Breeding for increased numbers of heifers has become popular for dairy farmers wanting more from their top cows.

An increasing number of farmers are considering sorted semen as a tool to get more from their herd improvement programme, getting replacement heifers from high genetic merit heifers and top producing cows.

There are also significant benefits for farmers in using sorted semen to reduce their number of bobby calves and potentially have easier calvings for heifers. Decisions based on animal welfare outcomes is becoming an increasingly important consideration.

Rosanna talks about the ins and outs of sexed semen with Marleen Broekhuijse from CRV HQ in The Netherlands and Canterbury dairy farmer Ian Hopping.