Nestled in the rolling South Downs of Hampshire lies Whitewool Farm, a progressive 400-cow dairy enterprise at the heart of Meon Springs – a diversified business offering glamping, fishing, and corporate retreats. Whitewool Farm is owned by Jamie and Will Butler, with Luke Sealey as the herd manager. The farm is part of the AHDB Strategic Dairy Farms network and a supplier to the Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group (SDDG).
Breeding with Purpose
Whitewool Farm operates a high-yielding autumn block calving system, with a focus on breeding cows that are healthy, fertile, easy to manage, efficient and smaller in stature. These traits align with their goals to breed a herd that is more profitable and longer-living.
The farm has embraced genomic testing of their herd for a number of years. While genotyping had been available for some time, the launch of GENEadvance® helped create meaningful insights from female genomic test data into actionable breeding decisions.
“We were already genomic testing all the cows in the herd and using it within GMS, but GENEadvance brought it to life,” says Jamie Butler “Now, we’re using that data to actively shape our herd for the future by extracting its full value – not just collecting it.”
At Whitewool Farm, Sexcel® sexed genetics are used on the genetically superior animals. The remaining portion of the herd is bred to beef and sold through the Gamechanger programme. This breeding approach is helping the team make genetic progress in line with their long-term goals. The farm has always focused their breeding strategy on health and fertility, with their production focus being more components based. Since moving milk contract to Sainsburys, the custom index created for the herd as part of GENEadvance has focused on production volume as opposed to components and in a short space of time doubled the herd genetic potential for milk.
While there is a shift in focus on productivity, the focus around health remains the same. “Being a seasonal system, it’s vital that while improving productivity of animals we don’t compromise the current levels of health or fertility.” Luke Sealey comments.
Technology that Delivers Simplicity
A key driver for joining GENEadvance was the user-friendly app – simplifying the genomic testing process and centralising all data. “The app just makes sense – we do the tests, and the results and everything we need is right there. Plus, Genus ABS were already using the data to advise us anyway, so this was the logical next step.” says Luke.
Sustainability Starts with Genetics
At Whitewool, sustainability is more than a buzzword. With the public regularly visiting the farm, it’s crucial that their practices are not only productive, but ethical and environmentally sound. Working with Genus ABS, breeding objectives have been primarily focused on health and efficiency and have resulted in an increase in indices like EnviroCow and FeedAdvantage which breed animals that improve the herd’s environmental efficiency of milk production – proving that genetic progress and sustainability go hand in hand. “Our goal is simple – breed a smaller, more efficient animal that lives longer,” says Jamie. “With GENEadvance, we’re on that path.”
Interested in using a herd improvement programme?
Whether you’re looking to improve component yields or build a more efficient herd, Genus ABS can work with you to design a breeding strategy built around your goals.
Contact you local Genus ABS representative for more information.
