Deer Improvement Research & Development farm
Artificial breeding for the farm deer industry is a relatively new concept, although it has been used by traditional deer studs for a while. Deer Improvement, a division of Livestock Improvement (which breeds most of NZs dairy cows), was launched in 2004 to speed up the rate of genetic improvement for venison production in the deer industry. This involves the identification and continual improvement of elite animals from which semen is supplied to commercial deer farms.
Deer Improvement recently purchased a 400ha deer farm near Balfour, Northern Southland, where the nucleus herd of hinds will be kept, semen collected from proven stags and embryo transfer work done. It is a high health status property and base herd, with biosecurity a top priority.
The NZ deer industry is attempting to grow the demand for venison in European markets beyond the traditional game meat season, and to also create demand in new markets. This will need year-round availability of deer for slaughter. Commercial farmers need to be able to grow their animals to killable weight (100kg) more quickly and efficiently, and both breeding and feeding have a role in this. Because deer weight gain slows during winter and the best prices are obtained in early spring, the objective is to achieve killable weight prior to winter. Some farms are not getting animals finished until after Christmas which means they not only miss the high prices, but they have to feed the animals in competition with the new crop which are born in November. Therefore there are big efficiency gains to be made in bringing the finishing date forward.
AgResearch at Invermay carries out research on pre-winter growth, temperament and seasonality. They also run the deer industrys database which measures the genetics of growth rate in participating herds and has recently been able to rank the highest BV stags from different studs on the same scale. This means that farmers can make informed choices about the genetics available when they buy stags or use AI.
AI enables many farmers to benefit from the very best stags. It is also very efficient, with conception rates higher than those of the dairy industry.
The speed of genetic progress is governed by selection intensity (size of population), accuracy of selection (eg, known parentage of progeny being evaluated), heritability of different traits and generation interval.
Deer Improvement has already progeny tested over 30 stags from the most promising bloodlines selected from throughout the industry, and the best of these animals are used to supply thousands of semen doses each across the industry.
Deer Improvement is DNA parentage testing all the offspring in its progeny test programme, and providing a lot more information on the stags.
Generation interval will be made as short as possible by using spiker stags, and embryo transfer from the most outstanding yearling hinds.
Deer Improvement geneticist Jake Chardon said: "We can influence things like selection intensity and generation interval, and pulling these levers in the right direction will generate a dramatic response. The performance of the best is way ahead of the average, and big improvements are there for the taking".
Despite tough times in the deer industry over the past several years the uptake of deer AI has grown rapidly since the launch of Deer Improvement just prior to the 2004 mating season.
Deer Improvement first published Breeding Values in March 2005, and it showed a surprising range of nearly 12kg in weaning weight.
Chardon says that the genetic variation is surprisingly large given that all of the stags were highly ranked within their own stud of origin. There is a twelve kilogram difference in genetic merit at the weaner stage. We have yet to get a measure of the genetic merit of the average commercial hind, but it would appear that big gains are there to be made by using genuinely elite stags. And of course well produce much better stags in future because we have accurate information to drive our embryo programme.
The average deer farmer could make big gains very rapidly because the genetic merit of the top stags far exceeds that of the average commercial hind. In only one generation this gap is halved.
When Deer Improvement received the results of its first progeny test programme it was delighted with the outcome, but the company has already bred animals of higher genetic merit than any of the stags purchased at auction.
The progeny test has not only enabled us to properly rank the stags we purchased, but we now have yearling hinds and stags of even higher genetic merit, and they represent a variety of different bloodlines so we have excellent genetic diversity.
Chardon explains that farmers can ride on the back of the companys investment, achieving the same rate of genetic gain while mating only a proportion of their hinds to AI. The leverage from a little AI means a farmer can generate excellent replacement hinds as well as their own farm-bred sire stags. The best of the second generation animals will have higher BVs than their grandsires. This means you can expect stag fawns in 2008 that are better than our current AI stag team".
This is because 75% of the genes in those second generation animals are sourced from elite proven stock, and natural variation means that the best of them will be better than their parents. This is not wishful thinking, this is a fact.
Deer Improvement general manager Bruce McGregor said farmers have a positive response to BVs and AI. Theyve been crying out for objective genetic evaluation for years and are really excited about the prospect of being able to make such rapid progress. Some expect the AI to be a big job but they only have to do it once to realise why its already routine on many farms.
The cost of semen and AI from Deer Improvement ranges from $150/insemination for up to 30 hinds, down to $90 for 50 or more, which includes AI technician and scanning. Semen will be from the top stags in the Deer Improvement team.
Peter Gatley, General Manager, Genetics, Livestock Improvement (parent company of Deer Improvement), announced the purchase of the deer farm in July 2005 and possession was taken for the company on August 1.
