Hi All,
Since about 2010, the rate of genetic progress in our Holstein population has sped up. Estimates are that the rate of progress is 1.5X to 2X what it had been in the previous decade.
What do you see from nutrition and management perspectives as our challenges going forward to get more milk, more components, better health and repro., more net margin out of cows with even more genetic potential than they’ve had in the past?
Related to this and a bit like the old stave barrel analogy – a barrel holds water only up to the level of the lowest stave – can we identify the most limiting factor today to unlocking even better overall performance from high powered Holstein genetics?
Also, the industry took the wrong approach initially and was slow to reverse the downward genetic trends in female reproduction. That said, the trend certainly has been reversed (finally) and great genetic improvements in female fertility have been made. Somatic cell count is another success story with important contributions from genetic selection. Hopefully with the new livability trait (LIV) we can get this death loss/vigor thing to reverse trend as well.
What are you seeing more of in herds today that is concerning you? In calves? In heifer pens?
Marj –
Two opportunities come to mind as I think about future genetic progress…
1. Improved feed efficiency as measured by RFI (residual feed Index)
2. Improved lactation persistency (similar to the way rBST propped up the lactation curve) – this is important becasue IHG (internal herd growth) has become a management problem. Too many replacement heifers, bull calves of little value, and eventually even beef bull calves will saturate the market. If lactation persistency was improved then might we see the upper genetic pool of cows bred for herd replacements and the lower pool not even bred at all, just milked for a long lactation and sold without a costly dry period.
my 2 cents
Both are great suggestions.
As many have heard, there are on-going projects to collect RFI and related data. However, the current initiatives are pretty puny compared to the economic importance of RFI for dairies.
Is there an opportunity here for CWT Consultants to lead on this? I’ve done a bit of a business plan on a service of providing RFI info. for herds.
Look forward to everyone’s feedback on this!