NZAEL is currently using the results of the Interbull Validation testing to investigate ways that the tendency for over-estimation of young AE-enrolled bulls can be reduced in the AE system. During the period that NZAEL carries out these studies our advice to farmers is that farmers should discount young bull teams by 15-30 $BW units.
As of this weekend, published Calving Difficulty BVs will be the result of the new, and improved, genetic evaluation of Calving Difficulty. These changes also result in Gestation Length Breeding Values becoming an official breeding value of the national evaluation system, whichwill also be officially released this weekend.
Please read the attached memo for more information
This report informs New Zealand dairy farmers about developments for the genetic evaluation system a year after genomic data was introduced as a new source of information.