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A goal programming model was developed to support an artificial breeding programme which involves breeding selection and then collection, processing, dispatch and insemination of semen from top genetically proven bulls. Located in New Zealand, Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd's programme rosters bulls for semen collection in order to meet given demand. The first objective of this rostering is to maximise the contribution to dairy farm incomes, through maximising the genetic progress of the national dairy herd. Once this maximum has been fixed, the second ranked objective of maintaining the financial viability of the corporation is maximised. A goal programming model was thus used to assign bull semen to technologies, across specified periods, in order to meet demand and maximise the objective functions. As well as providing a semen allocation system, results showed the number of bulls from which semen is collected can be reduced. In the case of 1991 Holstein-Friesian sires, the model predicted improvement of discounted cashflows to farmers by 5.8%, relative to current practice. This is equivalent to $2.77m nationally. |
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