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What’s an extra month of longevity worth? |
Good Type alone won’t make
your cows last longer...
Selection for longer-living cows means
embracing health and management traits!
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For nearly a half century, breeders and A.I. companies have worked diligently to improve the production potential in the Holstein cow. A great deal of effort has been invested in changing her Conformation traits, resulting in more angular and more refined cows. There’s been dramatic improvement to udder shape, and feet & leg characteristics too. While dramatic progress on numerous fronts is undisputed, many believe it has come at a cost to overall cow fitness and vigor. In fact, today more and more producers are reducing their emphasis on production traits, so that greater attention can be directed to cow health and survival. Now-a-days, more convincing arguments are presented that favor moderate-framed cows with excellent udders and strong feet and legs. Traits like Productive Life, Daughter Pregnancy Rate, Somatic Cell Score, Calving Ease and Daughter Calving Ease are increasingly being looked upon by progressive-minded producers as the way to develop longer-living cows. To aid producers in that quest, Alta has taken an innovative approach to create its own selection index for Health traits, and designating this sire listing - Alta Healthplus. |
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“In the herds I work with, cow health and longevity issues are increasingly becoming a focal point. Replacement rearing costs are high and cows that last longer clearly deliver more profitability. That’s why I have been so vocal about the need to emphasize health traits to a greater degree in our breeding programs, and going for excellence requires the right program like - Healthplus. I really like the Health index that Alta has developed and I feel it emphasizes the right traits. Many of the bulls that have been identified as Healthplus sires are bulls that I am recommending to dairy producers for use in their herds.” |
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Internationally renown cowman |
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“As a researcher, I’m excited about what’s being done with Alta’s Advantage program. The growing health data-base is the best of its kind and a great resource for the industry -not only for the leadership in creating the Healthplus index, but for ongoing research into many other important health and fitness traits.” |
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Associate Prof. & Extension Geneticist |
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