key facets of a successful dairy farm, he doesn’t underplay the role of pasture production and feeding.

“We get absorbed in our breeding world, but we’re not the answer to all the questions,” he said.

The integration of sexed semen and genomic testing into breeding programs ensures farmers are using their best animals to produce replacements.

“You’re breeding with the right animals and the remainder of the herd goes to conventional semen or beef, so poor animals aren’t having any contribution to replacement stock,” Peter said.

“This means the superior genetic heifers in your herd can be active contributors to improving your herd by having daughters that are going to be the next generation.”

South-west Victorian dairy farmers might need some more rain, but Peter thinks the industry is in a healthy place.

“There’s plenty of demand for milk so I can’t see the milk price being battered too much into the future,” he said.

“The attrition we’ve had in the last 10 years means that it’s pretty good for those left if we can get on top of input costs.

“There’s a really bright future in dairy, especially in Victoria, and I think Western Victoria is the best place in Australia to milk cows.”

Peter’s interest in breeding extends to owning three steers in partnership with farmers Tim and Maree Humphris, and he remains a passionate breeder of budgies.

Peter and his wife Nerida lived in Bacchus Marsh before moving to a 1.6 hectare block near Koroit in 2022, which is home to the steers, 12 chooks, a dog, 12 finches and 300 budgies.

Peter got into budgie breeding in 2003, building a backyard aviary from recycled materials.

He is now president of the Budgerigar Council of Victoria.

With his focus on breeding, every bird in Peter’s aviary has a pedigree, with the information stretching back to his first breeding.

He adds that budgie breeding has a lot in common with cattle farming.

“It’s like farming on a smaller scale,” he said.

“There is the breeding side, the nutrition and feeding and the husbandry (including the odd vet bill) — just like any farm.”

Peter replaced Rhonda Henry on the WestVic Dairy board.

Farmer directors Lucy Collins, Brooke Lane and Ulke De Kleine were reappointed for three-year terms.

He said he joined because it was time to give back to an industry that has been good to him.

“I want to help ensure that a regional voice is heard and regional needs are met.”