Paul Cocksedge from Leongatha South with his Friesian, Jersey and Aussie Red dairy cows. Source: Supplied
PAUL Cocksedge likes the Australian Profit Ranking system for making breeding decisions, although the Leongatha South farm manager says it is not perfect.
His idea of perfection would be an APR system for each breed.
Milking up to 350 cows including Jerseys, Holsteins and Aussie Reds, he knows there is a need to improve or change traits for each breed.
“I’d like to the see Jerseys a little bit bigger and the Holsteins a little smaller,” he said.
Paul uses the APR as a starting point to make breeding decisions, but takes into account various breed factors when selecting bulls.
He said he started from the top of the list and used a red pen to cross out bulls that had traits he was not interested in.
For example, last year he used the top three Jersey APR bulls, but with the Holstein list he crossed out a few at the top before selecting his first suitable sire.
“I’m really mindful of (selecting) for higher fertility for the Holsteins. The Holstein have poorer fertility, but the Reds don’t have a problem,” he said.
“I put more emphasis on the production side of the reds to keep their production levels up.
“Jerseys, it’s about making them a little bit bigger.
“(I also) look for correct and functional type, not necessarily extreme type.”
Paul and farm owners Gordon and Sylvia Vagg held one of the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme’s longest farm walks last month.
The farm walks formed part of scheme’s quest to develop a national breeding objective.
He said the farm walk gave him the impression that not a lot of people liked the APR system and he said this could be because of a lack of understanding.
Breeding, and particularly the APR system, is something Paul enjoys and he said he had followed it since its inception.
Cows that produced well, were efficient, easy to get in calf and lasted a long time represented the best basis for a national breeding objective, he said.
