Ben McConnell runs multiple herds near Hinds in mid-Canterbury, and mastitis resistance in his herd has long been a priority on-farm.
When World Wide Sires approached him to join a study validating mastitis-resistant cow traits, his operation was a natural fit.
Mastitis is one of the leading courses of udder breakdowns and research bears this out.
World Wide Sires New Zealand’s mastitis resistance study
The research study aimed to validate the cow traits behind World Wide Sires’ Mastitis ResistantPRO® designation. Across 28 herds, participants recorded clinical mastitis cases in detail and herd-tested regularly for somatic cell count (SCC). McConnell’s operation contributed two of those herds.
His team’s existing focus on SCC management and consistent herd-testing records made participation straightforward. The data generated through the study confirmed what careful on-farm work had already suggested.
What the results showed
McConnell’s SCC figures for the season reflected the attention his team puts into udder health. The herd averaged an SCC of 58 in January, with a season-to-date average of 75 sent to the factory.
The study also reinforced the genetic side of those results. A clear link was visible between the WWS Mastitis and SCS traits and both clinical case rates and SCC threshold outcomes across the cohort. For McConnell, that confirmed something his breeding decisions had pointed toward over time: genetics play a measurable role in what happens at the udder.
Sire selection and mastitis resistance
Mating season looks different when farmers carry more information into it. McConnell found that selecting Mastitis ResistantPRO® designated sires gave his team a more evidence-based starting point for those decisions.
Around the world, World Wide Sires’ Mastitis ResistantPRO® programme identifies sires whose daughters are predicted to show lower SCC and reduced clinical mastitis incidence. The designation draws on validated genetic indices, giving farmers a selection tool grounded in real herd performance data rather than estimates alone.
The study is part of World Wide Sires’ ongoing research into genetic efficiency, equipping kiwi farmers with more tools and knowledge to make more informed breeding decisions on-farm.
For McConnell, the study made the genetic link more visible. Farmers selecting for mastitis resistance can make progress on clinical case rates and SCC at the same time, because both outcomes trace back to the same underlying traits.
Putting it together
On-farm management matters, but genetics work alongside it. McConnell’s experience shows that consistent SCC focus and targeted sire selection reinforce each other — and the results show up in the data.
