Late last year saw a significant collaboration between Cogent Breeding Limited from the United Kingdom and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) in New Zealand.
In 2022, Cogent became LIC’s exclusive distributor of genetics in Great Britain, extending LIC’s pasture-based genetics offerings to farmers throughout Great Britain and also increasing the availability of the sexed products.
As part of the partnership, Cogent and LIC hosted an inaugural study group tour with 13 farmers from around the UK including Isle of Mann, England, Scotland and Wales visiting New Zealand in November 2024.
For their time in New Zealand, LIC and Cogent worked together to provide the visitors with a tailored study tour, including visits to the LIC Newstead site, the LIC Awahuri bull farm, as well as seven North Island dairy farms.
The main purpose of the tour was for the travelling group to learn about wearable technology, gain insight into breeding and pasture management, and observe LIC’s role in the dairy industry – in New Zealand three out of four cows are sired by an LIC bull. Equally, there was the opportunity to visit and view varying farming systems with the intention of going back to the UK and potentially implementing similar strategies on their own farms.
The travelling farmers were accompanied on their travels by staff from LIC’s New Zealand and Irish offices and Cogent UK, who assisted in ensuring the tour went smoothly and the visitors gained as much insight as possible.
Kapy Macown, International Marketing and Sales Support from LIC, says the study tour was beneficial for everyone that attended: the UK farmers, New Zealand farmers hosting on-farm, and Cogent and LIC, all of whom pulled positives from the week on the road.
One positive that stood out to Kapy was the interactions between the farmers in New Zealand with those travelling from the UK.
There was plenty of farmer-to-farmer interaction during the trip, with farm staff more than happy to have in-depth conversation about the practices on-farm and the role everyone plays. Long hours were spent at each location, discussing its distinctive aspects and LIC’s role in their operations.
“We saw some unique farms, and one that stood out had been converted from forestry land to beautiful pastures, with great looking cows. It showed all the work behind the scenes, not only the breeding and pasture management, but also technology and everything you can think a professional setup needs,” Kapy says.
“Being able to view all these different farming set-ups with their own challenges and unique aspects really showcased how varying landscapes, breeding plans and more can contribute to a successful and sustainable farming system.”
The study tour provided a unique opportunity for the travelling UK farmers to witness first-hand New Zealand’s innovative farming practices, breeding techniques and ever-changing technology.
“Between LIC and Cogent, the creation of this tour allowed for meaningful connections between farmers from opposite sides of the world, with the farmers returning to the UK with new ideas and strategies to implement,” Kapy says.
Tour participant from Shropshire Evie Rogers wanted to build on her existing skillset and experience within the dairy sector, and believed seeing different farms and set-ups in New Zealand would help her see a new perspective on dairy farming.
“New Zealand is known as the dairy hub of the world so there’s almost no better place to visit, additionally the knowledge exchange with the people on the tour was really interesting,” Evie says.
The most significant moment of the tour for Evie was the discussion at the LIC Newstead site with staff and the travelling group. The exchange of insights on current and future projects proved to be informative and valuable.
“My favourite insight, and one I will remember clearly was the discussion around slick genetics and what it means for future heat stress in agriculture with climate change taking effect,” Evie says.
With climate change and heat stress increasingly impacting dairy farming in New Zealand and in other parts of the world, LIC has developed a breeding programme aimed at creating high genetic merit dairy cows with improved heat tolerance
For Evie, being surrounded by a diverse group of professionals with varied expertise made the trip a truly positive experience. The opportunity to gain insights into genetics, exchange knowledge, and expand her professional network proved to be immensely valuable for her career.
Cogent and LIC hope to make this an annual event and extend participation to non-LIC customers in the future.
“I think it’s important for both companies. Our genetics are used throughout the UK and Europe and there’s no better way to promote it to farmers than seeing it in the flesh,” Kapy says.
Stay tuned for further insights into the trip, covering areas such as feeding, production, pasture management, animal health, reproduction, and staff management.
