Scott Murchie and his father, Andrew are directors of a progressive dairy enterprise in Dumfries, Scotland. The family have been dairying since 1976, with the farm adding a second unit in 1982.
In 2012 Scott returned to the family farm after studying Agriculture at university. Since then, herd size has doubled, with 400 cows currently in milk.
Future goals for the farm
Looking ahead, the farm plans to expand their parlour, followed by increasing herd size to 600 cows. Scott aims to grow the herd from within and this goal is built into the farm’s customised genetic plan as part of the herd improvement programme, GENEadvance®, which the farm joined in 2021.
Incorporating GENEadvance into their breeding strategy
The farm was already using Genus ABS genetics and seeing great results. With the aim of accelerating the genetic progress of their herd further, they decided to incorporate GENEadvance into their breeding strategy. As an early adopter of the programme, Scott looked back on his initial thoughts compared to results that the farm has seen today:
“I probably was sceptical about the benefits of genomic testing at the time when we took it on and whether we were going to see the benefits, but I think that’s been proven, we can make these (breeding) decisions based on more accurate data, compared to what we were before.”
GENEadvance utilises female genomic testing to more accurately identify which animals should be bred to Sexcel® for heifer replacements and which should be bred to beef. In terms of the genomic sampling process, Scott comments:
“It’s pretty easy to do as well, in practice, we take the sample, we scan it in via the app, and send it off.”
A benefit of GENEadvance, is that all of the data is stored on an app, for quick, easy access.
Once the genomic testing has been completed, the farmer is given a large dataset including information about their herd. However, without clear direction on interpretation, turning this data into actionable decisions can quickly become overwhelming. With GENEadvance®, Genus ABS Breeding Advisors help interpret and maximise the value of the genomic results by utilising GMS® to build a personalised breeding plan support each farm’s goals.
The annual genetic review is an essential part of the programme. Scott’s Breeding Advisor, Douglas White, underlines its importance in achieving success:
“Scott gets his KPIs monthly and we’re annually doing a genetic review – we’re validating and discussing regularly to ensure that Scott is seeing the results that he is looking for.”
What results has the farm seen?
Since joining GENEadvance in 2021, the farm has seen a significant rise in £PLI, driven by targeted female selection and strategic breeding. £PLI has increased from £230 in animals in their 4th and later lactations to £600 in current pregnancies, demonstrating clear genetic progress.
Douglas comments that overall, the herd is productive, with good health and fertility. Following their next genetic review, Scott and Douglas will discuss the next direction for the farm and how their breeding strategy can support these longer term goals.
Accelerating genetic progress
For the last ten years the farm has used Genus ABS’ Reproductive Management System (RMS®), where a dedicated team takes care of the entire reproduction process, from heat detection to data analysis. When asked why the farm began using RMS, Scott comments:
“We felt that breeding and reproduction wasn’t getting the time and effort that it needed. We were looking to try and improve our breeding protocols and try and push ourselves on genetically as well, and the sexed semen was coming on at the time – it just seemed like a logical thing to do.”
Previously, Scott ran a Holstein stock bull with his maiden heifers, restricting genetic progress to the capability of a single sire. Now, through RMS and the use of Sexcel®, the farm can access a wider portfolio of sires, enabling more targeted trait selection and accelerated genetic progress. Scott trusts Douglas to select sires that suit his system and breeding goals. The farm has seen significant gains since incorporating Sexcel into their breeding strategy, including increased yield and milk quality as well as improvements in somatic cell counts.
Scott considers Reproduction Management Specialists, Jamie and Claire to be key members of their team, supporting continued progress in herd fertility performance. Results have been positive from the outset, with rolling conception rates currently sitting at 60% for maiden heifers and 39% for cows.
Interested in using a herd improvement programme?
Whether you’re looking to improve yields of Fat and Protein or build a more efficient herd, Genus ABS can work with you to design a breeding strategy built around your goals.
Contact your local Genus ABS representative for more information.
