The Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) event in Christchurch on May 18 brings together stud breeders, scientists, and industry professionals from across the country.

This year, the FORUM runs alongside B+LNZ’s Out the Gate farmer event and awards dinner. B+LNZ says attendees can look forward to a full day of updates, discussion and interactive sessions focused on sheep genetics and the New Zealand Genetic Evaluation. The forum will also give delegates a first look at a new genetics tool rolling out via nProve later this year.

The forum opens with presentations from B+LNZ chief executive Alan Thomson and head of genetics Jason Archer, who will outline B+LNZ’s strategic priorities for 2026/27 and how sheep genetics fits within that broader direction.

Autumn on the farm usually means a busy time in the cattle yards.

Cows and calves are mustered, and the weaning process gets underway. As this is often the first yarding since calf marking, it's a good chance to not only weigh calves, but assess cow condition, cull non-performers and map out a plan for the winter. For any calves staying on farm, whether future mums or future steaks, a weaning drench is recommended in nearly all situations.

In most beef breeding-only systems, the overall worm challenge is fairly low. By the time beef calves are weaned at around five to six months of age, they have already passed through some of their most vulnerable months for worm infection. Well-grown calves with good weaning weights are better equipped to handle the transition away from mum and the milk-bar that she provided.

However, weaning can still be a tough time for calves, particularly for those weaned early or at lighter weaning weights.

Good nutrition is a calf’s best defence against worms. The quicker they grow, the less time they are vulnerable to a worm challenge, needing less drench overall. Starting weaners on high quality feed with low larval contamination is the key. Aim for post-grazing pasture covers of 1600kg DM/ha.

Remember calves in their first year are the main source of pasture contamination for other cattle.

Some will be wormier than others, depending on how well grown they are, how well mum was still milking, and the quality of pasture they’ve had up until weaning. For the warmer parts of the country, larval development on pasture continues for longer into winter and weaned calves can continue to be a source of pasture contamination for next spring. Avoid having weaned calves by themselves in a rotation if possible, as they’ll likely be creating a worm ‘hot spot’.

Using a drench product demonstrated to be effective on your farm is also very important if you want to avoid populating weaner grazing areas with drench resistant worms. Leaving worms behind after drenching is also not a smart move for promoting great liveweight gains in your weaners either.

So which drench should you use?

In terms of formulation, the best option for calves at weaning is an oral combination drench.

injection might seem easier, or just what you’ve always done, but they simply don’t stack up the same. Studies have shown they are not as effective as oral drenches when it comes to tackling drug-resistant Cooperia. This worm is common in calves in their first summer and autumn, so using an oral combination drench in their first year of life is the best option. An added bonus is that oral products tend to be cheaper as well.

Another time-bomb for calves is Ostertagia. This worm tends to become more of a threat as cattle approach their first winter. Historically, ‘Mectin drench products have been more effective against Ostertagia than the Benzimidazole and Levamisole products and it is recommended that combination treatments for calves should contain a ‘Mectin component from late autumn onwards.

Drenching the calves isn’t the end of the story. Assuming the product is doing its job without checking may result in calves not thriving - drench resistance is not just the realm of sheep farmers anymore!

Drench Check

Doing a drench check at weaning is worth the effort and can inform your drench choices for the rest of the winter. Ideally collect fresh poo samples for faecal egg counts (FECs) and worm species identification on the day you give your drench (so you know what was there to start with) and then repeat the samples 10-14 days after drenching. Ideally FECs will have dropped to zero after your treatment. Your vet can help you set this test up correctly.

When to drench next depends on the age and size of calves at weaning along with quality of feed available and the level of worm contamination where they are grazing. FEC monitoring may be appropriate in calves six months of age or younger, and/or weaned at light bodyweights. FECs don’t tell the whole story, knowing what worm species are affecting your calves can mean a targeted approach to drench treatments. Ostertagia is a low egg producer but can still pack a punch due to the burrowing of immature larvae as well adult worms into the abomasal wall, so an infection can fly under the radar until it is too late.

Use larval culture or the newer fast-turnaround GIN PCR to pinpoint what worm species are present. GIN PCR can give you a result within a few days, enabling timely drench decisions. Monitoring growth rates is also a valuable part of tracking how calves are going.

So, make sure your beef weaners are set up to win the war against worms. Provide good nutrition, try to wean them onto an area that’s likely to present a low cattle worm challenge, use an effective oral combination drench and do a quick check of the treatment to set your calves up for a strong start.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand chair Kate Acland says the Dairy Beef Opportunities programme will give farmers more confidence and more options.

"We're proud to stand alongside our sector partners in driving this next step for dairy beef.

"This is about creating real opportunities for farmers and ensuring the beef and dairy sectors continue to grow in a way that supports long-term sector success.

"The programme also reflects the strong level of collaboration across the sector, bringing together organisations from across the value chain to help dairy and beef farmers lift productivity and profitability."

The programme is a joint initiative between DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the Meat Industry Association, and members of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand, with support from the Ministry for Primary Industries via the Primary Sector Growth Fund (PSGF). The Government is putting in $10m.

It is designed to unlock the value of non-replacement dairy calves - those not needed to replenish dairy herds or already entering dairy-beef systems - by developing innovative, New Zealand-focused approaches that suit the country's seasonal, pasture-based farming system.

The DBO programme focuses on three key areas:

• Improving efficiency through genetics and systems - enhancing calf breeding, rearing, and finishing to increase productivity, profitability, and farmer confidence.
• Smarter breeding and lactation strategies - increasing the proportion of calves entering the beef system while meeting dairy and beef production needs.
• Developing new pathways and value chains - creating innovative products and supply chain solutions for young dairy beef, helping processors manage livestock more efficiently and providing farmers with new revenue opportunities.

DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown says her organisation is committed to unlocking new opportunities for dairy beef across the country.

"And we're proud to help lead this new programme alongside the Government and our sector partners.

"This is a real opportunity to drive meaningful change for farmers and for our sector's future."

Simon Limmer, chair of the DBO Governance Group, said the programme reflects the commitment of the dairy and beef sectors to working together to deliver practical, on-farm change that benefits farmers, processors and rural communities.

“The DBO programme will strengthen integration between dairy and beef systems, enhance supply chain efficiency, and open new revenue streams for farmers, helping the pastoral sector continue to drive New Zealand’s economic and primary sector success.

“It will support New Zealand’s reputation for producing premium, sustainable, and ethically raised food, while creating tangible economic benefits for those working in the pastoral sector.”

One of the key risk factors for accelerating drench resistance on a farm is the continued use of ineffective products.

Here at Wormwise, we’ve been hammering the messages ‘you can’t tell by looking’ (whether your drench is effective) and to ‘check your drench performance’. But then what?

What’s next if the drench testing news is a story you didn’t want to hear?

If faecal egg counts (FECs) after your routine drench show that there are still eggs in the poo samples, worms are surviving your drench.

Nowadays, the most common reason for that result is resistant worms. However, it’s still important to rule out hiccups with dosage or administration. Occasionally problems with dose calculation, gear malfunctions or administration technique can lead to animals being under-dosed, or missed.

Things to double-check are:

• Was the weight of the animals known and were they dosed to the heaviest in the group, or their individual liveweights? Or was liveweight guessed?
• Was the drench gun delivering the volume it was supposed to? Calibrating guns is an important job and should be done before every drenching episode. A medical/veterinary syringe or laboratory grade cylinder should be used to check the volume, not a jug from the hardware store.
• Were the people doing the drenching taking time and care to do the job properly? Speed does not win the race in the war against worms. Bob Marley is better background music than Iron Maiden!

The pattern of FEC results can be a clue as to whether the eggs left behind are from resistant worms or from animals that have missed being drenched.

In the ‘resistance’ situation, few to many low-to-moderate FECs (depending on how bad the resistance is) are common.

In the ‘missed dose’ situation, mostly zero FECs with one or two moderate-to-high FECs can be more common. If you are using composite FECs, it is not always possible to know which of these scenarios might be
at play.

Another check that can help indicate whether eggs in the poo post-drenching are from resistant worms or a dosing mishap is worm species identification.

This is done at the laboratory (via larval culture or the new GIN PCR test). In sheep at least, the presence of a large range of worm types in the samples is more likely to indicate a drenching slip-up (e.g. animals being missed).

The presence of only one or two species is more likely to indicate resistance. Calves tend to have less of a species mix on board to begin with, but it’s still worth doing this check on them too.

Finally, repeating your drench performance check to a higher level of detail is a good idea. This involves dosing another group of animals and recording FECs and worm species identification both on the day of drenching (what was there at the start?) and then again 7–14 days later (what is being left behind?). Your vet can help you set this up correctly.

OK, so you’ve checked all these technical aspects, and it looks like you have resistant worms. Now what?

There are two main questions:

Is the situation bad enough that I need to get these animals back in now and dose them with something more effective?

What management strategies do I need now?

The answer to the immediate treatment question is ‘it depends’. It depends on how many eggs are left behind, and maybe what species the worms are. Lambs or calves on good feed, growing well and otherwise bright and healthy-looking, with just a smattering of eggs post-drench, may be left untreated until their next drench is due, for which a conversation is needed with your animal health advisor about a more appropriate choice. Remember, the longer you go on using an ineffective product, the more quickly you are building a future problem.

On the other hand, lambs or calves with moderate to high post-drench FECs, or on poor feed (why??) are likely to be better off treated immediately with a more effective product. This is both for their own health, and to cut in on the pasture contamination that they are creating with those resistant worm eggs.

Research has shown that lambing percentages increase by 6–10% for every extra unit of body condition score at mating. The flushing effect may provide an additional 5–10%. 

Ideally, ewes should be going to the ram at a body condition score (BCS) of between 3 and 4 and it is the percentage of the ewe flock with a BCS of below 3 at mating and lambing that is the single most important factor influencing the profitability of an ewe flock. 

The biggest percentage jump in scanning percentage will come from reducing the number of poor condition ewes at mating, it is these poor condition ewes that will bring down the overall performance of the flock. 

Pre-mating management

By preferentially feeding ewes that have a BCS below three (they may require supplementary feed) in the lead up to mating, their body condition and lambing percentage can be improved. 

It is also recommended that a faecal egg count is carried out on these low condition score ewes as they may require a drench. 

Ewes need 1.0-1.3 kg DM/head/day of average to good quality feed   just to hold body condition during mating and early pregnancy.  

Ideally, the ewe mob should be rotated rapidly on to pasture that is 5–6 cm height. Grazing below 3cm or 1500 kg DM/ha will result in loss of body condition and lower lambing rates. 

Body condition scoring ewes has been found to be a driver of profitability in top performing sheep flocks. The three best times to BCS are pre-mating, scanning and weaning.

• Article - Beef + Lamb NZ

With mating season just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make sure your ewes and rams are in peak condition. 

A good mating means good lambing - and that’s the aim of the game. For many farmers, it’s been a wet summer, and parasites love moisture. Checking worm burdens in your ewe flock prior to putting the rams out helps ensure mating goes without a hitch. 

Parasites aren’t usually the main reason ewes drop condition. But light ewes can find it more difficult to deal with a parasite challenge, and the worm burdens that they accumulate may be preventing some of them from re-gaining weight. In another words ‘they are skinny with worms, not skinny because of worms’.

Don’t presume your ewes are in good nick by watching them go through a gateway. Next time they are near some yards, put your hand on the backs of a sample mob. Make sure what your eye is telling you correlates to actual fat and muscle over their short ribs. 

If you can feel bones easily, she’s too light.

Doing this quick body condition score exercise now can alert you to the need to re-draft ewes now and prioritise those that need more help; while there’s still time to change the outcome.

If you’re farming in a Barber’s Pole worm hotspot, keeping an eye on ewe worm burdens can prevent nasty surprises from this parasite. 

Barber’s Pole can appear out of nowhere and hit hard – just when you’re gearing up for tupping. With no scouring or dags to give it away, this blood-sucking parasite is the silent party crasher that can derail your mating outcomes.

You might only notice some sluggish, listless animals, lagging behind the mob. Both the adult worms and immature larval stages of Barber’s Pole cause damage by sucking blood resulting in anaemia. 

If you look inside the lower eyelid of a few animals in your flock, you could see pale mucous membranes. Sometimes ‘bottle’ jaw can be seen, especially in your skinnier ewes. But, more often than not, the first sign is dead sheep in the paddock. 

So don’t leave it that late, get in early and collect some poo samples. Use faecal egg counts (FECs) and parasite identification to warn you of an outbreak. This worm lays a lot of eggs, so FECs can change quickly and be several thousand eggs/gram in bad cases. Your two-tooths and lighter ewes are most at risk, so start by running FEC tests on these groups in the lead up to tupping.

Other worm species, like Trichostrongylus can also push egg counts up, so how can we be sure Barber’s Pole is part of the problem?

There is a new tool in the Wormwise kit – the GIN PCR test. Not to be mixed with tonic, this GIN stands for ‘gastrointestinal polymerase chain reaction’. This lab test uses DNA from worm eggs to identify which worm species are in the poo. 

Light ewes can find it more difficult to deal with a parasite challenge.

This test, currently provided by Awanui Veterinary Laboratories, is available through your veterinarian, and provides a worm species breakdown within a few days, enabling quick decisions to be made around the need for drenching. 

What happens if the FECs and parasite identification show that Barber’s Pole is affecting your flock?

Panic slowly, there are options available. Make treatment decisions based on FECs and parasite speciation and avoid blanket drenching all ewes. Target your lighter and younger ewes. 

In the long-term, consider worm-resistant genetics; WormFEC breeders from Barber’s Pole regions have selected for sheep that can handle the worm pressure. 

Don’t wait, ring your vet about this threat now.

According to Beef + Lamb NZ, anecdotal reports from around the country suggest that while many farmers are enjoying good pasture growth, they are also having to deal with some moisture-related animal health and pasture pest issues.

B+LNZ says it has a number of resources to help support farmer decision-making on its Knowledge Hub, while B+LNZ's AI driven assistant BELLA can give farmers information on a specific topic in seconds.

Flystrike

Moisture is a critical factor in flystrike, as for eggs to hatch and larvae to establish, they need at least 24 hours of moist conditions in the fleece.

The focus of any flystrike prevention programme is to make the sheep as unattractive as possible to the four problem blowfly species (Australian green blowfly, European green blowfly, Brown blowfly and hairy maggot blowfly).

