A.I. & Breeding

Today, there are many tools a dairy producer can use to influence the rate of genetic change and have lasting effects on the performance of their herd. Over the last decade, the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has steadily increased.

Genetic theories are complicated. Choosing a package of genetics to create more profitable cows doesn’t need to be. The dairy genetics industry has done a nice job creating an overwhelming number of traits from which dairy producers can select. In fact, there are over 70 selection traits. Nobody has time for that.

If you feed dairy cows, at some point, in some way, you will deal with the negative effects of mycotoxins on animal health and performance. The challenge often lies with the degree, since symptoms of mycotoxin contamination are wide-ranging, often nonspecific and may be seemingly unrelated.

Genetic selection is not a quick fix for reducing occurrences of prevalent diseases facing today’s dairymen. Nevertheless, it demands to be a part of the discussion. Genetic selection should be viewed as an investment in the herd for the long term because compounding effects over generations are realized only with time.

There’s no other dairy farm in the world exactly like yours. So it should be logical that no single standard genetic index will fit the goals of all dairy producers.

Making it to the top in the ultra-competitive world of Holstein genomics is a tough game. Do it once, and they might call you lucky. But rank among the best year after year? That’s another thing altogether.