Genomic testing leads to awards gold
04 October 2026
Five years ago, Tasmanian dairy farmers Libby and Anthony Grey wanted to better understand their herd’s genetics – in 2025 they were a gold winner in Dairy Australia’s Australian Milk Quality Awards.
Before starting genomic testing, Anthony was selling all his calves bar his replacement stock for export.
Looking back, he says he had no idea if he was selling his best or worst calves.
“In the first year of genomic testing we had to go back through the calves we were planning to sell and put half of them back in with the keepers when received the results.”
“We were just picking by eye,” he says.
“We thought we knew which ones were the best calves but how we were wrong.
The export market has significantly dropped not long after Anthony had started sending his livestock overseas – he started using Friesian sex semen over the younger heifers with better genetic merit and putting beef semen over all the other cows.
“Instead of putting Friesian semen in all the cows and having too many heifer calves, we now only put Friesian semen over heifers and cows that have been genetically tested,” he explains.
This decision has nearly eliminated surplus calves from the Grey’s property.
“We rear all the beef calves and get them ready for market,” Anthony explains.
“That's the beauty with the genetic testing for us – you can breed from your better cows and just put beef over the lesser ones.”
Anthony and Libby milk 340 cows and each year they need 100 calves for their own replacements.
“In north-west Tasmania, wintertime can be pretty nasty, our place can be very wet,” Anthony says.
With that in mind, Anthony says he avoids huge cows and instead opts for robust, medium framed cows.
The effects of genomic testing were immediate for the Grey family.
“We saw improvements straight away,” he says.
“The testing measures health through udder configuration, milk production and fertility.
“We then use heifers with high scores in these areas to breed, improving the overall genetic merits of the herd.
Anthony says ever since they made these changes production has been up.
“Today our bottom calves have a higher TPI (total production index) that what our top ten had five years ago,” he explains.
While Anthony says it is hard to directly link genomic testing to milk quality, he believes focusing on the testing has played some part in the improvements in production and quality.
“I don’t think it's a coincidence that our milk quality had drastically improved at the same time we started focusing on the results of genetic testing.”
Prioritising genetic testing led to less cows for more milk and an award winning low bulk milk cell count (BMCC) – with the Grey’s receiving gold in Dairy Australia’s Milk Quality Awards in 2025.
The Dairy Australia award recognises dairy farms in the lowest five percent of BMCC during the previous financial year.
The Grey’s average BMCC was 40,000, making them the number one supplier in Tasmania and in the top ten nationally last year.
“We’ve always taken pride in what we do and pride in our milk,” Anthony explains.
“We’re not a huge farm – we’re a small family farm and we know we can’t pump out the most litres or the most kilos, but we can pump out the best quality.”
For more information on milk quality management, including the annual Milk Quality Awards visit Milk Quality and Mastitis.
Looking back, he says he had no idea if he was selling his best or worst calves.
“In the first year of genomic testing we had to go back through the calves we were planning to sell and put half of them back in with the keepers when received the results.”
“We were just picking by eye,” he says.
“We thought we knew which ones were the best calves but how we were wrong.
The export market has significantly dropped not long after Anthony had started sending his livestock overseas – he started using Friesian sex semen over the younger heifers with better genetic merit and putting beef semen over all the other cows.
“Instead of putting Friesian semen in all the cows and having too many heifer calves, we now only put Friesian semen over heifers and cows that have been genetically tested,” he explains.
This decision has nearly eliminated surplus calves from the Grey’s property.
“We rear all the beef calves and get them ready for market,” Anthony explains.
“That's the beauty with the genetic testing for us – you can breed from your better cows and just put beef over the lesser ones.”
Anthony and Libby milk 340 cows and each year they need 100 calves for their own replacements.
“In north-west Tasmania, wintertime can be pretty nasty, our place can be very wet,” Anthony says.
With that in mind, Anthony says he avoids huge cows and instead opts for robust, medium framed cows.
The effects of genomic testing were immediate for the Grey family.
“We saw improvements straight away,” he says.
“The testing measures health through udder configuration, milk production and fertility.
“We then use heifers with high scores in these areas to breed, improving the overall genetic merits of the herd.
Anthony says ever since they made these changes production has been up.
“Today our bottom calves have a higher TPI (total production index) that what our top ten had five years ago,” he explains.
While Anthony says it is hard to directly link genomic testing to milk quality, he believes focusing on the testing has played some part in the improvements in production and quality.
“I don’t think it's a coincidence that our milk quality had drastically improved at the same time we started focusing on the results of genetic testing.”
Prioritising genetic testing led to less cows for more milk and an award winning low bulk milk cell count (BMCC) – with the Grey’s receiving gold in Dairy Australia’s Milk Quality Awards in 2025.
The Dairy Australia award recognises dairy farms in the lowest five percent of BMCC during the previous financial year.
The Grey’s average BMCC was 40,000, making them the number one supplier in Tasmania and in the top ten nationally last year.
“We’ve always taken pride in what we do and pride in our milk,” Anthony explains.
“We’re not a huge farm – we’re a small family farm and we know we can’t pump out the most litres or the most kilos, but we can pump out the best quality.”
For more information on milk quality management, including the annual Milk Quality Awards visit Milk Quality and Mastitis.