An Integrated Pest Management Approach aims to keep pressure on a pest throughout all stages of its lifecycle and uses both chemical and non-chemical tools.

Facial eczema

Warm summer temperatures and high humidity create the perfect conditions for facial eczema.

B+LNZ encourages farmers in high-risk regions to undertake weekly monitoring, and when spore counts start to rise, put management strategies in place to prevent stock being affected by this production-limiting disease.

These strategies could include avoiding hard grazing, feeding "clean" forage crops such as chicory or plantain, dosing sheep and cattle with zinc oxide boluses or drenches, spraying zinc oxide onto grazed pastures or adding zinc oxide to cattle water troughs.

Porina moth

The warm moist conditions are favouring the survival of porina moths and caterpillars. Moths fly in spring, summer, and early autumn, living only a few days without feeding.

Female moths by over 3000 eggs scattered above pasture surfaces and eggs hatch in 10-21 days, with young caterpillars constructing silk-lined casings on the soil surface.

As they grow, they build permanent burrows reaching about 250mm deep, emerging at night to sever grass and clover leaves at the base of the plant. In sufficient numbers, porina caterpillars can cause significant pasture damage.

Internal parasites

Autumn creates optimal conditions for parasite development with warm, wet weather favouring worm larvae on pasture. Faecal egg counts typically reach highest levels in autumn as worm burdens peak in sheep.

Expect greater non-grass forage crops for finishing lambs can be a powerful tool for providing nutritious and quality feed with a lower parasite challenge. However, you can’t just shut the gate and go on holiday.

For our farm in Northern Marlborough, we finish our own lambs and, if the season allows, we buy in trade lambs to finish. Both short and long-term forages are sown, as part of a pasture renewal programme and to give us options if it goes dry.

As a vet, and part of the Wormwise team, parasite management is an important consideration when planning what crops we choose, and where and how we graze them. They are not a cheap investment so it’s important to get the processes right but still keep things practical.

Our crops aren’t perfect. For example, we have grass edges as we can’t spray right to the fencelines, and these can still harbour worm larvae. Bug damage hammered the crop seedlings last spring, so in some paddocks, plants are sparse and weeds are abundant! It’s all part of farming but we make allowances for that.

Monitoring to stay ahead of the game is important. We measure faecal egg counts (FECs) and lamb growth rates to keep tabs on worm challenge and performance. It’s not always about the number we get; it’s more about the trend, especially with FECs. We also note behaviour, which is easy to see when moving lambs frequently. If they are skipping and jumping, we figure they are feeling pretty good and being well fed.

After a weaning drench, lambs either stay on a plantain/clover mix they’ve been on since birth or transitioned onto a brassica. A drench check 10 days post weaning is part of the plan to check the drench used is effective. We collect 10 fresh poo samples in the paddock and do our own FECs in the woolshed.

About 28 days after drenching, we check FECs again. It tells us whether the lambs need another drench and how wormy the paddock has become. Some of our areas have quite a bit of grass around the edges which is mostly browntop, so it can be a worm haven. Our plantain/clover blocks could become quite contaminated after the first season so FECs are used to monitor that.

We weigh some lambs periodically to get an idea of growth rates. This helps to recalibrate the ‘eyeometer’ that lambs are ‘doing ok’. Or it can be a reality check that stock aren’t performing as we thought. Doing this sooner rather than later gives us time to take action before lambs start going backwards.

Good growth rates help lambs reach market weight sooner, reducing farm larval contamination and ensuring ewe lamb replacements are ready for hogget mating.

Where does refugia fit in our system? Adult ewes are not drenched, so they are a key part in providing drench-susceptible worms on our lamb blocks.

Remember for the first 21 days after drenching, the only eggs coming out in the lambs’ faeces will be from worms that have survived the drench. Over time, if drenched lambs are the only stock grazing a block, the predominant worm larvae in that block become those drench survivors.

Crops - A Great Tool

Another trick is to run light ewes in with the crop lambs. The ewes gain weight prior to tupping and provide refugia, if required. They also help to show lambs brassica is okay to eat; funnily enough it is not their first choice.

For short-term crops such as the rape or leafy turnip, refugia is less of a concern. Fewer larvae survive on these crops to begin with because they tend to be grazed to open ground (larvae don’t stand UV light for long), and more will perish in the re-grassing process.

For trade lambs, depending on their origin, we may or may not quarantine drench them. We know we have some combination drench resistance, so sourcing susceptible parasite larvae can help reset the worm population.

If we quarantine treat, we use a novel drench. Then we do a drench check at 10 days to check that treatment has worked.

Crops have enabled us to decrease our use of drench. Many lambs are killed without having been drenched at all, and most others only get 1 or 2 drenches after weaning, saving us time and money. It has been a worthwhile investment for us, lifting our lamb growth rates and finishing more lambs.

Crops are a great tool. Put some steps in place to monitor and manage parasites, to ensure you reap the rewards on your farm.

The ReGLOVE is a 100% recycled plastic shoulder-length examination glove, developed by Jennifer Stone, a practicing large-animal veterinarian, to specifically target the high volume of single-use, virgin plastic gloves common in veterinary work and on-farm tasks like calving assistance and DIY artificial insemination (AI).

“I really believed that as an industry, we must find ways to do better” says Stone, explaining her motivation to design and develop the product.

Launched in 2025, the ReGLOVE is now available nationwide through distributors SVS Veterinary Supplies and Fortis. Farm store availability is coming soon, says Stone.

Made from recycled plastic, it maintains performance standards tested in demanding vet field conditions: durability for extended use, sensitivity for palpating structures, and reliability comparable to traditional gloves.

“Testing in the field was essential including by the toughest critic – me," she says.

Veterinarians have long sought sustainable alternatives to virgin plastic disposables, which generate the majority of waste during procedures. Past options – like biodegradable or compostable gloves, or on-site washing programs – often underperformed in strength, safety, or practicality.

Stone works with large animals including dairy cattle and noted the disconnect.

“Vets routinely guide farmers on sustainable practices, from resource efficiency to environmental management,” she explains.

“Yet our daily use of virgin plastic single-use gloves – for calvings, exams, AI, and more – contributed to landfill waste without good alternatives.”

This issue spans veterinary and animal breeding industries. Shoulder-length gloves are standard for tasks like assisting difficult calvings or performing AI on dairy herds, where precision and protection are critical.

Stone spent years considering solutions before founding Stonelands Veterinary Supplies Ltd in 2024 with a single mission: to prove that the veterinary industry can do better, she says.

Early development earned recognition: Stone was a finalist in the Innovation Franklin Shark Tank Competition, with judges praising it as an “innovative, smart, sustainable solution to a long-standing challenge.”

Good Feedback

After rigorous testing, the ReGLOVE rolled out as New Zealand’s first 100% recycled shoulder-length exam glove.

It uses post-consumer recycled plastic, reducing demand for fossil fuels and new virgin materials. Performance matches industry needs: tough enough for NZ farming conditions, tactile for detecting calf positions or AI placement, and safe for procedural use.

Feedback from vet clinics, pharmaceutical suppliers, and breeding companies has been tremendous, with the New Zealand Veterinary Association supporting and highlighting it on their website and in their publications, notes Stone.

For dairy farmers, the ReGLOVE offers another solution amid growing sustainability focus, she says.

During peak calving, gloves see significant use for interventions, or in DIY AI programs to boost herd genetics. Vets using these gloves align their practices with advice given to farmers on reducing environmental impacts—echoing calls from groups like DairyNZ and Fonterra for industry-wide stewardship.

Industry voices have noted its potential, suggesting support from major players as farms face environmental requirements and consumer demands for low-emission dairy, says Stone.

This development underscores ongoing efforts in NZ agriculture to balance performance with sustainability and Stone views it as a great step in the right direction for the industry.

“Vets have a role in demonstrating feasible positive changes.”

www.thereglove.co.nz.

Now entering its sixth year, the progeny test is a cornerstone of the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme.

On Kepler farm, Hereford and Angus cows are run side-by-side with crosses undertaken both ways. This replicates the crossbreeding systems commonly used by commercial beef breeders across New Zealand.

Data is collected from conception through to processing, including carcase data from calves and reproductive data from heifers born into the programme. The test retains purebred and first-cross heifer progeny (where commercially viable), evaluating them under natural service for at least their first two matings. Last year’s mating at Kepler achieved a record 70% conception rate via artificial insemination.

Jason Archer, head of genetics at B+LNZ, says the Beef Progeny Test (BPT) plays a critical role in creating a stronger future for New Zealand beef farmers and the industry.

“It allows us to evaluate good bulls on the same level playing field while demonstrating the differences and similarities between the breeds, as well as the benefits of hybrid vigour - and the opportunities this presents for ongoing genetic improvement.”

Breeders of bulls selected for use in the BPT receive detailed information about the performance of their bull’s progeny, including processing data (in the case of steers).

Read More:

• Beef Progeny Test 2025: Genetic insights for NZ beef industry
• The genetics of body condition scoring
• Planning, Feeding, and Genetics: Key to Yearling Heifer Mating Success

The across-breed progeny test builds on data gathered from the original Beef Progeny Test (2014-2020), which compared bulls across several large-scale commercial beef operations nationwide.

B+LNZ continues to analyse the dataset collected over the course of the original Beef Progeny Test and the current across-breed Beef Progeny Test to provide valuable insights for stud breeders and commercial farmers.

A series of short articles by scientist and ‘data wrangler’ Dr Nicola Dennis brings to life some of these findings.

Topics covered include mature live weight and growth, the genetics of body condition scores, increasing beef marbling without excess external fat, carcase rib fat depth, and how ultrasound scanning can predict marbling in beef. The articles can be found on the B+LNZ website.

BCS for Bulls

Cow body condition score is one of the key factors to manage throughout the farming calendar.

A breeding cow with a bit of spare energy stacked on her back is more productive, more robust, and better-looking. But where does genetics come into all this? Could your bulls be working harder to produce full-bodied bovine goddesses of fertility?

Right now, there are no body condition score (BCS) breeding values calculated for most kiwi bulls. But outcomes from the B+LNZ Genetics Beef Progeny Test have shown that there could be.

Over 240 sires have been assessed for cow BCS in the B+LNZ Genetics Beef Progeny Test and more than 4500 cows have had their BCS measured at three time points: prior to mating, at weaning and prior to calving. There was quite a range of average cow BCS scores between sires (graph below). The heritability of cow
BCS was 0.26 indicating that around 26% of variation in cow chunkiness can be attributed to genetics. So, there is plenty of opportunity to add extra love-handles to your herd via bull selection.

The researchers also looked at related traits. There was a genetic correlation between cow BCS and the existing rib fat depth trait (measured via ultrasound in finishing animals). Bulls with a higher genetic merit for rib fat depth tended to have daughters with higher cow BCS. However, the genetic correlation (0.29) was not strong enough to consider rib fat depth a good predictor for cow BCS on its own. This means that rib fat depth EBVs only explains 8% of the variation in cow BCS. Likewise for the eye muscle area trait (4%).

And since rib fat depth and eye muscle area are measured in finishing animals which don’t have the demands of calving and lactating, there is a case to be made for adding a dedicated cow BCS breeding value to future genetic evaluations.

Dr Nicola Dennis

Dr Nick Sneddon is now leading the project, taking over the reins from Professor Steve Morris who has retired, but who set up the venture in conjunction with the Morrison family who breed Wiltshire sheep.

The research started with crossing standard Romney ewes to Wiltshire rams and mating the resulting ewe lambs back to Wiltshire rams, with the objective of over time producing a purebred Wiltshire flock. At the same time a control flock of Romney ewes are being run in the same flock to compare factors such as growth and weaning rates.

Farmer interest in the trial has been strong throughout the trial and witnessed again with about 50 people turning up at the recent field days. As well as hearing a presentation on the trial, they had the opportunity to see the latest crop of lambs and their dams in various stages of shedding.

“The questions farmers are asking is how could they build up a Wiltshire flock faster and what are the potential production losses from going to a breed that they are not familiar with,” says Sneddon. “Up until now, most of the Wiltshires have tended to have been on smaller blocks and there are not many operating at a commercial level.”

Under the trial, ewe lambs are mated as hoggets to Wiltshire rams and the same happens to their progeny. Some ram lambs are kept for meat and carcase studies and the remainder are either sold as stores or sent to the works. Nick Sneddon says there is no point in using them for future mating for the study objectives.

He says it’s been really cool picking up on the project and seeing the 3rd crosses (87% Wiltshire) in their shedding state and looking at some of the variations that are coming through. He says ,as well as seeing the shedding actually happening, they are now doing DNA tests to prove what they can see. He says they have done genome sequencing on all the 15 Wiltshire rams used in the first generation of trial and have genotypes on 6500 sheep.

Read More:

• Wool-shedding sheep key to remote farm operation
• Breeder credits late uncle for hair sheep success
• Growing farmer interest in self-shedding sheep

The Light Factor

One of the interesting features of the Wiltshire is that it sheds its wool as the days get longer and warmer and then grows back over autumn to have a fleece in place as winter approaches.

Dr Nick Sneddon says the Wiltshire cross ewes stop shedding by the end of February, but with lambs it’s a bit different.

“They don’t shed a lot of wool in the first summer and it’s not until the following year that we see the extent of their shedding ability. In many ways it’s just like humans changing to lighter clothes for summer and warmer ones for winter,” he says.

Sneddon says not all Wiltshires will completely shed their wool, but he says there are some who by around Christmas will have shed all their wool and require no crutching or dagging.

The other thing of note, which has still to be scientifically verified, is that when born, Wiltshire lambs have thicker skin to compensate for the lack of wool – a potential factor in their survivability.

“When we compare the Wiltshire lambs with the Romney lambs, we are not seeing any major differences. Reproduction, weaning and carcase weights are about the same and as you would find on any normal farming operation, there are both good and bad years,” he says.

With two more years of the study to run Sneddon says a lot more work is planned, including a study to compare the carcasses of the 15/16ths and “full” Wiltshire and Romney rams. He says they’ll weigh and assess the cuts for muscle and bone and get more data to give to farmers looking at moving to the shedding sheep.

Sneddon says if farmers are interested but maybe a bit sceptical in breeding up a Wiltshire flock, they could just trial it with some of their flock.

“Maybe out of 2700 ewes, mate about a third with a Wiltshire ram and see what happens. Any lambs won’t be full shedding, but it will give farmers an idea of what is involved,” he says.

