"We’re breeding for a small and more efficient animal. Our milk production is in the low to mid-nineties with super high components. And that’s where we want to be. Feed efficiency and high components. Obviously, a lower income over feed costs means a lower income for the dairy”, explains Brian.
With Tim at his disposal, Brian achieved the herd he was looking for. “Most of the herd now are CRV cows and components just come with it. Year-round we’re averaging 4.30% butterfat. Quite regularly 7 pounds of components are shipped. Components are something that we don’t really worry much about anymore”, says Brian.
CRV SireMatch Utilized at North Harbor
CRV’s sales representative Tim Fargo assists in reaching Brian's breeding goal: “We have discussed North Harbor’s breeding goals and CRV chooses the group of sires to fit these at each proof update. We’re managing the strategy of sexed with beef on dairy mainly through SireMatch, CRV’s breeding management program that helps to select the bulls that match the breeding goal best,” Tim says.
Brian is preparing to start with the HerdOptimizer program to gain insight into the genetic potential of his herd. "That’s going to help us improve decisions about who is bred to dairy and who is bred to beef. We think that will help tremendously in making sure we are retaining the preferred dairy pedigrees,” Brian concludes.