"We need capacity for a good number of hinds to provide the genetic base and the selection intensity to drive genetic gain. This country will enable our animals to express their genetic potential, and the layout of the property, the deer handling facilities, shelter and housing are hard to fault".
The property was largely deer fenced at purchase, but fencing continues to create a double-fenced boundary for biosecurity reasons. Handling facilities have been improved, and a laboratory and ET facility developed. The farm is divided in two across a roadway, with the quarantine block on one side and the total isolation block on the other.
At present there are more than 300 pregnant hinds due to calve in November.
The genetic programme has already been able to capitalise on Deer Improvements early investment in progeny testing in 2004. Reliably proven spikers and yearling hinds have been used in both AI and ET. The original team of stags included a wide variety of animals representing most of the promising bloodlines available in New Zealand. The first females contributing to the programme came from the Remarkables Park Stud, Invermay, Fairlight Station, and a commercial herd in Canterbury that had invested heavily in genetics, particularly from Peel Forest.
From each of the four foundation herds the best two spikers were selected, plus the top six yearling hinds. Additional to these animals were seven two year-old stags, three related to Maximillian, two related to Kabul, and two outcrosses were acquired. These 15 new stags have generated progeny test inseminations in three different herds with inseminations also contributed by earlier proven marker stags in order to establish strong links across seasons. This part of the programme involved 1,000 inseminations.
Semen collection from stags proved to be highly successful with 100% of attempts yielding viable semen. This included the spikers which were previously regarded as a difficult proposition, and the result was particularly satisfying because the young animals represent the most promising genetics.
In short, Deer Improvement believes it has created a production system that is safe, reliable, predictable and efficient.
Because of the value of the genetics at Balfour, and because the farm is to become a major source of genetics for the whole country, biosecurity has a very high priority.
Prior to purchase by Deer Improvement the herd was almost closed with only a small number of stags brought in from a local stud. There have been very few cattle on the property. These factors, and an opinion from the veterinarian familiar with the operation identified it as low-risk in respect of disease, and every animal on the property has tested clear for Johnes Disease.
The Balfour farm is comprised of two blocks separated by a road. The smaller block is run as a quarantine area where high merit disease-tested animals can be introduced, but the main block is now closed with no animals (all species) allowed entry. On this isolation block all new genetics are introduced as embryos or semen.
In addition to the application of rigorous biosecurity protocols, Deer Improvements customers are protected by the AI process which provides a further barrier to disease transmission.
Deer Improvement recently purchased a 400ha deer farm near Balfour, Northern Southland, where the nucleus herd of hinds will be kept, semen collected from proven stags and embryo transfer work done. It is a high health status property and base herd, with biosecurity a top priority.
The NZ deer industry is attempting to grow the demand for venison in European markets beyond the traditional game meat season, and to also create demand in new markets. This will need year-round availability of deer for slaughter. Commercial farmers need to be able to grow their animals to killable weight (100kg) more quickly and efficiently, and both breeding and feeding have a role in this. Because deer weight gain slows during winter and the best prices are obtained in early spring, the objective is to achieve killable weight prior to winter. Some farms are not getting animals finished until after Christmas which means they not only miss the high prices, but they have to feed the animals in competition with the new crop which are born in November. Therefore there are big efficiency gains to be made in bringing the finishing date forward.
AgResearch at Invermay carries out research on pre-winter growth, temperament and seasonality. They also run the deer industrys database which measures the genetics of growth rate in participating herds and has recently been able to rank the highest BV stags from different studs on the same scale. This means that farmers can make informed choices about the genetics available when they buy stags or use AI.
AI enables many farmers to benefit from the very best stags. It is also very efficient, with conception rates higher than those of the dairy industry.
The speed of genetic progress is governed by selection intensity (size of population), accuracy of selection (eg, known parentage of progeny being evaluated), heritability of different traits and generation interval.
Deer Improvement has already progeny tested over 30 stags from the most promising bloodlines selected from throughout the industry, and the best of these animals are used to supply thousands of semen doses each across the industry.
Deer Improvement is DNA parentage testing all the offspring in its progeny test programme, and providing a lot more information on the stags.
Generation interval will be made as short as possible by using spiker stags, and embryo transfer from the most outstanding yearling hinds.
Deer Improvement geneticist Jake Chardon said: "We can influence things like selection intensity and generation interval, and pulling these levers in the right direction will generate a dramatic response. The performance of the best is way ahead of the average, and big improvements are there for the taking".
Despite tough times in the deer industry over the past several years the uptake of deer AI has grown rapidly since the launch of Deer Improvement just prior to the 2004 mating season.