While the trial will result in breeding fully fledged Wiltshire rams, Sneddon says they would not put these across any of the new ewes, as they would be more variable than using external genetics. But he adds that the Wiltshire-cross rams bred in the trial could be used as terminal sires.

Now entering its sixth year, the progeny test is a cornerstone of the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme.

On the farm, Hereford and Angus cows are run side-by-side with crosses undertaken both ways.

This replicates the crossbreeding systems commonly used by commercial beef breeders across New Zealand. Data is collected from conception through to processing including carcase data from calves and reproductive data from heifers born into the programme.

The test retains purebred and first-cross heifer progeny (where commercially viable), evaluating them under natural service for at least their first two matings. Last year's mating at Kepler achieved a record 70% conception rate via artificial insemination.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand's (B+LNZ) head of genetics, Jason Archer says the Beef Progeny Test plays a critical role in creating a stronger future for New Zealand beef farmers and the industry.

"It allows us to evaluate good bulls on the same level playing field while demonstrating the differences and similarities between the breeds, as well as the benefits of hybrid vigour - and the opportunities this presents for ongoing genetic improvement," Archer says.

Breeders of bulls selected for use in the Beef Progeny Test receive detailed information about the performance of their bull's progeny, including processing data.

The across-breed Progeny Test builds on data gathered from the original Beef Progeny Test (2014-2020), which compared bulls across several large-scale commercial beef operations nationwide.

B+LNZ continues to analyse the dataset collected over the course of the original Beef Progeny Test and the current across-breed Beef Progeny Test to provide valuable insights for stud breeders and commercial farmers.  

A series of short articles by scientist and ‘data wrangler’ Dr Nicola Dennis brings to life some of these findings. 

Topics covered include mature live weight and growth, the genetics of body condition scores, increasing beef marbling without excess external fat, carcase rib fat depth, and how ultrasound scanning can predict marbling in beef. 

The bulls might still be out, but many of next season’s pregnancies are already there, quietly developing in early summer. Over the next few weeks, pasture quality will start to drop, and intakes will reduce. Hot, humid conditions will push cows to seek shade and, in many parts of New Zealand, facial eczema (FE) risk will start to build as we head towards drier summer weather.

All of this affects the liver, hormones, and energy supply that the new embryo depends on for development. So cows may look fine, while the true damage shows up months later as more late calvers and higher empty rates.

Early pregnancy losses easy to miss

Research shows that many pregnancy losses in pasture-grazed herds occur in the first month after insemination, often in the first week. This is long before you would expect to see a return to oestrus. Any sudden heat stress in the first week of pregnancy can impact the conception rate. As the cow has to deal with toxins and a shortage of minerals, the body quietly shifts reproduction down the priority list. As a result, many embryos are lost before they can implant.

Heat, behaviour and minerals 

Heat stress is a combination of two factors: heat and humidity. Heat stress can become an issue with temperatures as low as 20°C and humidity levels as low as 60%. In November, North Island temperatures can get over 25°C, and relative humidity can quickly build to over 80%.

Heat changes how cows behave and eat. Once heat stress takes hold, farmers see their cows drinking more, along with a drop in milk. As temperatures creep into the low 20s, especially when humidity is high, cows spend less time grazing and more time around water, and standing and panting. Intakes drop, and rumen function comes under stress, so cows become fussier about when and what they eat.

From a mineral point of view, that matters because any effective supplement programme relies on cows eating the ration put in front of them.

Simple steps in hot weather 

At a basic level, make sure cows have easy access to plenty of clean water. Time milkings so they can feed mainly during the cooler parts of the day, and, where possible, provide adequate shade on hot days. Support this with sodium (salt) to help metabolic function and water intake, and with magnesium and suitable rumen buffers to support rumen function, ensuring feed and mineral intakes stay as steady as possible.

Mycotoxins make heat stress harder 

Feed quality is essential at this time. If feed contains mycotoxins, heat stress becomes a bigger problem. Many mycotoxins cause blood vessels to constrict, which reduces the animal’s ability to deal with environmental heat. One of the worst in this respect is the common ryegrass ergot toxin, which is present in many summer pastures. Several toxin binders, as well as seaweed extract products, can be added to feed to help reduce the impact of these toxins

FE: a liver problem first 

Spring is also when the foundations for FE mitigation are laid. Even if you are not seeing affected cows, FE is first and foremost a liver disease. Cows graze spores of the fungus Puesdopithomyces toxicarius from dead litter at the base of the pasture, and these spores release the toxin sporidesmin, which damages the liver and bile ducts.

Why visible FE signs appear later 

The familiar sunburned skin is a consequence of the gradual buildup of liver damage, not the starting point. If liver function and capacity are supported early in the season, the liver will have better capacity to repair damage. On the other hand, if the diet is poor and mineral levels are already low, the liver has very little capacity to repair damage from summer toxins and FE. That damage can then escalate quickly.

Planning the next six weeks 

Treat December and January as the time to protect the liver before spore counts spike. Stay updated with local monitoring, talk with your vet, advisor or consultant about when to start zinc, and choose a delivery method that fits how you feed cows through summer.

Minerals that support liver function and fertility 

To recover from summer toxins, the liver requires adequate levels of zinc, iodine, and selenium for good glutathione production. Strong liver function also supports reproduction, as it drives the delivery of energy and protein to the cow. Providing a good supply of copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, and manganese supports the liver, which in turn supports milk production, reproduction, and overall cow health.

Feeding cows to hold pregnancies through summer 

Summer changes the quality of pasture. Dry matter increases, protein and energy levels are lower, and at the same time, there is often a temptation to reduce the level and quality of supplementary feeds. Instead, aim to keep adequate daily intakes that match your soil, pasture and animal requirements, rather than simply matching the reduced level of production. This approach will keep production up for longer and give cows the nutritional support they need to maintain pregnancies.

The work you put into shade and water, mineral delivery, FE management and trace element balance through January and February protects the pregnancies you already have and helps more of those cows return to the shed next spring.

Chris Balemi is managing director of Agvance Nutrition

Weaning is one of the key times to body condition score (BCS) ewes (the others are pre-mating and scanning) as it allows for targeted management and better feed-use efficiency, which is particularly valuable when feed supplies are tight.

Lighter condition ewes can be priority fed over summer while ewes at a BCS of 3 and above can be used for pasture control or maintenance.

Running ewes in one mob over summer means feed is wasted putting extra condition on ewes that have already reached their optimal BCS, while lighter ewes are struggling to compete, creating a tail of skinny ewes.

Extra feed is better to be partitioned into lifting the bottom end of the flock, so these ewes are going to the ram at an optimal BCS of 3.

A BCS of 3 at mating is critical to achieving a high pregnancy rate and establishing a pregnancy that is more likely to result in healthy lambs at docking. It takes time to increase ewe condition, especially if feed is limited and growth rates are low. Ewes need 1.0 to 1.3kg of average to good quality dry matter per day to just hold at BCS 3 over summer.

Management options to increase the BCS of lighter ewes include running the ewes with ewe lambs, rotating them ahead of the main ewe flock or using a summer feed crop.

While repeat offenders can be culled, multiple-bearing ewes should be given the opportunity to regain condition over summer before a culling decision is made.

If feed is particularly tight, consider selling younger ewes which are under BCS 3 and keep older ewes of a BCS of 3 and above.

Scoring The Flock

Body condition scoring (BCS) is a quick and easy low-cost management tool to increase ewe productivity and flock profitability. Body condition scoring assesses the amount of body fat or condition by feeling the vertical (spine) and horizontal processes along the loin area. It is based on a scale of 1-5, 1 being very skinny and 5 being very fat.

When BCS sheep?

There are three key times to body condition score your flock: 

1. Weaning
2. Pre-tupping/pre-mating
3. Scanning

Michelle Simpson, project manager for the Ovis Management programme, said data for carcases processed across the country during October found 1.21% were recorded as being infected.

Ovis or sheep measles is caused by the Taenia ovis tapeworm. Although it poses no risk to human health, it can cause blemishes in sheep meat, which is undesirable for consumers and particularly for the export market.

"Usually, the prevalence of affected carcases sits at between 0.45 and 0.55 per cent and anything over one per cent is concerning," says Simpson.

"October was the first month of the new C. ovis management season and we do expect the figures to come down but we are also seeing it occurring from farms that have not had it before.

"It is really important that farmers keep up to date with regularly dosing all dogs on farm with the required tapeworm treatments and also ensure any visiting dogs or hunting dogs have been treated at least 48 hours before coming on farm."

The best practice for dog health and to manage the risk of sheep measles is for all farm dogs to be treated monthly with cestocidal (tapeworm) drugs containing the ingredient Praziquantel - a cheap and effective treatment - and an All Wormer every three months.

Simpson said there was no obvious cause for the spike in cases, but warm wet weather across much of the country had provided ideal conditions for the C. ovis parasite to thrive.

"Keeping to that regular dosing routine is really critical because the C. ovis tapeworm eggs can survive on pasture for up to 300 days," she says.

"It is not enough to dose your dogs and think 'that's it'."

Dogs become infected with the tapeworm by eating untreated meat or offal infected with live cysts. C. ovis is then spread to sheep through tapeworm eggs in dog faeces left in grazing areas. Eggs can also be spread from dog faeces over large areas, mainly by flies.

Raw sheep or goat meat should also be frozen to -10°C or below for at least 10 days or cooked thoroughly before being fed to dogs.

Further measures to control sheep measles include preventing town and roaming dogs from accessing grazing areas and disposing of dead livestock quickly and appropriately.

For more information and to view the C. ovis prevalence map showing data for all regions, visit www.sheepmeasles.co.nz

Minimising the time lambs spend in yards, avoiding shearing lambs at weaning and maintaining small mob sizes when yarding lambs have all been found to reduce the incidence of Chronic Non-Progressive Pneumonia (CNP). This is the most common form of pneumonia in lambs and can lead to pleurisy where lungs are stuck to the chest wall. Affected carcasses are downgraded or condemned at processing.

Caused by bacteria, mycobacteria, or viruses, CNP can cost farmers due to downgraded carcasses and reduced lamb growth rates.

In case study of a mob of 500 lambs with a typical level of pneumonia, estimated costs due to downgraded carcasses were $2,920 (at a $6.63 schedule) or $5.80/head.

Significantly affected lambs can grow 50% slower than unaffected lambs. If lambs with CNP grow at 75g/day rather than 150g/day, then it will take them an extra 47 days to grow from 30 kgLW to 37 kgLW. This would require an additional 66 kgDM.

Studies by both Massey University and AgResearch have shown that the prevalence of lambs with CNP at slaughter ranges significantly between flocks and years, but on average flocks have 20–30% of lambs affected.

Other on-farm management factors that may be linked to pneumonia include breeding ewe replacements (lambs spend more time in yards) and contact with other flocks through the purchase of other lambs post-weaning.

It is recommended that farmers try and reduce the extent and duration of open mouth panting when moving lambs. Ways to do this include using satellite yards and utilising laneways to allow lambs to drift along at their own pace and targeting cooler days or cooler parts of the day.

Other suggested risk factors of CNP, which are largely anecdotal, include high temperatures and humidity, crowding, stress, dust, excessive exercise, poor ventilation, low immunity and high parasite loadings.

Sheep with CNP often have sub-clinical symptoms such as reduced growth rates, but affected sheep will often have trouble breathing and pant following exercise and cough.

The best prevention strategy is to ensure animals are well-fed, are up-to-date with animal health treatments and have minimal stressors (especially exercise and yarding stress).

Ewes in good body condition will grow their lambs as fast as possible to weaning, meaning more lambs are sold at the weaning draft and therefore have less exposure to CNP-causing bacteria or viruses. Those that do remain have well developed immune systems.

Tackling CNP

• On average, Chronic Non-Progressive Pneumonia (CNP) affects 20-30% of lambs in a flock.
• CNP can cause significant economic losses.
• Avoiding shearing at weaning.
• Maintain small mob sizes when yarding lambs.
• Avoid moving lambs long distances under pressure.
• Good nutrition for ewes and lambs will help prevent CNP.

Whether they've lost their mum, or mum isn't milking because of udder problems or some other issue, these babies are doing their best to grow and develop on what nutrition they can scrounge from grass. Their little rumens are trying to develop as fast as they can, but while this is happening, the meagre flow of nutrients from the rumen to the gut is nowhere near what they need to grow properly.

Rumen development rate in young animals is strongly related to the energy level of the forage/feed they are grazing. A classic series of experiments with reared calves in the US showed a near straight-line relationship between time to full rumen development and access to meal. Thus, getting calves onto high meal intakes is a key piece of successful calf rearing, and lambs are no different. Even when they're with mum, their weaning weight is highly influenced by the amount of quality feed on offer between docking/tailing and weaning.

Lambs without a mum can show a huge improvement if separated from the big mob and run on their own on the highest quality feed you've got.

Farm systems scientist Tom Fraser tried this with a group of South Island hill country farmers - they separated the poddies at tailing and put them onto the best feed they could find. For some this was plantain/clover or other specialist forage, for others it was short rotation finishing pasture, or just a good clover-dominant perennial sward.

They weighed the poddy lambs at tailing and then again at weaning. The result was awesome - not only did these lambs grow faster than their mothered-up mates still weaning, but they had largely caught up with the other lambs. The poddies had very similar weaning weights to the main mob, and much better survival than they would have had if left in the big mob.

So why are we talking about this at Wormwise? It's common for these lambs to be scouring too. It's standard practice on many farms to give them a drench for worms at docking, but if these lambs are left to fend for themselves in the main mob, simply giving them a drench is probably not enough. A drench is not solving their two biggest challenges: the battle for good nutrition and mob pressure.

Read More:

• Trial shows benefits of spring nitrogen use
• Striking it right with set-stock rates
• Handling sheep with care

In addition, there are two other common causes of scouring in young lambs: The first is the tiny threadworm Strongyloides. This paraside has a different life cycle than the other worms, being picked up through skin contact with the ewes' udder, and very quickly expelled by lambs in their early weeks of life. Treatment is not necessary. Secondly, mismothered lambs are often affected by a gut parasite called Coccidia. Coccidiosis requires a different treatment than worms, speak to your veterinarian.

While poddy lambs undoubtedly have some worms on board, it is often less than we imagine. Until a lamb has a fully functioning rumen (which these little critters are still battling to develop), a number of the common worm species cannot complete their development in the gut.

