Arguably the highest Breeding Worth (BW) group of crossbreds to sell in New Zealand to date will be marketed in the Topcross Limited Edition Sale in late March 2026.

The South Canterbury operation is contract milked by Philip and Julia Harrison with Philip’s brother, John, in the 2IC position. Philip, 26, and Julia are moving on to a new employment opportunity next season as they work towards their ultimate goal of farm ownership.

For the last two years they have milked 475 cows on 150 hectares for Steve and Nina Ireland, at Clandeboye, averaging 490kgMS per cow on the predominately registered Jersey herd.

Philip, Julia and Jack Harrison are preparing to take the next step in their dairying career next season. Their Topcross Limited Edition Sale is planned for late March and will involve some of New Zealand’s top Breed Worth animals. Photo: Mud Media.

Philip, Julie and John are represented within the operation under their Topcross Genetics banner. They specialise in breeding elite crossbreds, and have had a number of bulls accepted into LIC’s sire programme. They also work with a smattering of registered Holstein Friesians.

To help fund the step up to their next position they have chosen to sell a select group of their top individuals for sale in an online auction through bidr. It includes LIC bull dams from the Topcross prefix – with productions to 626kgMS in 283 days - a group average Breeding Worth (BW) of 420 - and an average group Production Worth (PW) of 450.

“We've spent a lot of money on the genetics for quite a few years now, and because we're moving farms, and we thought it's time to sell a few and to also get our genetics out there. We will also include some embryo packages,” Philip said

“We are passionate about breeding a high index cow with exceptional type, ideally suited to the New Zealand dairy system with a focus on production, udders, and capacity.”

The headliners include Topcross SCN Tiana, a smart three-year-old – sired by Stony Creek Neptune – with two sons in LIC and a big profile. The F9 J7 three-year-old has a BW of 458, a PW of 508 (a SCC of 8) and she comes from a deep production family. Her two-year-old production was 433kgMS in 254 days and she has 278kgMS in 114 days continuing this season. Her six-year-old dam, Topcross GKP Talia, has got 388kgMS up in 130 days continuing this season. Talia’s strongest completed production was 670kg MS in 305 days. Tiana’s third dam completed 799kg MS in 305 days. Tiana’s maternal sister, sired by Trademark, also sells.

*Topcross SCN Tiana sells. Photo: Mud Media.*

Another exciting young animal is Topcross PD Legacy, a rising two-year-old with a BW of 544 and a PW of 507. She carries an Udder Breeding Value of 1.4 and a Fertility Breeding Value of 5.3.

“Her dam scored 9 for udder last season and there is a lot to like about this heifer with that high production and great fertility,” Philip said.

*L-R: Topcross Alias Lynn sells and there are embryo packages available from bull dam Topcross BP Pocahontas. Photo: Mud Media.*

Management decision lifts production

Philip said they put great emphasis on growing their young stock and they are offered pellets adlib throughout their critical growing phases.

This is a Halter farm with the partnership putting their faith in virtual fencing to save labour costs and to ease management in general.

The benefit for this passionate operation is that Philip and John have a strong focus on cowmanship. It has allowed them to make the most of the technology without losing touch with their cows. It has also allowed them to manage the property with one additional half labour unit (while also including a wood splitting side hustle).

This season they split the herd into two after their Halter representative suggested teaming the two and three-year-olds together with the balance of the mixed age and mature cows making up the second herd.

Philip admitted that initially they had hesitated.

“It sounded like more work and we expected it to be a bit of a pain, if I’m honest,” Philip said.

However, the advantage of having data is that the results arrive in black and white.

By splitting their herd into the two and three-year-olds in one herd, with the mature cows in another, production on the young cows has jumped – peaking at 2.8kg MS on the top three-year-olds this spring. Photo: Mud Media.

“The two-year-olds are doing a lot better this season in general, and when we weighed them recently, they were about 20kg heavier than last year’s two-year-olds at the same time,” Philip said.

“The other surprising result is that the three-year-olds were averaging almost as much production as the mature herd. At peak the mature cows were averaging just over 2.12kgMS [per cow per day] and the three-year-olds are right on their heels at 2.1kgMS.

“Perhaps the biggest surprise for me within those numbers was at that top end of the three-year-olds, five of them were doing 2.8kgMS a day on grass with 1kg of a DDG blend (no palm kernel) fed in the shed.”

Philip said they also fed roughly four kilograms [DM] of grass silage during peak production.

When it came to reproduction, this year’s two-year-olds had a four percent higher three-week submission rate this season. The three-year-olds were six percent higher.

*John Harrison, the 2IC, is planning to step back for a bit. He is pictured with Busybrook Icarus Carrie, who sells. Photo: Mud Media.*

Even though this is an inaugural sale for a young couple, they have decided to donate a percentage of the sale proceeds to two charities. One is the “Meet the need”(a farmer-founded & farmer-led charity that supplies quality protein in milk and meat to people in need) and the other is Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand. The second involves effort as well because In May 2026 Julia will race up the Skytower in Auckland as part of the Firefighter Skytower Challenge (also for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer).

Topcross Genetics will sell online only through bidr with PGG Wrightson’s Bernie Cox in early March. There will be more photos and videos following. For more information, follow Topcross Genetics on Facebook or contact Bernie Cox (PGG Wrightson): 027 477 0551 or email: bernie.cox@pggwrightson.co.nz