Deer Improvement first published Breeding Values in March 2005, and it showed a surprising range of nearly 12kg in weaning weight.
Chardon says that the genetic variation is surprisingly large given that all of the stags were highly ranked within their own stud of origin. There is a twelve kilogram difference in genetic merit at the weaner stage. We have yet to get a measure of the genetic merit of the average commercial hind, but it would appear that big gains are there to be made by using genuinely elite stags. And of course well produce much better stags in future because we have accurate information to drive our embryo programme.
The average deer farmer could make big gains very rapidly because the genetic merit of the top stags far exceeds that of the average commercial hind. In only one generation this gap is halved.
When Deer Improvement received the results of its first progeny test programme it was delighted with the outcome, but the company has already bred animals of higher genetic merit than any of the stags purchased at auction.
The progeny test has not only enabled us to properly rank the stags we purchased, but we now have yearling hinds and stags of even higher genetic merit, and they represent a variety of different bloodlines so we have excellent genetic diversity.
Chardon explains that farmers can ride on the back of the companys investment, achieving the same rate of genetic gain while mating only a proportion of their hinds to AI. The leverage from a little AI means a farmer can generate excellent replacement hinds as well as their own farm-bred sire stags. The best of the second generation animals will have higher BVs than their grandsires. This means you can expect stag fawns in 2008 that are better than our current AI stag team".
This is because 75% of the genes in those second generation animals are sourced from elite proven stock, and natural variation means that the best of them will be better than their parents. This is not wishful thinking, this is a fact.
Deer Improvement general manager Bruce McGregor said farmers have a positive response to BVs and AI. Theyve been crying out for objective genetic evaluation for years and are really excited about the prospect of being able to make such rapid progress. Some expect the AI to be a big job but they only have to do it once to realise why its already routine on many farms.
The cost of semen and AI from Deer Improvement ranges from $150/insemination for up to 30 hinds, down to $90 for 50 or more, which includes AI technician and scanning. Semen will be from the top stags in the Deer Improvement team.
Peter Gatley, General Manager, Genetics, Livestock Improvement (parent company of Deer Improvement), announced the purchase of the deer farm in July 2005 and possession was taken for the company on August 1.
"We need capacity for a good number of hinds to provide the genetic base and the selection intensity to drive genetic gain. This country will enable our animals to express their genetic potential, and the layout of the property, the deer handling facilities, shelter and housing are hard to fault".
The property was largely deer fenced at purchase, but fencing continues to create a double-fenced boundary for biosecurity reasons. Handling facilities have been improved, and a laboratory and ET facility developed. The farm is divided in two across a roadway, with the quarantine block on one side and the total isolation block on the other.
At present there are more than 300 pregnant hinds due to calve in November.
The genetic programme has already been able to capitalise on Deer Improvements early investment in progeny testing in 2004. Reliably proven spikers and yearling hinds have been used in both AI and ET. The original team of stags included a wide variety of animals representing most of the promising bloodlines available in New Zealand. The first females contributing to the programme came from the Remarkables Park Stud, Invermay, Fairlight Station, and a commercial herd in Canterbury that had invested heavily in genetics, particularly from Peel Forest.
From each of the four foundation herds the best two spikers were selected, plus the top six yearling hinds. Additional to these animals were seven two year-old stags, three related to Maximillian, two related to Kabul, and two outcrosses were acquired. These 15 new stags have generated progeny test inseminations in three different herds with inseminations also contributed by earlier proven marker stags in order to establish strong links across seasons. This part of the programme involved 1,000 inseminations.
Semen collection from stags proved to be highly successful with 100% of attempts yielding viable semen. This included the spikers which were previously regarded as a difficult proposition, and the result was particularly satisfying because the young animals represent the most promising genetics.
In short, Deer Improvement believes it has created a production system that is safe, reliable, predictable and efficient.
Because of the value of the genetics at Balfour, and because the farm is to become a major source of genetics for the whole country, biosecurity has a very high priority.
Prior to purchase by Deer Improvement the herd was almost closed with only a small number of stags brought in from a local stud. There have been very few cattle on the property. These factors, and an opinion from the veterinarian familiar with the operation identified it as low-risk in respect of disease, and every animal on the property has tested clear for Johnes Disease.
The Balfour farm is comprised of two blocks separated by a road. The smaller block is run as a quarantine area where high merit disease-tested animals can be introduced, but the main block is now closed with no animals (all species) allowed entry. On this isolation block all new genetics are introduced as embryos or semen.
In addition to the application of rigorous biosecurity protocols, Deer Improvements customers are protected by the AI process which provides a further barrier to disease transmission.