In addition, lambs don't tend to suffer production losses from the worms they ingest in their early weeks, partly because their immune system does not start reacting to worms till later in life.

It's still a good idea to treat poddy lambs for worms, but the best thing we can do for them is to bring the trailer along at tailing time and give them a ride to a spot with some great feed and a few little mates. You might be surprised at what you see by weaning!

Article - Beef + Lamb NZ

According to Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), in dairy herds it can trigger severe outbreaks of scouring, abortions, or sudden deaths, with a devastating economic impact and a lasting knock-on effect on the farm.

Salmonella also poses a risk to people working with stock, including farmers and vets. And when antibiotics are needed to manage outbreaks, it adds pressure on antibiotic use, another concern for animal and public health alike.

MPI continuously monitors Salmonella in cattle. Since spring 2024, the number of diagnosed cases has been higher than usual, and this increase has continued into spring 2025.

To date, the number of lab-confirmed cases in 2025 is already twice the total recorded in 2023, and the dairy season is only halfway through (see figure 1). A previous national outbreak occurred between 2017 and 2020, but the number of cases recorded this year has already surpassed the epidemic levels of 2019-2020.

MPI is investigating what drives Salmonella outbreaks on farms - and what helps prevent them.

“We’re inviting all dairy farmers - whether or not you have experienced Salmonella on your farm - to take part in this phone survey. Your input can help protect herds and support practical solutions to decrease the impact of Salmonella in dairy. The phone survey is short and confidential,” it says.

Read More:

• Innovation, probiotic deliver results
• Food recall system at work
• Disease outbreak causes concern

People can get involved in two easy ways. Completing the contact form online at; www.mpi.govt.nz/mpi-salmonella or by emailing their local MPI On-Farm Support team.

Developed by B+LNZ with input from farmers, breeders and rural professionals, nProve was designed with a clear purpose: to make it easier for farmers to harness the power of genetics and make more profitable breeding decisions.

Sarah Powdrell, B+LNZ’s genetics extension and operations manager, says ram selection can be likened to buying a car.

“Most cars share similar features, but people still have preferences - some might choose a particular colour or brand, while others opt for electric or hybrid models for efficiency or environmental reasons. Rams are no different. While they may look similar, their genetic makeup can vary significantly.”

All cars in New Zealand also have safety test ratings. You can compare most models on the same scale and rank them from poorest to best. While these ratings don’t tell you everything about a car, they do a good job of assessing something that’s otherwise hard to evaluate without a degree in engineering and a lot of fancy equipment.

Just as cars have safety ratings, rams can also be objectively compared using genetic indexes and breeding values. These provide insights that go beyond what the eye can see. nProve presents this information in an easy-to-use format, allowing farmers to make objective comparisons.

“Eye appraisal alone doesn’t cut the mustard compared to ratings based on comprehensive data on an animal and its family members,” says Sarah. “There needs to be a balance, and that’s where nProve comes in.”

Read More:

• Strong farmer uptake for Beef + Lamb NZ's new nProve genetics tool
• New genetic tool for beef farmers
• Latest beef genetics developments on show

Using a series of sliders and filters, farmers can identify and prioritise traits that are important to them, and the tool will identify breeders that align with those preferences.

“For example, if facial eczema or parasite resistance are important traits to you, move these sliders to see the top flocks for those traits.”

Sarah acknowledges the challenge of juggling lots of figures for a range of traits on sale day, especially with the addition of new traits as science emerges.

“We’re often told by farmers that ram buying is getting more complicated. That’s why we built nProve - to simplify the process and empower farmers to have more effective conversations with their ram breeders, both before and on sale day.”

She recommends farmers have a play with the tool which is available at nprove.nz, ahead of their ram purchases.

“As you move the sliders, nProve identifies your options nationwide, which can then be narrowed down by region, breed, and birth year,” Sarah explains. “You can even flag breeders or rams of interest and create a shortlist. When you’re ready to contact a breeder, their details are easily found by clicking the ‘More Info’ button.”

Breeders put a lot of effort into breeding the right rams for their clients and welcome the opportunity to talk through their breeding philosophy and the data that backs up the merit of their rams. Tools like nProve help ensure those rams are matched with the right farmers, creating better outcomes for everyone.

Getting started is easy – simply visit nProve.nz, or for more ram buying resources go to beeflambnz.com and type “sheep genetics” into the search box.

That dollar figure is a key takeaway from years of landmark industry research on emissions and profitability in New Zealand dairy farming. Emissions and Profitability is a joint project between DairyNZ, Fonterra and LIC that used data from 8000 NZ farms to analyse the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and farm profitability.

And now’s a perfect time for some farmers to start making it a reality, says pasture expert Graham Kerr, Barenbrug.

“Spring pasture renewal is a great way to improve and strengthen your farm business in summer safe or irrigated areas. And thanks to this study, for the first time we now have data available which reveal exactly how much this can be worth to you in both profitability, and emissions intensity.

“If that’s not a golden opportunity to set yourself up for the future with what grass you pick for spring renewal, I don’t know what is.”

He urges farmers to explore all ryegrass seed options available before they renew this season, rather than opt for the status quo or whatever cultivar their rep suggests.

“There are a lot of good perennial ryegrasses out there,” Graham says. “But what you want is an exceptional ryegrass, and Array is in a class of its own. If you haven’t heard of it yet, it’s time to ask your rep about it.”

Array NEA2 combines unbeaten yield with several other factors that align directly with the emissions and profitability research findings.

These include persistence, high intake, feed quality and nitrogen use efficiency.

“Get the right seed genetics, or you’re missing out on pasture that not only reduces your emissions intensity, but makes you more money.”

The big study found the best performing farms in terms of both emissions intensity and profitability had three things in common.

Array NEA2 is the highest yielding perennial ryegrass Barenbrug has bred, and it achieves this under the same inputs, in the same soils, as its peers, the company says.

The exciting thing for farmers is that Array really stands out when there’s a nitrogen deficiency, Graham says.

This is a benefit during periods of low soil nitrogen, for example after periods of heavy rain, or leading into a hot or dry spell, when the organic matter cycle slows down and nitrogen levels drop.

Combined with ample cool season growth, very late flowering, high feed quality, strong persistence and an upright, easy to eat structure, Array’s yield and nitrogen uptake set it apart from other diploid perennial ryegrasses currently available.

“The industry study has proved that cutting greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t reduce dairy farm profitability. The next step for many farmers will be working out how best to implement these findings on their own properties, if they haven’t already.

“We believe Array is tailor-made for this opportunity.”

Seed for Array is available now from retailers.

Focused on increasing the use of high-quality genetics in the beef industry, the four main components of the programme are developing New Zealand-specific breeding indexes, supporting the development of an across breed genetic evaluation and development of data infrastructure, running a beef progeny test and linking in data from commercial herds.

Cow body condition score is one of the key factors to manage throughout the farming calendar. A breeding cow with a bit of spare energy stacked on her back is more productive, more robust, and better-looking. But where does genetics come into all this? Could your bulls be working harder to produce full-bodied bovine goddesses of fertility?

Right now, there are no body condition score (BCS) breeding values calculated for most kiwi bulls. But outcomes from the B+LNZ Genetics Beef Progeny Test have shown that there could be.

Over 240 sires have been assessed for cow BCS in the B+LNZ Genetics Beef Progeny Test and more than 4,500 cows have had their BCS measured at three time points: prior to mating, at weaning and prior to calving. There was quite a range of average cow BCS scores between sires (graph below). The heritability of cow BCS was 0.26 indicating that around 26% of variation in cow chunkiness can be attributed to genetics. So, there is plenty of opportunity to add extra love-handles to your herd via bull selection.

The researchers also looked at related traits. There was a genetic correlation between cow BCS and the existing rib fat depth trait (measured via ultrasound in finishing animals). Bulls with a higher genetic merit for rib fat depth tended to have daughters with higher cow BCS. However, the genetic correlation (0.29) was not strong enough to consider rib fat depth a good predictor for cow BCS on its own.

This means that rib fat depth EBVs only explains 8% of the variation in cow BCS. Likewise for the eye muscle area trait (4%). And since rib fat depth and eye muscle area are measured in finishing animals which don’t have the demands of calving and lactating, there is a case to be made for adding a dedicated cow BCS breeding value to future genetic evaluations.

B+LNZ principal scientist Dr Cara Brosnahan says farmer involvement is crucial.

"We're closer than ever to understanding where FE is occurring in New Zealand. With farmer input, we can find the tools that really work, and your farm could help complete the puzzle."

Now entering its third and final year, the Sheep Poo Study is part of the wider Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts programme. Over the past two seasons, the study has revealed that FE spores aren’t just a North Island problem as they’ve consistently been found as far south as Otago.

“FE risk isn’t just seasonal or regional,” says Brosnahan.

“We’ve seen spore activity stretch into May and June, and it’s not confined by geography. We’ve had reports of clinical FE in every region from Northland to the West Coast of the South Island.”

The study has also revealed early signs that elevation, pasture height, and even your neighbour’s spore counts influence FE risk. Researchers are looking to confirm these relationships in the study’s final season.

Read More:

• Facial Eczema risk not just seasonal or regional
• Treat your animals this summer
• Protect Your Patch: Treat farm boundaries like borders, says B+LNZ vet

Participation is free and simple. Farmers collect sheep poo samples every two weeks from October to May, with B+LNZ providing kits and covering postage. Farmers will receive results to better understand their FE risk, a $40 subsidy on faecal egg counts tested by Awanui Veterinary and the chance to be one of 25 farms selected for monthly FEC and larval culture testing from October to May.

Brosnahan says the final season is critical.

“We need more farmers to take part, especially if they’ve never had FE detected on their farm before; those results help build our understanding of this devastating disease.”

By joining, farmers will not only protect their own flocks but also contribute to a national solution for a disease that costs the sector over $330 million each year.

Registration is available at www.beeflambnz.com/sheeppoostudy

The TB Plan Review outlines the next steps, and farmers are encouraged to have their say. B+LNZ recently hosted a webinar to explain the proposal.

With just 15 infected herds remaining, around 0.01% of the national total, the country is on the verge of livestock freedom from TB. This is down from 1500 affected farms in the mid 1990s. But as long as the disease persists in possums, reinfection remains a real risk. The review proposes a stronger focus on possum hot spots to achieve TB freedom in both livestock and possums by 2040.

"This is a critical moment for the sector," says Will Halliday, senior manager technical policy at Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

"We've made huge progress, but we need to finish the job properly and that means tackling the disease where it still hides. While we are now down to a few cases, we are also conscious that this can have a major impact on farmers in an affected region."

The TB Plan is reviewed every 10 years under the Biosecurity Act. This year, an independent Plan Governance Group including Beef + Lamb New Zealand hosted a well-attended webinar. OSPRI, which delivers the TBfree programme, is also running in-person meetings across the country.

"These sessions are a great opportunity for farmers to ask questions and make informed decisions," says Halliday.

Read More:

• OSPRI introduces movement control area in Central Otago to protect livestock
• National Pest Management Plan for TB seeks feedback
• Ospri brings bovine TB testing in-house

"It's important that everyone understands what's being proposed and how it affects their business."

Beef + Lamb New Zealand is also encouraging farmers to think about the growing impact of forestry. With more farms being sold to forestry, there is concern about increased pest pressure, especially possums, which thrive in unmanaged forest blocks and could carry TB. The question is whether forestry should also contribute to the cost of TB control.

"Large scale forestry brings risk," Halliday says. "We think it's time to ask whether they should be part of the solution too. Farmers shouldn't carry the burden alone."

Farmers fund the TBfree programme through levies, and their input is vital. The consultation runs through October.

To learn more and make a submission, visit www.tbplanreview.co.nz

The state-owned enterprise and LIC are set to deliver a new dairy-beef product to market in 2026, designed to benefit dairy farmers, calf rearers, beef finishers and processors.

The Synergizer brand brings together the very best of Stabilizer® and Charolais genetics, developed in collaboration with Pamu subsidiary Focus Genetics. The breeding programme focused on key traits including short gestation, ease of calving and rearing, strong growth and meat quality.

Mark Leslie Pamu chief executive says Synergizer represents the power of collaboration and the potential of New Zealand agriculture when we work together.

“By combining genetics expertise, farming knowledge, and a shared vision, we’re creating a solution that will deliver long-term benefits across the entire dairy-beef value chain and build resilience, productivity and sustainability for future generations of farmers."

LIC chief executive David Chin says the launch of Synergizer marks an important milestone in the co-operative’s dairy-beef journey.

“Synergizer is an exciting step forward for LIC as we continue to invest in dairy-beef genetics that give farmers confidence. Backed by world-class science, robust data and rigorous progeny testing, Synergizer has been developed to deliver a reliable, profitable and sustainable option for dairy-beef systems.”

Read More:

• Pāmu launches equity partnership at Mahiwi Farm
• Data sharing initiative wins national award for saving farmers time
• LIC lifts genetic diversity

The first frozen semen inseminations will be available in limited quantities from spring next year, with liquid insemination available from spring 2027.

More about Synergizer

Synergizer bulls have been developed to produce calves with the following characteristics:

• Easily identifiable in the paddock via coat colour
• Minimal calving difficulties
• Easy to rear
• Strong early growth
• Strong liveweight gain
• Consistently reaching target live and carcass weights.
• Polled

The seven-year INZB partnership, supported by Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, aims to boost the sector’s profits by $460m. Focused on increasing the use of highquality genetics in the beef industry, the four main components of the programme are developing New Zealand-specific breeding indexes, supporting the development of an across breed genetic evaluation and development of data infrastructure, running a beef progeny test and linking in data from commercial herds.

It's a simple job description for finisher cattle – grow big and be quick about it. We want moderate-sized calves born, uneventfully, to moderate-sized cows. And then one day when the weather is neither too wet nor too dry we want these little calves to burst forth like the Incredible Hulk into 600kg+ prime cattle.

But pesky biology wants to get in the way of our dreams…

The B+LNZ geneticists have pored over the growth data from nine years of running the Beef Progeny Test. They have found strong genetic correlations for mature live weight with 18-month weight (0.92) and carcase weight (0.82). So yes, cattle that are destined to be big guys and gals were big 18-month-olds and big on the hooks too. That is all well and good in finishing animals. An extra 30 kg of live weight as an 18-month-old puts them on track to be slaughtered a month earlier. But breeding for those baby Hercules at 18 months of age might also add an extra 46 kg of mature live weight to the next generation of breeding cows. Those bigger calves are likely to have equally bulky mothers and sisters who need more pasture to keep them going.

