Jersey Conference

LIC is a world-leader in the provision of artificial breeding services to the pastoral dairy sector, so it makes perfect sense for the farmer-owned cooperative to be a ‘gold’ sponsor of the 19th international ‘Hooked on Jersey’ conference.

The conference, staged by the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, is being held in New Zealand from 6th to 26th February 2011.

Delegates from around the world will gather to share knowledge and learn about best practice in the pastoral dairying sector, and, more specifically, how the profitability of the Jersey cow can be further improved.

This ties in well with one of LIC’s most significant business activities – genetically improving the performance of the Jersey breed in milking herds throughout New Zealand.

The 20-day ‘Hooked on Jerseys’ event is broken in to three parts: A pre-study tour, the formal conference tour, and the study-tour.

The conference tour is the focal point and takes place in Hamilton, the same city in which LIC’s head office and main bull farm is located.

Opening with a visit of LIC’s Newstead bull farm, a unique technique to collect semen from elite Jersey, Holstein-Fresian, and cross-bred bulls is likely to attract much interest (the semen is subsequently distributed throughout New Zealand or exported to overseas markets).

Adjacent to the bull farm is LIC’s laboratory, which provides the leading-edge solutions to the herd improvement process – such as the development and utilisation of genomic (DNA) technology.

Herd visits are the main focus of the study tours, although options provide for the chance to also experience New Zealand’s tourism hotspots – including Rotorua, Queenstown, and Franz Josef glacier.

For more information and to register online from 1 June 2010, see www.jersey.org.nz