Master breeder in two decades

Mum Judy is also a key contributor, particularly when it comes to rearing the calves.

Craig has always been interested in breeding and the power of genetics.

“Originally, we just had a commercial herd with some Holsteins and a lot of cross-breeds, and I was always fascinated by the cows that produced more and got in calf with good health, and that is where good genetics make such a difference,” Craig said.

Craig’s interest in Holsteins really took off when he left school in the 1990s and began working full-time on the family farm.

“There were quite a few highly regarded dairy herds in our area back then, and I was always asking questions and people were very generous with the time,” he said.

“When I became a sharefarmer, I bought in one of the best local commercial herds I could find from Mark Taig, who had a herd developed over time by Ron Lawry and I put them (150 cows) through the appendix system along with some of our better cross-breeds,” Craig said.

Over the years, Craig has made occasional purchases of cow families, including the purchase of two embryos from Trav Gilmour.

“I got one pregnancy which resulted in a heifer and that was my first cow family ‘Gretchens’ and they have gone on to be a big part of the herd today.

“Originally, they were not a massive production family but above average for type, fertility and longevity, but overtime they have improved, and they are now up there with the elite.”

A2P2 Gwen, a descendant from the Gretchen family, has a BPI of 772, and is the number three polled female in the country.

He said star brood cow points and lifetime production have always been a driver and is why he was attracted to the Gretchen family.

“Inspiration Gretchen was a renowned cow,” Craig said.

Craig has also purchased genetics from the Walkup Louettas and Plushanski Chief Faith families from Warren and Judy Miles, Calivil Creek Holsteins, who dispersed their herd in 2008.

“These are internationally regarded families with great lifetime productions — the Chief Faiths are known for their dairy strength and both families have been a source of a number of bulls in AI who have been heavily used around the world,” Craig said.

Over the years, Craig has done quite a bit of ET work which has enabled him to sell bulls into AI.

Some bulls of note have been Callister Decipher (who is still in active service today) and Bowyang, but perhaps the best known is Calister Maebull, who came about after Craig purchased some international embryos from an online auction that was finishing up.

“At the time, my son was a very early riser, and I was looking at a catalogue before milking.

“They were at a price I could afford, and even though I knew nothing about bringing them into Australia, I soon learnt.”

The heifer Palermo Macy would go in to classify 88 points and produce well over 5000kg of milk solids. She only retired from the milking herd last year.

Craig also purchased four embryos from the Lila Z family.

“That was when I hit the geneomic pay dirt,” he said.

“One of the heifers was in the top handful of GTPI and GIPI cows outside of America at the time.

“She didn’t give me too many heifers early on, but after a few successful flushes, she gave me a heifer calf every year, and now we have 14 daughters from her in the herd.”

The Lila Z family is now the most prolific in the herd, and the youngest daughter is now a first lactation heifer.

Craig said the Master Breeder recognition was a reflection of a consistent effort to breed cows fitting of his own ideals of a dairy cow.

“We now have all the genetic tools to give cows a healthy and productive life and I just love that I can do that,” Craig said.

He also said the arrival of sexed semen and genetic testing had been a game changer.

“I jumped onto genetic testing early and sexed semen enabled me to retain the top 60 per cent of the herd and rapidly grow the herd – 10 years ago we still had a lot of cross-breed cows,” he said.

“It is amazing how the Holstein breed has progressed, even over my short career.

“When I started there were concerns about where the breed was heading, particularly with fertility and some health traits.

“It really has been highlight how much the Holstein breed has improved and having the ability to select and maintain what you want, without sacrificing the genetic merit means we can really have it all.”

The family milks around 350 registered Holsteins.

The 80ha milking platform consists of a mixture of fescue, plantain, chicory, white clover and 150ha of rye-grass.

“Our grazing area works really well — the cows receive a full feed in the paddock most days and our rotation is big enough to support that,” Craig said.

The pasture system is supported by a fodder and cropping operation which rotates between cereals and vetch.

“Water and people are our most limiting resources, so we have set up our operation with these two factors in mind,” Craig said.

The business employees one full-time and one part-time staff and milking 350 cows to enable the family to cover the workload when staff are on holidays.

The cows are milked in a 50-unit, single operator rotary dairy with cup removers, retention bars and auto teat spray.

The full herd is milked in around 90 minutes minus clean up and getting the cows in.

Craig said he was proud to be a farmer producing a product consumed across the country every single day, and he was proud to operate a dairy business which prioritised animal health and sustainable land practices.