It means that keeping cow size moderate while maximising weight of finishing cattle at 18 months of age seems to be a bit of a pipe dream – at a correlation of 0.92 there just isn’t much room to move. However, 18-month-weight is not the same as carcase weight! The B+LNZ researchers have found that carcase weight EBVs only explain about 67% of the variation in mature weight. This means that there is a bit of wiggle room (see graph) for producing heavier carcases without increasing cow size.

The main challenge is to find the right balance between good carcase weights with cows that will work in your environment, highlighting the value of matching the right genetics to your herd. Recording more carcase data is important to help us identify those animals that are heavy on the hook from more moderate sized cows.

B+LNZ says there is still time for farmers interested in getting involved, as the third season starts soon.

Top findings learnt through season 1 and 2:

Traditionally thought to be a problem confined to the North Island, the study has revealed that spores linked to FE are present from Northland all the way down to Otago.

“FE risk isn’t just seasonal or regional,” said Brosnahan.

“We’ve seen spore activity stretch into May and June, and it’s not limited by geography.”

The study also looked at how farmers in the study are currently managing FE risk:

• 42% of farmers use zing as their main tool.
• 37% rely on genetics to build resistance in their flocks.
• With the remaining farmers using other methods.

These numbers reflect a growing awareness of the need for long-term solutions. But the study didn’t stop there.

The study is also looking into what are risk factors of FE. Could elevation be a factor? Is FE risk clustered in certain areas? Does grazing behaviour make a difference?

To answer these, data from each year will be analysed to help confirm these patterns.

B+LNZ says that early evidence suggests that if your neighbour has high spore counts, you might too. Elevation and pasture height are also emerging as important factors. The higher the elevation, the fewer FE spores were found in the faeces. In contrast, lower pasture height was linked to increased spore presence. Understanding these localised risks could be key to developing targeted interventions and management strategies.

While season 1 and 2 have given significant insights that will pave the way for creating an effective risk assessment tools and solutions for managing FE, there is still work to be done.

B+LNZ says it needs more farmers to join the study.

By joining the final season of the largest facial eczema study of its kind, farmers can help build a national solution to a disease that costs the livestock industries over $330 million each year. Participation is free, and farmers receive fortnightly spore count results which can help inform proactive management decisions.

“We’re closer than ever to understanding FE. With farmer input, we can find the tools that really work,” said Brosnahan.

It’s all to do with fast establishment, high yield and a deep tap root that keeps 501 Chicory lush and green when grasses turn brown.

Your animals will thank you, and you’ll sleep better at night, knowing carbon-efficient homegrown feed is more profitable than supplement, and kinder to the environment.

Irresistible Eating

Animals love 501 Chicory – it’s soft, easy to eat, and good for them, too

Energy-rich, full of protein, and packed with macro- and micronutrients, it is digested quickly. The only other summer feed that can match it for quality is clover.

Plus, it’s safe to graze when facial eczema makes grass high risk; there’s no transition period; and it has a very low worm burden. You don’t have to spray it with insecticides, either.

Graze Early, Earn More

501 Chicory is an annual, so it jumps out of the ground faster than perennial cultivars, and is ready to graze sooner. It’s like the difference between an annual ryegrass, and a perennial.

That gives up to one more full grazing than other chicories, or as much as 550 kg extraDM/ ha.

For dairy farmers, at a payout of $10/kgMS, that extra yield equates to a potential gain in income of $500/ha.

Leach Less

We hear a lot about plantain mitigating nitrogen loss. But science shows us chicory, with its very high-water content, can be even more helpful.

Researchers have found cows grazing chicory have substantially lower urinary nitrogen concentrations than they do when grazing pasture - even lower than those recorded for cows grazing plantain.

With urine patches the major contributors of nitrogen loss from grazed systems, this is a key benefit of 501 Chicory.

Give Grass a Rest

Hot, dry summers are hard on existing pastures. If you want them to persist well, you need to protect them from over-grazing.

Paddocks of 501 Chicory are the ideal antidote. When you graze these, you’re not only looking after your animals, you’re also giving stressed ryegrass a break, so it can bounce back faster after rain.

Mineral miner

That big tap root doesn’t just help 501 Chicory keep growing in dry weather – it also mines the soil for excess minerals like nitrogen and potassium.

Sow it on your effluent blocks, and after grazing, the cows will happily help redistribute those essential nutrients more evenly back around the rest of the farm.

Crops of 501 Chicory are also good for your soil structure. All up, 501 Chicory delivers what every farmer wants - more profit with a lower farm footprint. Quality New Zealand-grown seed is available now for spring sowing.

Article supplied by Barenbrug.

These were the takehome messages at a recent B+LNZ heifer mating workshop in North Canterbury with presenters Simon Lee, general manager of Southland’s 71,000ha Glenary Station, and Amy Hoogenboom, New Zealand’s beef genetics manager for Zoetis.

Lee has implemented the practice of mating yearling heifers on three properties he has managed, the most recent being Glenary Station.

Prior to talking on the general manager’s role at Glenary, Lee managed Mendip Hills in North Canterbury for 18 years. During his tenure, the hill country farm was one of the hosts of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Beef Progeny Test.

Simon told farmers that planning and systems were critical for successfully mating yearling heifers.

“It’s all about planning and systems, if you have the culture right you can do anything.”

On Glenary, which runs 3000 breeding cows including heifers, it was a matter of building up the number of heifers they were mating over three years. This spring, they will be calving 500 R2 heifers.

The first year they mated 248 yearling heifers, the second year they increased the number to 470 and last year 540 yearlings went to the Angus bull.

“If we weren’t calving heifers, that would be 500 less progeny born in spring, so it’s a big opportunity – but you can’t let it fail,” says Lee.

To ensure they didn’t fail, he says they have timelines to ensure they build adequate pasture covers for calving heifers and are diligent about feed planning.

Their planning starts back at weaning when Lee says they go through 1200 heifer calves assessing their phenotype and temperament.

“It takes all day, but it’s so worthwhile doing.”

They whittle their replacements down to 540 heifers which are put to a yearling Angus bull weighing 340-350kg.

He says a robust animal health programme is also vital for a successful heifer mating programme and for him, the non-negotiables are treatments for copper, leptospirosis, BVD and selenium.

He believes the impact on leptospirosis is often under-rated in breeding cow herds, especially on hill country where wild deer are present.

Lee, who has a philosophy of feeding stock as well as possible all year round, says it is the Body Condition Score of heifers at re-mating that is the biggest determinant of success.

Since implementing the practice, they have achieved an in-calf rate of 92 percent in their yearling heifers and 94-96 percent in their second mating.

“By us feeding the way we do, we get better conception rates in our heifers than we do in the mixed-age cows, although the cows are on harder country.”

Once in-calf, the heifers are run on easy rolling country and are then calved behind a wire.

Lee says the heifers are calving at the same time they are lambing 28,000 ewes on paddock country.

To ensure all stock classes get the care they need, they have one person dedicated to looking after the calving heifers and 14 staff on a six week, eight-days -on-and-three-off roster looking after the lambing ewes.

Selecting Sires

Simon Lee selects yearling Angus bulls for heifer mating, particularly focusing on their EBVs for calving ease.

The bulls are run with heifers at a ratio of 1:24 or 1:25 for two cycles. The heifers are run in mobs of 80-100 over mating and the bulls are swapped around after each cycle.

None of the resulting heifer calves are retained, so these bulls are used as terminal sires.

“The heifer’s heifers are not retained, they all become trading heifers. I’m just after a live calf.”

Body Condition Score

Amy Hoogenboom said weight at mating is the number one factor that determines the success of a heifer mating programme.

The minimum mating weight should be 60 percent of the mature cow weight.

“Weight is one of the most significant factors influencing when a heifer reaches puberty and begins to cycle.”

Although Hoogenboom says weight at puberty and weight at mating are not the same thing, she disagrees with the 300kg number that is often used when it comes to minimum heifer mating weights.

“It is too light, most modern cow herds average more than 500kg mature weight, go for the 60 percent of the mature cow weight, not just a round figure. The industry benchmark for a critical mating weight should be closer to 330-340kg.”

Heifers at that critical weight are more likely to conceive in the first cycle and their calves are likely to be heavier as a result of this.

They are also more likely to have success at their second mating.

When re-breeding after their first calving, heifers need to be at 80% percent of mature cow weight, or a Body Condition Score of 6-7 at mating - that is, they need to be a BCS 6-7 at the beginning of mating, not rising to this condition during mating. But Hoogenboom says research by both B+LNZ and others shows there is a no advantage to a female’s fertility when she has a BCS of greater than 7.

Focused on increasing the use of high-quality genetics in the beef industry, the four main components of the programme are developing New Zealand-specific breeding indexes, supporting the development of an across breed genetic evaluation and development of data infrastructure, running a beef progeny test and linking in data from commercial herds.

In a productive breeding herd, fatbottomed cows make the rocking farm go round. To get the most out of mating, we want to present the bulls with husky heifers and queensized cows. But how exactly does cow body condition score (BCS) affect breeding success?

Analysis of the B+LNZ Genetics Beef Progeny Test has found a linear relationship between cow BCS and conception rate. In other words - the chunkier the cow, the higher the chance she will conceive to a given mating (which in this case was a carefully timed artificial insemination). For every step up on the BCS scale, the rate of artificial insemination success increased by 5 percentage points.

However, conception rate isn’t the full story. Cows usually get more than one opportunity to conceive during a mating season. So, when the researchers look at the 49-day pregnancy rate (2+ oestrus cycles) there are diminishing returns for cows with higher BCS. The biggest gains are from getting the low conditioned cows closer to a BCS of 7 prior to mating.

Since cows’ curves don’t come for free, we also need to consider what it takes to put an extra BCS unit on a cow. It is easier to put condition on a lighter cow. At BCS 4 it takes 15kg of extra live weight to gain a BCS score (to get to BCS 5). This will take 83kg of dry matter intake over and above maintenance and production. But as we travel up the BCS scale this equation changes. The difference between BCS 7 and BCS 8 is 35kg of extra live weight for a tiny gain in the 49-day pregnancy rate.

So, when it comes to divvying up the pasture pie, it makes sense to focus on fattening up the Skinny Minnies rather than trying to put extra love handles on already well-conditioned cows.

 Read More:

• AI helps detect lameness early, automated BCS
• Developing traits for BCS, udder scoring and fertility
• Cows with excess BCS face health, production issues

August is Biosecurity Awareness Month and a timely reminder that we need to stay vigilant to help protect our valuable dairy sector.

In June, it was reported that New Zealand could be provincially declared free of Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) as early as October 2025; A huge milestone and one we should be proud of.

It’s a milestone that could only be achieved through the tough decisions made along the way.

We want to take the experiences and lessons we had through the M. bovis response to prepare for future disease outbreaks.

We recently signed a new operational agreement on Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) with the Government and sector partners which sets out how the costs of FMD readiness and response activities will be shared.

It also creates legally binding participation of industry in decision-making, ensuring that farmers’ interests, knowledge, and input is heard.

Read More:

• Protect Your Patch: Treat farm boundaries like borders, says B+LNZ vet
• M. bovis compensation service closes after supporting 1300+ NZ farmers
• Dairy sector commits to major role in new Foot and Mouth readiness agreement

It is a real partnership, not only between the sector and Government but also within sector partners.

As part of the agreement, dairy, beef, sheep, pork, and deer farmers are represented, as well as dairy and meat processors. Each has a strong voice at the negotiation table.

As the inaugural chair of the Foot and Mouth Disease Council it’s something that I’m personally proud to have achieved. And I want to keep that momentum going.

We are reviewing our FMD operational plans and looking at the role the sector plays during a response.

We want to boost our workforce capability and capacity, so we have the right people with the right knowledge in place if we had another serious disease outbreak.

We are also focusing on refining the compensation system. We need a pragmatic and fair system that will provide farmers with the support they need. That includes timely, fair, and consistent compensation that allows farmers to get back to business as fast as possible.

Good biosecurity practices not only provide a degree of protection against potential exotic disease outbreaks, but they can also help to manage endemic diseases like Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) and Johne’s disease.

It can be as simple as:

• Ensuring you have a good biosecurity plan in place on-farm that all staff and visitors are aware of
• Quarantining new animals on arrival for at least seven days and making sure they're tested and vaccinated for anything that you want to keep out
• Making sure your boundary fences are in good condition and secured.

Biosecurity is not just about emergencies, it's about a consistent and integrated approach to risk reduction, readiness, response, and recovery.

Getting the planning right isn't just important, it's everything.

Campbell Parker is DairyNZ chief executive.

From March to June 2025, sessions on the nProve platform surged by 76% compared to the same period last year, up from 5069 to 8902.

This growth is almost entirely due to the launch of nProve Beef, which attracted 3800 sessions, making up 41% of total traffic.

nProve Beef is a key output of the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme, which aims to enable the uptake of improved genetics across the beef industry by providing farmers with practical tools tailored to New Zealand farming systems.

"The response to nProve Beef has exceeded expectations," says Dan Brier, general manager, farming excellence at Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

"It confirms that there's strong demand among farmers for tools that take the guesswork out of bull selection and help build more productive, profitable and resilient beef herds.

"Farmers are not just clicking in, they're staying on the site. The average session duration exceeds six minutes, highlighting real engagement with the tool.

Read More:

• New genetic tool for beef farmers
• Latest beef genetics developments on show
• Ten more beef farmers join genetics programme

"While use of the original nProve Sheep tool has remained steady, the rapid adoption of nProve Beef demonstrates the strong appetite among commercial beef farmers and bull breeders."

The top five regions using th etool - greater Auckland, Canterbury, greater Wellington, Manawatū-Whanganui and Otago - show the tool's reach across a range of farming environments.

The INZB Programme, a seven-year partnership between Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries' Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, is focused on building a sustainable future for New Zealand's beef sector.

The programme is investing in new genetic evaluation tools, data systems, and extension to increase the rate of genetic gain and help farmers select animals that perform well in New Zealand conditions.

"Genetics are a key lever for long-term change," says Brier.

"The annual decision of which sires to buy, impacts the production and profit of a farm for many years.

