Breeding Long-Lived Cows: Guest Blogger, ABS Global
Holstein World: This week we will be visiting with Marj Faust, Director of External Research, and Dick Smith, Sire Analyst & Director of Dairy Sire Selection, of ABS Global, Inc. This conversation was initiated because of the popular response we received from our readers regarding a recent article published in the Fall/Winter 2006 ABS Newsletter regarding Productive Life. We look forward to a very informative and interesting week ahead!
Holstein World: What prompted ABS to write the article? What is the link to the online ABS article?
Marj & Dick: Click on the link below and then in the 2007 section, click on the link: “Breed Long Lasting Cows”
http://www.absglobal.com/tech_serv/resources/dairy/geneticmanagement.phtml
The team at ABS feels that we have a responsibility to listen to our customers and to deliver the types of genetics that will help them to reach their individual goals. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority of dairies have been telling us that they want high producing cows that also are healthy, fertile, durable, and longer lasting. Some may argue that today’s task is more challenging. However, now there are more and better genetic ‘tools’ to aid our selection decision-making, including genetic values for traits such as female fertility, longevity, mastitis/somatic cells, calving ease traits, stillbirth traits, composites, yield, and linear traits. In response to our customers, we have taken the steps necessary to assure genetic progress in these traits - traits associated with efficiencies and reducing dairy farm costs – as well as in production traits.
In addition to deliver this type of complete genetic package, the ABS team has had to gain a better understanding of the whole cow, instead of just doing “more of the same” or focusing on a few highly heritable (and easier to change) traits. Through this process, we have come to realize that the industry is a new era – we have changed the cow, changed her environment, changed how she is managed, and further have changed what we expect from her. The article is a discussion about what we have learned that is important in order to breed for more durable, more long lasting, and more profitable cows in this new industry era.
Holstein World: How has the shift in breeding for health traits affected the ABS sire lineup?
Marj & Dick: Slowly. Genetic Evaluations for Somatic Cell Score and Productive Life have been available since 1994. As we monitor and analyze sales data we can see a slow, gradual yet steady trend indicating that these traits, and newer health/longevity traits such as fertility (expressed as Daughter Pregnancy Rate) are becoming more significantly correlated with semen purchase decisions by our customers.
In many ways Regancrest RBK DIE-HARD has become the poster boy for health and longevity traits at ABS. In calendar 2006 he was by far our most heavily used 2nd crop bull in the US. Now 12 years old, we can say with confidence that all of our major competitors in the US will sample DIE-HARD sons in 2007. This is extremely unusual to have a bull surface as sire of sons at 12 years of age. Clearly, his genetic attributes have not changed in recent years. Rather, the growing importance of his attributes (Longevity, Fertility and Calving Ease) has brought the bull to the forefront.
In 2007 we can expect DIE-HARD and End-Road PVF BOLIVER to be in extremely high demand and competing for the honor of our most popular 2nd crop bull. Both bulls excel in the health and longevity traits. Their demand and popularity in the market reflects growing interest in these traits by our customers.
Both of these bulls have been found to rank in the best 10% of the Active AI bulls for November 2006 in their ability to reduce the genetic component of stillbirths by their daughters. In other words, daughters of these bulls are less likely to produce calves born dead than 90% of the sib-groups sired by other Active AI bulls.
Stillbirths are yet another reproductive challenge facing the Holstein breed. We know now that when Jerseys and Holsteins are housed together and managed alike on the same dairy that the Jersey cows will breed back more quickly and require fewer services to do so. We know that the frequency of stillbirths (calves born dead) is much higher in Holsteins than in Jerseys. And, we know that certain bloodlines within the Holstein breed are responsible for an inordinate portion of these calves born dead.
It is unfortunate that Holstein USA has not yet seen fit to recognize the economic consequences of calves born dead and include the valuable stillbirth evaluations in the sire ranking designed and recognized by the Holstein Association (TPI).