Weighing heifer replacements has been both a labour of love and an eye-opener for Ashburton dairy farmer Andrew Whyte. Andrew and his partner Leigh run a 980-cow dairy unit, rearing 220-250 heifers annually alongside their contract milkers, Jade and Heidi.
“Getting heifer replacement weights right is critical,” says Andrew. “It cost us $450 per head to reach 100kg, and $1,800 per head by the time they enter the herd. That’s too much investment to risk losing.”
Monitoring heifer weight gains – both on-farm and at the graziers – has become significantly easier with a new data integration between Gallagher and LIC. The partnership enables live animal weighing data to flow seamlessly from Gallagher Animal Performance software into MINDA®, LIC’s cloud- based herd management system, eliminating manual entry.
Andrew, who has tracked heifer weights for nearly a decade, says the integration has been a game-changer.
“Previously, logging weights was a manual task, requiring spreadsheet skills. Now, syncing your Gallagher device yard-side instantly updates MINDA, ensuring the data is captured and actionable in real-time.”
A 2020 LIC, Lincoln, and Massey University study on 190,000 New Zealand dairy heifers confirmed a strong link between pre-mating body weight and longevity in the herd. Heavier heifers at 6, 12, and 15 months were more likely to remain in the herd for multiple lactations and calve earlier.
Andrew also found that every percentage gain toward the 22-month liveweight target adds 2kg of milksolids in the first lactation. With real-time access to weight data, he can make timely decisions, such as drafting out underperforming heifers for targeted management.
“Having the data at your fingertips means you and your grazier can have proactive conversations right away, rather than days later,” he explains. “It helps keep animals on track before issues arise.”
Andrew believes this streamlined integration will encourage more farmers to weigh their young stock.
“Gallagher and LIC’s work makes it easier for farmers to record and manage data, helping improve replacement heifer performance.”
The real benefit, Andrew says, is stronger relationships with graziers.
“Now, when I tell them, ‘These are the best heifers I’ve ever seen,’ I have the weight data to prove it.”
Contact the Gallagher team to discuss a solution for tracking your heifer replacement weights and the benefits of integrating with LIC’s MINDA.