"By making powerful tools like nProve accessible to farmers, we're helping to accelerate that change and build a more productive, efficient and environmentally sustainable beef industry."

Run by Dr Will Halliday, veterinarian and B+LNZ’s senior manager technical policy, the workshop covered what farmers could do to “protect their patch” from pests and diseases.

“New Zealand has a border, and farms have boundaries, but farmers can treat their boundaries like a border and control what comes over it,” says Halliday.

As with national borders, there is pre-border, at the border and post-border management that can be implemented on-farm.

Halliday says farmers will already be doing this as part of everyday farming but should be aware of the measures they are taking to protect their businesses.

Farmers can also assess the level of biosecurity risk from a highly likely scenario (buying lambs with worms) to a highly unlikely but devastating scenario such as an incursion by a disease such as Foot and Mouth.

Halliday's hierarchy of disease

At the workshop, Halliday outlined what he has coined Halliday’s Hierarchy of Disease.

The first in this hierarchy is a nationally catastrophic disease such as Food and Mouth Disease, or Avian Influenza; the second are endemic nasties that are in NZ, but farmers work hard to contain.

Included in this list are TB, BVD, brucellosis, and drench resistance. The third in the hierarchy are the many diseases that farmers have taught themselves to accept as “just part of farming”.

These include Johnes Disease, facial eczema, footrot and mastitis, and it is these diseases that are costing farmers the most in lost production and control efforts.

Seven biosecurity interventions

Seven measures can help protect the farm business from pests and diseases.

1. Recording livestock movements is critical. This includes recording movements in NAIT and ASD forms, knowing where animals are coming from and what they may be carrying with them.

2. Keeping livestock well-fed and healthy will make them less susceptible to disease. Animal Health Plans play a critical part in farm biosecurity as they serve both as a reminder and a record of animal health treatments.

3. People, equipment and dogs. Be aware of who and what is coming onto the farm, where they have been and what they are bringing with them. Keep a visitor register. Identify all the entry forms onto the farm and ideally provide cleaning and disinfecting facilities at entry points. These facilities can be as simple as a fish bin with water, disinfectant, and a brush.

4. Feed and water. Where is feed being sourced from? This includes hay and silage and milk, and colostrum. Some bagged supplementary feeds should not be fed to ruminants (check the label) and offal should be either frozen or cooked before being fed to dogs to help prevent the spread of sheep measles.

5. Pest control. Pests can include plant pests as well as possums, pigs, deer, goats, rats and mice as well as feral sheep and cattle. These animals can cause damage to pasture or be a vector for disease.

6. Correct handling of waste and carcase management. Identify, remove and correctly dispose of dead stock. Manage livestock waste to ensure it is not a source of contamination.

7. Shared knowledge and understanding. Ensuring everyone in the farm team, as well as people coming onto the farm, understand that biosecurity is taken seriously. Include staff in drawing up and implementing biosecurity plans and learn where to go to identify pests and diseases. See https://agpest.co.nz/

A 65kg ewe with 4kg twins on board should weigh at least 78kg the day before she lambs. As well as her babies, she's carrying about 4-5kg of fluid and placenta, and a kilo or more of udder.

Our ewe in the example above needs to harvest the equivalent of two big black rubbish bags of grass every day before she lambs. She can probably manage this in a controlled grazing system prior to lambing if she is happy and healthy and can spend most of the day grazing. Or if she's on a crop where she can easily harvest this feed and then spend the rest of the day munching on fibre.

Once she lambs, her feed requirements go up by another 30-50%. Our ewe who was eating around 2kg of drymatter pre lamb now needs to eat 3-3.5kg to milk to her potential. This is threeplus rubbish bags of grass, and this becomes a stretch on short grass systems.

An AgResearch comparison of stocking rates at lambing in the Wairarapa found that for late August/early September lambing dates, every 100kg DM/ha lift in set stocking pasture cover resulted in an extra 2kg of lamb weaning weight. Ewes also weaned heavier in these groups. That’s worth doing a feed budget for! Late-September lambing ewes were not affected the same by pasture cover – because growth was keeping up with ewe demand.

Lambing dates well in advance of the spring lift in pasture growth require either very light stocking rates, or plenty of feed ahead of ewes to properly meet their energy demands in late pregnancy and early lactation.

Note the point about late pregnancy; there needs to be scope in the system to increase the intake of twin ewes in the last few weeks before lambing. If the choice is between feeding ewes better before lambing, or saving up feed for after lambing, feed them better beforehand.

Singles don’t require this amount of love, and triplets should be fed ad-lib from scanning onwards (except the very fat ones, but don’t underfeed these in the last two weeks – phew, this is complicated!).

Timing of set stocking is important. If you setstock too early, ewes will eat more than they need and drop the pasture cover in their paddocks to a level that restricts intake – right when they need more to eat. With multiple ewes, it can be smart to get their animal health treatments done a bit earlier, so they don’t get a feed pinch close to lambing. But rather than set-stock at that point, keep them rotating until closer to their due date.

So back to the original question on set stocking numbers! Ideally, we want our multiple ewes to maintain covers in their paddocks of 1200kgDM/ha or more. This is 3 to 4cm of winter- grown grass.

If we set stock onto a cover of 1200kgDM/ ha and we don’t want to drop it, our set stocking rate needs to set a daily demand from the ewes that is about equal to the pasture growth rate.

For twin ewes eating 3kgDM/day, at 10 ewes/ha we need grass to be growing at 30kgDM/ha/day. When does your grass start growing that fast? Typically, not in August, and in many parts of NZ, not until later in September or even October. However, in this scenario, at 5 ewes to the hectare, we can cope with a pasture growth rate of 15kgDM/ha/day.

The set stocking rates I hear talked about, and see on farms, are often higher than ideal to maximise ewe milk production and future lamb growth, as pastures drop well below the ‘grass grows grass’ level.

Spending some time now doing your own numbers (or getting someone to help you) will be a great investment this year. With projected good product prices, investment in growing more feed, using supplements or lightening the load by making earlier sales of other stock classes, to feed ewes to potential, is a no-brainer.

Ginny Dodunski is a vet and Wormwise programme manager.

People have responded that this suggestion is all very well, if you have cattle available.

I'd like to point out I had made reference to this, but unfortunately, it was edited out before printing, in order for the article to fit the available space.

What I had said was: "The cattle side of the equation gives security by way of flexibility. Meaning, numbers can be adjusted to suit. Because stock-carrying capacity is not an exact science, as there are so many variables, including the weather. But if you don't have cattle to utilise, then that makes it a trickier ball game altogether."

Anyway, I'm now doing a follow-up on stock handling. Firstly, the thing to understand about sheep is they're silly at the best of times, but if you put too much pressure on them, they can be stubbornly difficult; even to the point of spiting themselves. Mind you, people can be like this too!

Stockmanship (stock sense) means the ability to read stock, i.e. anticipate their next move and be positioned correctly. Just like a top rugby player. But if you have to be taught this, you'll never really get the hang of it.

Another point it, there's an ethical code in the sense that, when mustering, stock shouldn't be crushed through gateways. You should stand well off, or else position yourself near the gateway, to slow the flow. And the dogs should be told to shut the hell up.

The best move I made was to fence a lane through the farm. I can't describe how much easier it made the moving of stock. A kid on a push bike with a fox terrier could do it.

Since phasing out horses, we've had to draft cattle on foot in the actual yards. So I found that a thin 2.4 metre length of Manuka is best for that job, because you can stand off the cattle to avoid being kicked.

And you can use the stick to reach into a corner of the yard where cattle have bunched up, in order to get the one you want, by tapping it on the nose, which makes it back out of there.

Also, the person at the gate through which cattle are being drafted can use a long stick to keep the main mob at bay. Otherwise, the odd one will make a break through the gate.

A long stick is also essential when loading cattle up the race onto a truck. Meaning you can, through the rails from the outside, give the one at the front a little poke under the tail from well back, so as not to disrupt the flow by getting too close and cause the following beast to balk.

I've mentioned using a long stick because it can be so much better than a short length of alkathene.

I must add as a final sentiment that it should be acknowledged there is more than just yourself involved in farming. By that, I mean what needs emphasising to men is that dogs, horses and wives will work their hearts out - so instead of being taken for granted, they deserve to be treated nicely in return. In fact, they should be lavished with kindness and affection.

Kerry Butler farms in Waipawa, Central Hawke's Bay.

Developed by South Canterbury vet Ryan Luckman, DAGI draws on his firsthand experience helping farmers tackle parasite issues.

"The idea with DAGI is to let the app do the heavy lifting, so you can just go out and farm," Luckman says.

"By applying Wormwise principles with DAGI, you'll be able to grow lambs faster, use less drench, and improve the long-term sustainability of your farm."

The tool integrates real-time data from multiple sources to create a heatmap of your farm - showing paddocks at highest parasite and resistance risk - to support smarter grazing decisions, reduce drench use, and slow the development of drench resistance. The goal; better animal performance and farm productivity.

Developed over 18 months, DAGI will be piloted on around 100 farms in its beta phase. Farmers can take part for $600/year, with pricing expected to rise to $1,000/year after the full launch. Beta participants will have access to support materials including video tutorials but are also recommended to seek expert advice from their local vet in applying the Wormwise principles.

Dr Cara Brosnahan, principal scientist animal health research at B+LNZ says tools like DAGI are vital for the future.

"DAGI brings science and technology together to give farmers practical, real-time insights," she says. "It could make managing parasite resistance so much easier, with all the info you need just a tap away."

The app has already drawn attention from farmers, including Lydia Cranston, who saw a live demo at a recent B+LNZ Farmer Research Advisory Group meeting.

"It's great to see vets like Ryan developing tools that help us use drench more appropriately, maximise performance, and minimise resistance," she says.

DAGI complements existing tools like the SmartWorm app, working alongside them to further reduce drench dependency, improve animal health, and support more sustainable farming.

"The ability to use real-time data for parasite management is the future of farming," Dr Brosnahan adds. "DAGI will help reduce costs, improve animal health, and support smarter, long-term decision-making."

Luckman is eager to hear from farmers during the beta rollout.

"DAGI is about putting control back in farmers' hands," he says.

"The more feedback we get from real-world use, the better we can make the tool for farmers across New Zealand."

The Social Impacts Survey is part of the broader Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts (EFEI) programme - an industry-wide effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate the devastating impacts of FE on New Zealand's livestock industries.

The social impacts survey forms part of the programme's journey to understand FE and its effects on farmers. Other projects contributing to the understanding of these impacts include the Sheep Poo Study, which is entering its third and final season. This study plays a key role in assessing the spread and severity of FE. Earlier this year, an economic survey illuminated the financial impacts of FE, and this social survey is equally crucial.

FE affects more than profit and on-farm productivity; it impacts farmers' sense of purpose, self-worth, and relationships with their animals and families. B+LNZ says the human side of the story has been underreported.

"Facial eczema is a challenging disease to identify early and manage. It affects the animals but also impacts their caretakers, leading to broader consequences for the entire farm business and other relationships," says Dr Suzi Keeling, head of science and research at B+LNZ.

"We know farmers are deeply connected to their animals; when animals suffer, it can take a real emotional toll."

The survey seeks input from sheep, beef, dairy, deer, and camelid (alpaca and llama) farmers.

There is a separate survey for rural professionals like veterinarians and farm advisors.

Participants will help get a better understanding of the effects on individual farms and support practical support tools, and on-farm strategies to reduce the burden of FE. The 15-minute survey is open until Friday 18 July 2025. For every completed response, B+LNZ will donate $10 to a charity supporting rural wellbeing.

"Let's work together to tackle FE and support the wellbeing of our farming communities," says Keeling.

The survey, carried out by Boehringer Ingelheim in partnership with the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) and the New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association (NZVNA), asked more than 600 pet owners about their views. It found that 90% trust their vet teams to make the best choices for their animals, and the same proportion believe vets are important to New Zealand society.

However, fewer than one in four respondents were fully aware of the scope of what veterinary professionals contribute beyond the clinic. While many recognised the significance of clinical care, fewer knew about the profession’s work in areas such as public health, biosecurity, on-farm consultancy, animal welfare policy, and education. More than a third of pet owners admitted they had no awareness at all of veterinary contributions outside pet care.

Richard Duckworth, Head of Companion Animal, Boehringer Ingelheim New Zealand, says the results reflect an opportunity to raise the profile of veterinary professionals and better highlight the scale of their impact.

“People trust their vets, but they don’t always see the work happening behind the scenes,” he said.

“Vets help prevent disease, plan for emergencies, and support farms and public safety. Their work goes far beyond the clinic and this survey reinforces the importance of bringing those contributions to light.”

The research also revealed that public perceptions of the profession do not always align with its day-to-day realities. While nearly half (45%) of pet owners believe veterinarians enjoy a good work-life balance, only 63% acknowledged that the job requires high levels of emotional resilience, a figure significantly lower than that attributed to doctors or police officers. The demands of the job, both emotional and physical, are often underestimated.

Laura Harvey, President of the NZVNA, says these findings mirror the experience of many in the field.

“Veterinary nurses and allied veterinary professionals bring deep clinical expertise and extraordinary care to the job, but the expectations placed on them can be immense. Supportive regulation, stronger professional development, and increased recognition are critical if we want people to stay in the profession long term.”

This survey comes after Boehringer Ingelheim’s Taking Animal Health Forward 2024 whitepaper, which highlighted retention concerns across the sector. That report found that only 40% of veterinarians and just 265 of veterinary nurses expected to remain in the profession until retirement.

Kevin Bryant, Chief Executive of the NZVA, says for vets and their teams, hours are long, working conditions can be challenging, and stress levels are high.

“Showing our professionals that they are valued, can help. This is important in both companion animal clinics and rural practices.

“New Zealand’s primary sector-based economy depends hugely on the contribution of vets and their teams to keep farm animals healthy and protect biosecurity. The scientific and policy contributions that these professionals make across animal welfare, biodiversity and community wellbeing also fly under the radar.  It’s important that policy-makers understand and support veterinary professionals in all their many and varied roles.”

To support the findings, Boehringer Ingelheim has developed a campaign that highlights just how much Kiwis value their vet teams. The video aims to prompt conversation and encourage awareness of the essential service provided by veterinary sector.

Until recently, sporidesmin, the toxin responsible for FE, was thought to be made by the fungus Pseudopithomyces chartarum (formerly Pithomyces chartarum).

