Investments in Genetics pay Real Dividends

Identification of and aggressive selection for traits of economic importance deliver sustained benefits

As herd sizes continue to expand challenges to maintaining good reproductive performance have been well documented. Many dairies experiencing such growth have implemented a bevy of management regimes to deal with these challenges, creating protocols and procedures that help ward off disasters. All the while, the role of genetic selection as a key driver to success appears to have taken a back seat. So what’s the deal? Do producers truly believe that a cow is a cow, is a cow?

The fact is that genetic selection still delivers a big bang for the buck – bigger than the return on most other investments on a dairy.

Who could blame a producer for moving down the price and hence genetic quality ladder if it takes 5 or more services to get a cow pregnant? And who could fault the producer in such instances for focusing primarily on highly fertile semen? Still, while a focus on management can get repro performance back on track, it cannot provide the permanent additive gain for an important trait like Daughter Pregnancy Rate, that genetics can. The power of genetic selection is immense.

You get what you select for...

That’s a statement as true today as it ever was. Imagine a herd of 1000 cows with 100 milking daughters of two different bulls one higher by 30 lbs for CFP (Combined Fat + Protein) with the higher rated bull also predicted to deliver an extra month of Productive Life and a 1% higher Daughter Pregnancy Rate. The lower rated bull on the other hand was perceived to be a bargain at the time of purchase, with a price tag $10 cheaper per dose than the high genetic merit sire. Even at 5 services per conception with an extra $100 investment per daughter the high genetic merit sire generates better returns by a wide margin. At three services per conception the extra profitability of the higher genetic merit balloons to nearly $100 per animal!

Skeptical? Why not check this out on your own dairy? Using your farm management software, compare the daughters groups for two bulls you used heavily five years ago. Look at the production differences between them. Look also at such things as average length of productive life, at the average days open, at mastitis incidence rates. Apply your own estimations for costs and for production revenue and see if you don’t come to the same conclusion: genetic selection provides an impressive return on investment.

Article contributed by Paul Meyer

Returns from Higher Genetic Merit Bull

Click here for a printable version of this article (PDF)

For more herd management articles click here

Posted Jun 26th

<< Back to Top