The team consists of 31 heifers, from 17 breeders, selected to make a lasting impact on the artificial insemination industry and the Holstein Friesian breed.
Mr Bruin, of Meander Holsteins in Otautau, said he had heifers selected in every team since the project was launched 20 years ago.
The pursuit of breeding better dairy cattle continues to motivate him. "It keeps me going."
A Holstein Friesian New Zealand spokeswoman said the project, a joint venture between HFNZ and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), aimed to support the opportunity for breeders to develop top cow families and breed bulls for the artificial insemination industry.
Each year, members of HFNZ were invited to nominate their high-breeding worth heifer calves for the project. More than 150 nominations were received for the 2023 team, with 62 selected for genomic testing by the Discovery Project Committee.
Heifers undergo a meticulous evaluation to identify those with the highest potential for genetic excellence.
Advanced breeding technologies such as genomic testing, embryo transfer and trans-vaginal recovery select the best heifers of potential bull-dam standard early on in their lives, allowing all breeders the opportunity to have their pedigree Holstein Friesian bulls recognised by the industry.
The approach ensured only the most exceptional heifers were chosen, in line with the programme’s commitment to advancing the Holstein Friesian breed. Any heifer calves born within the project were free from any breeding restriction with LIC and could be nominated and screened in the hope they would be eligible to re-populate the programme.
The project has been successful since its inception, she said.
Discovery Project teams delivered a total of 73 sires into LIC’s Sire Proving Programme between 2013 and 2020. Of those, 17 of these sires went on to graduate into LIC teams.
In 2022, LIC purchased six bulls from the 2020 Discovery Project team to join its Sire Proving Scheme for the 2022/23 season.