However, researchers from AgResearch, Manaaki Whenua, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) have shown that few Pse. chartarum strains appear capable of making sporidesmin, and a new species, Pseudopithomyces toxicarius, is the primary sporidesmin producer, providing a clearer understanding of the disease’s causes, and paving the way for more effective control strategies.

Facial eczema, caused by sporidesmin produced by the fungus Pse. toxicarius, has cost New Zealand’s economy an estimated $332 million annually.

The study to better understand the fungus associated with FE, which began before the launch of the B+LNZ Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts (EFEI) programme, is now an important part of the programme’s ongoing efforts to combat FE. By identifying the specific species responsible for FE, researchers have made a crucial advancement to inform where the fungus has now spread and how it can be better managed.

Dan Brier, general manager of farming excellence at B+LNZ, emphasised the significance of the findings.

“Facial eczema has been a long-standing challenge for farmers. This research is a vital step toward understanding the fungus and ultimately eliminating its impact,” says Brier.

“Identifying the species responsible gives us a clearer foundation for developing more accurate diagnostic tools and effective management practices. This collaboration highlights the importance of working together to solve this issue, and we’re proud to contribute to this breakthrough.”

Dr Bevan Weir, senior scientist at Manaaki Whenua and lead author says the breakthrough is the result of years of hard work and dedication from research teams and the farming community.

“Identifying Pseudopithomyces toxicarius as the primary cause of facial eczema is a critical step forward and a testament to the commitment of everyone involved.”

Christine Voisey, AgResearch, and lead author says that working on this project has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her career.

“There is still much to learn about the biology of Pseudopithomyces, but this research brings us closer to developing tools that will help mitigate the impacts of facial eczema on New Zealand’s farmers.

“We’re grateful to the farmers who supported us by providing samples for this vital research.”

Dr Cara Brosnahan, principal scientist in animal health research at B+LNZ and co-author points out that FE is not just a disease; it’s a burden on many farmers and their livelihoods.

“This research is an essential leap forward, giving us the knowledge we need to tackle the problem head-on. By understanding the fungus behind the disease, we will be able to empower farmers with knowledge and better tools to safeguard their stock and secure their futures,” says Broshnan.

This research confirms that while some species of Pseudopithomyces do not produce the toxic compound sporidesmin, Pse. toxicarius, which resembles Pse. chartarum closelyand is easily misidentified, is the primary species associated with FE.

Its FECPAK product offers an on-farm and in-lab parasite management system that processes FEC tests for sheep, cattle, horses, goats and camelids, providing results within minutes.

Its original, portable digital microscope – the Micro- I 100 – takes photos of faecal samples and immediately sends the images via the internet to the FECPAK cloud platform for analysis by AI and/or trained technicians. The FEC results help farmers and their veterinary advisors understand which animals are at risk and which paddocks are parasite hot spots.

As farming is a 24/7 operation, Techion has announced the release of its groundbreaking Instant Faecal Egg Count (FEC) results, powered by a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) software model.

That means no matter the day or time when a FEC test is processed and submitted using the FECPAK unit, the test result is emailed to users within a few minutes, with no delays for holidays and weekends. This positions the FECPAK platform as the fastest and most efficient FEC test solution on the global market.

The AI software was developed and trained using more than 120,000 FEC tests, analysed by technicians from samples submitted by FECPAK customers over recent years. Over the past three months, the FECPAK AI software has been validated on more than 22,000 samples, giving results with up to 96% accuracy, exceeding that of many human interpretations.

Technicians will continue to review tests over the coming few months to ensure the AI model is meeting performance standards and providing a reliable service.

Founder and managing director Greg Mirams says, “Instant FEC results will significantly enhance productivity by allowing timely, real-time decision making onfarm. Farmers can quickly determine whether to bring their stock into the yards for treatment, optimising their management practices, saving time and ensuring healthier livestock”.

Mirams explains that Instant Results for FEC testing is the first in a suite of new products that will be released this year. These include a new digital microscope - the Micro-1 300 - with enhanced imaging capability that will enable a new range of tests including cattle coccidia; sheep coccidia, cattle parasite speciation, sheep parasite speciation, facial eczema and pasture spore counts.

Visit www.fecpak.com

Bionic Plus, distributed in New Zealand by Boehringer Ingelheim, will be available from veterinary clinics this month.

With approval from the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) and New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS), Bionic Plus reenters the market following a comprehensive assessment including updated product specifications and label, both ensure consistent performance and informed use.

The return follows a voluntary withdrawal in 2022 preceding an industry- wide review of controlled release capsule technology by the ACVM. The product is made in Auckland by Argenta (the manufacturer) and distributed in New Zealand by Boehringer Ingelheim. While Bionic Plus was not subject to a formal recall, the product was proactively removed from sale to enable further regulatory reassessment.

Dr Carl Eden, technical services veterinarian - ruminant at Boehringer Ingelheim, says the product’s timely return provides another option that will greatly benefit New Zealand sheep farmers ahead of the lambing season.

“The return of Bionic Plus gives sheep farmers a science-backed, reliable tool to help support at risk ewes during lambing by reducing parasite burdens through the early spring period, and therefore makes a valuable addition to parasite management programs."

The product is designed to be used as part of an integrated parasite management strategy, in consultation with a veterinarian or animal health advisor. This strategy includes good nutrition and effective stock and pasture management practices, alongside the use of the product prior to lambing.

“We want to ensure that farmers are well-informed and are prepared to use Bionic Plus appropriately.

“We know that farmers have been missing this product and are keen to have it back.

“To support the return we are also committed to equipping veterinarians and animal health advisors with the knowledge and tools to support farmers to make confident, best-practice decisions,” says Eden.

The product delivers an average of 100 days of internal parasite protection (range 85–115 days) via a sustained-release capsule. Its dual-active formulation of Abamectin (ML) and Albendazole (BZ) targets key parasite stages, helping reduce pasture contamination and protect lambs through early growth.

“ACVM’s approval confirms that Bionic Plus meets New Zealand’s highest standards for safety and efficacy,” adds Dr Eden.

Boehringer Ingelheim says it has been trusted by New Zealand farmers for over 50 years, with Bionic capsules protecting ewes for over 15 years. The product’s reintroduction comes at a time of increasing focus on resistance management and the need for sustainable solutions.

“There’s no silver bullet when it comes to parasite control, and not all long-acting tools are made equal. Used strategically, Bionic Plus can help reduce reliance on frequent drenching and support long-term parasite management goals,” says Eden.

Farmers are advised to speak with their veterinarian or animal health advisor to determine how the product might support their spring parasite control plan.

Until recently, Sporidesmin, the toxin responsible for FE, was thought to be made by the fungus Pseudopithomyces chartarum.

However, researchers from AgResearch, Manaaki Whenua, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) have shown that few Pseudopithomyces chartarum strains appear capable of making sporidesmin, and a new species, Pseudopithomyces toxicarius, is the primary sporidesmin producer, providing a clearer understanding of the disease’s causes, and paving the way for more effective control strategies.

FE has cost the New Zealand economy an estimated $332 million annually.

Dan Brier, B+LNZ’s general manager of farming excellence, says FE has been a long-standing challenge for farmers.

“This research is a vital step toward understanding the fungus and ultimately eliminating its impact,” Brier says.

“Identifying the species responsible gives us a clearer foundation for developing more accurate diagnostic tools and effective management practices. This collaboration highlights the importance of working together to solve this issue, and we’re proud to contribute to this breakthrough,” he says.

“Bringing together farmer-led organisations and researchers is key to delivering practical outcomes that truly make a difference on the ground. By combining real-world farming experience with scientific expertise, we ensure that research is not just theoretical but directly applicable to the challenges farmers face every day," adds Brier.

Dr Bevin Weir, senior scientist at Manaaki Whenua says the findings are the result of years of hard work and dedication from research teams and the farming community.

“Identifying Pseudopithomyces toxicarius as the primary cause of Facial Eczema is a critical step forward and a testament to the commitment of everyone involved.”

As B+LNZ’s  Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts (EFEI) programme continues its work, this collaborative research from Beef + Lamb New Zealand, AgResearch, Manaaki Whenua and LIC represents a crucial step in solving the challenges of Facial Eczema.

The seven-year programme, supported by Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, aims to boost sector profits by $460 million.

Project lead, commercial herds, Sonya Shaw says that with 10 more farm businesses across the North and South Islands, the INZB programme now has 47 farms.

“Commercial farms are an important part of the programme, as they provide increased linkages throughout the beef industry and contribute to genetic evaluations through recording data and incorporation of data into breeding value prediction,” Shaw says.

She says that ultimately, this will increase the accuracy with which breeding values, or genetic merit, can be estimated.

“The INZB programme is helping commercial farmers understand the value of better genetics and offering them the opportunity to easily select the right genetics for their system to drive greater profitability on their farms,” she adds.

The 10 new farmers are from Marlborough, Otago, Manawatu-Whanganui, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Waikato and Northland.

The herds represented include Angus, South Devon, Angus x Charolais x Simmental and composite cattle.

“Participating in the programme also helps the farmers to achieve more accurate heifer selection in their herds, which will have a lasting impact on these commercial herds’ progress,” says Shaw.

“The commercial farmers provide the programme with accurate pedigree recording, assessing bull teams’ performances, ensuring accurate information for heifer replacement selection and work with their bull breeders to make more rapid genetic progress.

“The farmers adopt a recording schedule across the year and can also, if they wish, carry out genotyping of their cow herd and, on an annual basis, calves and sires.

“They are also able to benchmark their herd against others involved in the programme.”

This will be the final intake of commercial farmers to the INZB programme, says Shaw.

Based in Manapouri, Bella works as a farm technician for Pāmu collecting data from the stud breeding and research programmes underway on four of the 13 Pāmu farms in Southland’s Te Anau Basin.

One of these programmes is Beef+Lamb New Zealand’s Across- Breed Beef Progeny Test which is run on Kepler Farm near Manapouri (Kepler Farm is one of two host sites for the Beef Progeny Test, the other is Lochinver Station near Taupō).

Included in the raft of information Bella collects for the Across Breed Beef Progeny Test, which is part of the seven-year Informing New Zealand Beef programme, are liveweights, docility scores, hip height measurements and Body Condition Scores.

Bella also collects data from a terminal sire stud, also based on Kepler Farm and a red deer stud which is run on Stuart Farm, another Pāmu property.

Working with three different species, Bella enjoys the variety her job offers, and it gives her the opportunity to see the genetic progress evident in the performance of the stud stock she works with.

Bella, who has an Agricultural Science Degree, has been working fulltime for Pāmu for four years. She previously worked on the Pāmu Te Anau farms as part of the work experience component of her degree and this led to her being offered the full-time position once she had completed her studies.

Having grown up on a dairy farm in the Bay of Plenty, Bella had always wanted a career in the agricultural sector but figured out quite quickly that on-farm shepherding wasn’t for her, but neither was she particularly interested in agribusiness or the financial side of farming.

The technician’s role is just perfect, and she acts as an intermediary between the geneticists, who carry out all the analysis, evaluations and make the breeding decisions, and the farm managers who, along with Bella, look after the practical applications of their decisions.

“It is often a balancing act between the farm managers and the geneticists and determining what works well for everyone.”

Being young and tech-savvy, Bella is often called upon to help with technology issues and acts as a support person for the farm teams.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s genetics operation specialist, Anna Vaughan, works with Bella on the Across-Breed Beef Progeny Test and says Bella is extremely good at what she does.

“She supplies all the detail we need in a timely manner.”

Anna says as well as collecting data, Bella ensures all the separate groups of cattle are where they are supposed be, she records any calving difficulties, helps with eye muscle area scans.

She also ensures all the heifers are fit and healthy before being transported up to the feed efficiency and methane measurement trial site in North Canterbury.

TBfree, which is administered by OSPRI, has a goal of eradicating TB from New Zealand by 2055. To date, the programme has seen current numbers of affected herds reduced to 14 out of around 75,000.

However, Dave Harrison, general manager policy and advocacy for B+LNZ, says strong industry participation and controls remain critical to controlling and ultimately eradicating the disease.

“The success so far is down to everyone involved in TBfree, including farmers, vets, farm advisors, pest controllers, and regulatory agencies,” says Harrison.

“We are doing well but we cannot afford to be complacent. There’s more to do to eradicate the disease, to protect our valuable dairy, beef and deer industries and safeguard our rural communities.

“If we take our eye off the ball, then there’s a risk that we could go backwards quickly – something we saw in the 1970s and 1980s when control efforts were scaled back. The reality is that we won’t get to zero, or be able to maintain current low numbers, until the disease is no longer present in wildlife, primarily possums,” says Harrison.

“The risk is not just to our beef, dairy and venison export industries, but also to the wellbeing of our farmers and our rural communities.”

He is encouraging farmers to share their views on the future of TB control and eradication in the upcoming 10 year statutory review of the programme.

The review provides an opportunity to discuss how the programme is tracking against the current plan set in 2016.

It will look at different options for the best ways to achieve the programme’s goal. There will be opportunities to provide input into the review during June and July.

“We need everyone involved to have their say on what, if anything, we need to do differently over the next ten years.

Bovine TB is a risk to the farming industry, animal health and the country’s economy. New Zealand is at a higher risk than many other countries, in part due to the risk of TB being spread by possums.

Proposed options in the consultation will be informed by several independent technical, science and financial reviews of the 2016 TB Plan and its progress over the last nine years.

There will be online consultation and submissions as well as some in-person presentations in areas still most impacted by TB.

Following consultation, recommendations will go to the Minister of Biosecurity in August.

OSPRI is an independent company tasked with delivery of two statutory programmes, NAIT and TB free. It is also currently managing the eradication of Mycoplasma bovis.

It is funded by farmers through shareholders DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Deer Industry New Zealand, and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

The launch of nProve Beef dominated the recent Beef Breeder Forum 2025 in Christchurch with speakers outlining the development of the tool and the new breeding indexes it depends on.

Hands-on workshops showed farmers how to use the online interface.

nProve Beef is described as a key component of the B+LNZ-funded Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme.

Dan Brier, B+LNZ's general manager farming excellence, says the tool has been built in collaboration with commercial farmers for use by commercial farmers.

"nProve has been designed to enable farmers to quickly and easily refine their bull selection based on their specific needs.

"By using simple sliders and filters, farmers can customise what they are looking for in their bull team. With the click of a button, nProve generates a tailored list of stud breeders offering bulls that best match their breeding objectives.

