At Knapp Farm in Somerset, breeding decisions are made with one goal in mind: efficiency. Over the past six years, this 330-cow dairy farm has refined its breeding strategy to enhance fertility, maximise calf value, and build a more resilient, productive herd. With a strong focus on genetic progress and structured breeding decisions, the farm has developed a system that balances high-performance dairy replacements with a profitable beef strategy.
The farm produces approximately 10,500 litres of milk per cow annually, with impressive constituents averaging 4.45% butterfat and 3.5% protein, figures that significantly benefit their Arla Tesco contract. Their focus on breeding and management has allowed them to rear their own replacements for the past decade, creating a closed herd where only six animals, including one stock bull, were not home bred at the time of our visit.
By working with Cogent’s expert team, Knapp Farm has optimised fertility, maximised calf value, and future-proofed herd management. All while keeping breeding decisions practical and results driven.
The Cogent Partnership
Knapp Farm began their partnership with Cogent six year ago, when farm owner Andrew Creed was interested in the Cogent 4M sexed semen technology. Since then, they have implemented a comprehensive breeding strategy that has yielded consistent improvements. The relationship exemplifies the value of continuity and trust between farmers and Cogent Genetics Consultants (GCs).
"It's more just finding someone that you can have a decent relationship with," explains Andrew. "When something goes wrong, you need to be able to have that conversation about what isn't right and have it sorted out. There's a lot of trust invested in someone because you're allowing them to have quite a big say in what goes on."
That trust allows Andrew to focus on what he enjoys most, spending time with his animals and running a profitable and efficient farm, without having to spend hours agonising over bull selections. The breeding programme is agreed, and the parameters are set so that Andrew can have full trust that the bull selections his GC, Rob Bennett, suggests will be the best for his herd.
Breeding Goals: The Perfect Commercial Holstein
The farm's breeding philosophy centres on creating what they describe as "the perfect cow", a medium-sized commercial Holstein with good production, feet, legs, and teat placement. After noticing their cows were becoming too large and extreme, they shifted focus to developing a slightly smaller cow that creates fewer management challenges.
“We wanted a slightly smaller, more commercial Holstein. Something practical, easy to manage, and productive. That’s exactly what we’re seeing come through now.” Andrew explains.
Sexed and Beef Strategy
Knapp Farm employs a 100% sexed black and white semen strategy for their replacements, avoiding conventional dairy semen entirely. Approximately 50% of their breeding programme utilises sexed beef semen, producing valuable beef-cross calves that create an additional revenue stream.
“For us, sexed beef is a no-brainer. We pay a little extra for a straw, but we’re getting significantly higher returns on the calves.” Andrew explains.
The farm has seen excellent conception rates with this approach, currently achieving 55% conception rate and a pregnancy rate of 32%. Their beef strategy focuses on producing a saleable calf at three weeks old, weighing between 50-60kg.
With the help of Cogent, the farm successfully participated in the Buitelaar Longhorn scheme for several years, which provided price stability and predictability for their beef calves. They also utilise Angus and British Blue genetics through Cogent's sexed beef offering. Sires are selected for easy calving and good growth rates, like Black Bush (Angus) and Odds On & Rhinestone P (British Blues).
Future-Proofing Through Technology
Despite already achieving strong fertility results, Knapp Farm invested in the PrecisionCOW system as what Andrew describes as an "insurance policy" for the future.
"We're really lucky at the moment. We've got quite a small, dedicated team that's switched on with everyone keeping their eyes open. There were still gains to be made, but I see the technology more as an insurance policy. If a member of staff leaves or there's sickness, the system is still working in the background."
The PrecisionCOW collars, powered by Nedap, have complemented their breeding programme by helping detect health issues earlier and providing additional confidence in heat detection. The farm uses the system as a management tool rather than relying on it exclusively, finding that improved nutrition and genetics have resulted in stronger, longer heats in their cows.
Mating Programme and Genetic Progress
PrecisionMAP has been instrumental in guiding breeding decisions at Knapp Farm since the beginning of their partnership with Cogent six years ago. Using the Chromosomal Mating Programme, each in milk animal is scored on 18 traits and matched with selected bulls based on Knapp Farm’s customised index, tailored to their milk contract requirements. This approach allows Cogent to implement a full sexed and beef strategy through PrecisionMAP by identifying high Genetic Merit animals for dairy replacements and allocating lower merit animals for beef breeding.
Knapp Farm has achieved an average annual gain of £59.50 per head in Genetic Merit over the six year partnership with Cogent. These gains translate into significant improvements in milk solids, with the youngest generation producing an additional +270 kg milk and +30 kg fat & protein compared to earlier lactation groups bred entirely through Cogent. This shows the benefit of including the milk contract requirements in the Cogent Customised Index (CCI) within PrecisionMAP, where Andrew can see the upwards trends of each trait that is of value to him and his milk contract.
Knapp Farm has explored genomic testing with Cogent’s guidance, using the results to assess heifer quality and refine breeding decisions. While still in the early stages, this approach has the potential to become a valuable tool for future herd improvement.
A Structured Approach to Calf Rearing
All calves at Knapp Farm are managed through a unified system by a data-driven approach to calf rearing.
All calves are weaned at 56 days using a robotic milk feeder that allocates specific amounts to each calf daily. The farm also utilises Cogent's PrimeSTART Colostrum product as a valuable tool in their calf management strategy.
“Colostrum powder is another tool in the box,” Andrew says “There's nothing worse than a cow calving at half past ten, eleven o'clock at night when you just want to go to bed. With PrimeSTART, you can quickly mix that up and ensure the calf gets what it needs.”
Future Outlook
As a third-generation family farm, Knapp Farm balances tradition with progressive management. Their focus remains on creating a consistent, healthy, and efficient dairy herd that provides less hassle and more satisfaction.
"What excites me is having a nice, tidy herd of cows that I'm proud of," reflects Andrew. "Cows that are consistent and give us less hassle – that's what you want. We want an easier life."
With a clear focus on strategic breeding, herd efficiency, and long-term profitability, Knapp Farm is proving that smart genetic decisions deliver real-world results. With Cogent’s support, they remain committed to continuous improvement and building a herd that’s productive, profitable, and fit for the future.