"The launch is timed with bull buying season approaching, ensuring farmers can make informed decisions that will deliver better productivity, efficiency, and profitability for their businesses."

The tool is essentially a front-end to a database of bulls available to buy, based on the catalogues supplied by the various breed societies.

Fundamental to its worth is the development of New Zealand-designed beef breeding indexes which assign an economic value to key genetic traits.

The Maternal (NZ$Maternal), Terminal (NZ$Terminal), and Beef-on-Dairy (NZ$BeefxDairy) indexes help farmers select bulls that align with their specific breeding objectives, whether they are breeding replacements, finishing cattle, or supplying beef genetics to the dairy industry.

Brier said it had been a collaborative effort with farmers, Angus NZ, NZ Herefords, Simmental NZ, the NZ Beef Shorthorn Association, Performance Beef Breeders and AbacusBio.

With almost all the major breed societies on board, the tool is already believed to cover around 75% of the beef bull market. That will rise to about 90% with the expected inclusion of the Australian-affiliated AngusPRO association.

Brier said the tool was similar to the existing nProve for sheep, and the user data for that showed the worth of the model.

The sheep version had 4,000 users in the last 12 months, in 17,000 separate sessions, which showed a lot of “repeat customers,” said Brier.

They were also averaging seven minutes per visit.

“So, people aren’t just dropping in and saying ‘that’s a waste of my time’ and dropping out. People are going back and getting real value from it.”

Brier said tools were still being developed, such as through the low-methane sheep program, which would allow farmers to track genetics across the industry or within their farm.

“That’s going to be valuable for people who want to prove to their customers or whatever that they’ve got low methane credentials on their flock.

“But also, this is the same for any trait. So, as soon as we’ve done the methane, if we choose to, we’ll be able to roll it over to meat quality or facial eczema, or anything else.”

The beef tool is not intended to compare animals across different breeds but Brier said they were working on a multibreed capability.

“Commercial farmers, when we survey them, this comes up that they want us to do this. So we’re still working on a fair and cost-effective way to achieve it.”

Accelerometers can gather data through measuring the movement or acceleration of an object. They feature in many everyday devices such as smartphones for providing step counts.

In farming, they can be used to monitor behaviour of livestock to inform management decisions around welfare and production efficiency. Actions such as head shaking or avoiding sunlight may be indicators of FE.

The B+LNZ project, jointly led by senior AgResearch scientist Dr Karin Schutz, investigated the use of accelerometers fitted to a collar to predict the behaviour of sheep. It established that the collars with sensors attached are simple and effective to use with sheep. Data gathered is now being analysed, including identifying findings which could be used to predict early signs of disease or injury.

“Technology such as accelerometers allow for data from a large number of animals to be obtained continuously, 24/7, without the presence of humans,” says Schutz.

“It is relatively cheap compared to using humans to observe the animals or setting up video equipment. This makes the technology particularly attractive for extensively managed livestock which can be studied under normal management conditions.”

He says behaviours such as grazing, ruminating and resting are the main behaviours of sheep on pasture. Monitoring changes in daily behaviour patterns across the annual production cycle, while capturing changes in environmental conditions, can reveal key metrics that can be used to improve welfare and production efficiency on farm.

“These same metrics could possibly provide early warning systems for significant issues such as facial eczema, lameness and gastrointestinal parasites.

“By developing tools for early detection, farmers can reduce economic losses and enhance productivity and welfare through timely interventions and improved management practices.”

Dr Mhairi Sutherland, B+LNZ’s senior scientist animal health and welfare, says research like this is exciting as it could be a step towards providing a practical tool for farmers to manage disease risk.

“Facial eczema is a serious issue for livestock farmers, particularly in warmer and more humid regions. Having a way to detect the early signs of the disease before visible signs appear could make a significant difference in mitigating its impacts,” she says.

She adds that new technologies such as accelerometers could complement other onfarm disease management approaches. “By integrating this data with other risk factors such as spore counts and weather conditions, farmers could take proactive measures to reduce the risk of outbreaks and improve overall animal health.”

The sensors were fitted to the sheep using collars developed by Bryan Thompson, a PhD student at AgResearch’s Invermay campus.

The research project was done in November 2024 at the AgResearch farm in Hamilton with a group of mixed aged Romney type ewes. The collars feature 23mm wide webbing and buckles and weigh 230-250g.

Alternative ways to fit accelerometers to livestock include halters, harnesses or ear tags. However, Schutz says the research established that the collars are effective and practical to use on sheep over an extended period without causing irritation, getting caught in anything or being torn off.

“They can be put on the animals in the yards quickly and easily with minimal stress and the sheep adapted quickly,” says Schutz.

“We didn’t want anything around the animals’ faces as we are also looking at predicting shortterm behaviours that may be associated with FE which often affects the head of the animals.”

The next phase of the programme will be funded through the Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts (EFEI) programme, a partnership between B+LNZ and the Ministry for Primary industries through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF) fund.

The results will help shape practical solutions through the Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts (EFEI) programme.

The survey deadline has been extended to 14 March 2025, giving farmers more time to share their experiences and go in the draw to win one of five Greenlea Meats vouchers.

FE costs the New Zealand livestock industry an estimated $332 million annually, yet its full impact on individual farms is still not well understood. Whether or not you’ve had issues with FE, your insights will help researchers develop targeted strategies to reduce costs and improve management.

Dr Suzi Keeling, B+LNZ’s head of science and research, says farmer participation is vital.

“The insights we are already gaining from the survey reinforce the need for practical, affordable solutions to help farmers manage FE. The more farmers who take part, the stronger the data will be,” she says.

Early responses highlight key challenges— many farmers find preventative treatments costly and labour-intensive, while most see pasture spore counting as a valuable monitoring tool.

“We know farmers are already stretched, but this is a chance to have your say and ensure the solutions being developed genuinely work for you.”

The survey takes 15–20 minutes to complete and asks for farm financial and management data, such as revenue, stock classes, and animal health costs.

EFEI Programme

B+LNZ is leading the $20.75 million, seven-year EFEI programme, co-funded by the Government through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF) fund. The programme focuses on:

• Improving FE risk prediction
• Developing better diagnostic tests and management strategies
• Raising awareness of FE's impact

“This is your opportunity to make a difference,” says Dr Suzi Keeling.

“By sharing your experience, you’re helping build tools and strategies that will support farming businesses and communities for years to come.”

All responses are anonymous and will directly inform practical tools and solutions.

To complete the survey or learn more, visit www.beeflambnz.com/efei or contact research@beeflambnz.com.

The team is half-way through a three-year programme to get some definitive science around the genetic makeup of our heading dogs and huntaways.

Dr Nick Sneddon is one of those involved in the project which is being funded by MPI through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund and with the support of state-owned farming entity, Pāmu. Sneddon has a personal interest in the project as his parents, who are dairy farmers in the South Waikato, also bred working dogs and he says this prompted him to become involved in the study.

He says if you think about sheep and cattle, a huge amount of scientific data is available about them, including all their specific genetic traits.

"But one of the most valuable assets on any farm is the working dog and we know little about their genetic traits. We don't really know what is in the background of Huntaways and heading dogs," he told Rural News.

"Wherever you go, you get a slightly different story about their genetic makeup and background and we don't know how much is hearsay and how much is true. This project is getting some hard data to prove or disprove the anecdotal information," he says.

Sneddon says the farm working dog is an amazing investment for a farmer. He says a dog may cost between $500 and $1,000 but over a ten-year period it produces about $40,000 worth of labour.

"That's a very good return on the investment," he says.

To that end, Seddon and the Massey research team have been supported by Pāmu as it gave them easy access to many working dogs in single locations. Two hundred of them have had their whole genome sequenced.

During their research, Sneddon says they have found some pretty cool things about the working dogs. He says they have been able to determine that there is little overlap in the genetics of heading dogs and Huntaways - they are separate breeds and by and large are purebreds. He says there are few mutations in the dogs, meaning that there a few signs of frequent genetic disease, currently these mutations are in between 2 to 8% of the dogs.

"What we have also been able to do is see if there are any mutations which may impinge on a dog's health such as hip dysplasia or myopathy which can cause muscle weakness over time, and also seeing if there are any neurodegenerative signs which could cause blindness and weakness," he says.

Sneddon says they are also working with a couple of vet clinics including VetLife to learn more about twisted gut - a particular problem with larger dogs.

Family Connection

Perhaps one of the most interesting and surprising elements of the project is that they are using Ancestry - commonly used by genealogists and others to trace their family history.

Nick Sneddon says Ancestry also has a 'pet' section and by using that tool they will be able to better compare phenotypes of up to 2,000 working dogs and see if there are any signs of other breeds in their history.

Compared with pet dogs, the working dog has some obvious and distinct traits - one of these being loyalty to the shepherd.

Sneddon says a pet dog will often wander away from its owner, whereas a working dog will stay close to their heel.

"But we are also looking at traits other than just genetic diseases, we are interested in if a dog can be left alone with sheep, or how easy it was to train," he says.

Sneddon says by the end of the three-year programme, they hope to have some good data that will benefit both farmers and breeders.

He says it's giving them hard data for breeding purposes so that farmers get a dog that best meets their needs.

Monitoring six million cows globally, Nedap, headquartered in Groenlo, Netherlands, announced the launch of Nedap New Zealand on January 1 this year.

Nedap currently offers its Cow Collar and cloud software technology in NZ through its business partners - GEA, Waikato Milking Systems, Lely and Censortec - and is looking to introduce Nedap ‘SmartSort’ and Nedap ‘SmartFlow over time.

Nedap general manager Oceania Mike Wilson says the company strives to improve farmers bottom line with Nedap solutions that maximise dairy herd performance and save time, labour and costs.

Wilson told Rural News the Nedap Cow Collar paired with Nedap Now software offers upto- date insights into cow health, fertility, and activity, helping farmers maximise their herd’s potential.

“With 24/7 monitoring, you can reduce labour, make informed decisions, and boost both productivity and animal well-being—all while keeping your farm running smoothly,” says Wilson.

He points out that currently about 18% of New Zealand farmers utilise wearable technology.

However, Nedap expects the adoption rate to rise significantly in the coming years.

“Globally adoption is much higher and Nedap views cow monitoring as a natural step into further on farm automation,” he says.

“Nedap’s business partners are at the cutting edge of robotic milking systems, the Nedap Collar is used to provide insights and identification for these systems globally.”

Nedap Cow Collar automatically tracks signs of heat, such as increased activity, chin resting and mounting behaviour. The system shows a clear list of all cows in heat with their optimal insemination moment for effective insemination with the highest chance of conception. It also provides additional reproduction insights, helping farmers find cows with irregular heats, non-cycling cows and non-pregnant cows.

It’s also suited for health monitoring – to keep cows healthy, fertile and productive.

“Nedap Health Monitoring is an essential tool to keep track of your cow’s health, picking up changes before you see them,” says Wilson.

“The system compares all behaviour with standards for optimum condition, the previous behaviour of the cow and the behaviour of the group she is in and detects changes or abnormalities.

“It provides early and reliable health alerts for cows that need urgent attention and shows a list of cows that need to be checked today, allowing you to treat health issues before they become problems.

“It also enables you to intensively monitor transition cows and posttreatment recovery.”

Wilson says another benefit of the Nedap Now software is that it evaluates group and herd behaviour.

“It shows you how external factors and management decisions may have influenced the herd’s performance.”

Wilson says Nedap will be at the South Island Field Days at Kirwee this month to support dairy farmers.

“New Zealand is a global leader in dairy production. Its dairy industry is a cornerstone of the nation’s economy, contributing over $26 billion in export revenue annually and employing nearly 55,000 people who support many rural towns and communities.

“The adoption of advanced technology is crucial for maintaining this leadership position. Nedap New Zealand and its partners are poised to be pivotal in supporting this industry transformation,” says Wilson.

Travis Leslie, farm manager at Kepler farm, said an initial progeny testing programme was set up to test the effects of hybrid vigour and to enable the development of an across-breed genetic evaluation, but this has since evolved to include greenhouse gas and feed efficiency trials.

“The aim is to improve the efficiency of beef operations through the use of hybrid vigour and help farmers make more informed decisions about bull purchases,” Leslie said.

In the trials, Angus bulls are crossed with Hereford cows, and vice versa. The progeny of these crosses are also bred.

Extensive progeny testing on all progeny is done to find the benefits of hybrid animals.

“For the across-breed analysis, we create an index to compare bulls across breeds.”

Although it is still early in the trial period, the benefits of hybrid vigour are becoming clear, Leslie believes.

Hybrid vigour gives the opportunity to grow out larger cattle, or finish earlier.

Industry theory is that hybrid cows will have better longevity, he says.

It is also early in greenhouse gas and feed conversion trials, however it would stand to reason that a crossbred animal that is finished earlier than a purebred would convert feed better, he said.

“The animal that’s around for the shortest stay is the most methane friendly.”

cohorts of heifers, totalling about 250 individuals so far, to greenhouse gas trials taking 6-8 weeks over the winter.

This year, they travelled to Te Mania Angus in Canterbury for the measurements and also had feed intake measures taken.

The quietness of the heifers is a testament to the Kepler staff’s approach to animal handling and care, he said.

With the animals supplied by Pāmu, the trials were a collaboration between geneticists from Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Informing New Zealand Beef programme, scientists from AgResearch and Te Mania Angus Stud.

programme is to measure feed efficiency and methane in cattle in a bid to develop new traits specifically for the beef industry.

Head of genetics at B+LNZ, Dr Jason Archer, said the goal of the trial is to produce genetic tools that farmers can use to increase feed efficiency and reduce methane output, without reducing productivity.

“Ultimately we want a feed efficiency Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) and an EBV reflecting methane per kilo of feed eaten.”

Leslie said ongoing trials represent an important opportunity to drive advancements for the industry.

“There is immense value in fully recorded animals in what can be seen as a comprehensive genetics programme. There is also value in linking animals across different programmes and having extensive data that drive strong outcomes.

“In the future, farmers will become more discerning about the bulls they select and put a lot more thinking into their beef breeding systems.

“Harnessing the benefits of hybrid vigour is a way to get something extra from what you are already doing.”

He said Kepler farm is extremely proud to be part of the Informing New Zealand Beef programme and investing in the future of beef breeding. “I can see in the future that selecting bulls for beef breeding will become much more data driven and this will give the industry a real boost.”