News September - October 2020
Selecting for mastitis resistance by Jess Jakubik, Genetic Consultant, CentralStar Cooperative
As our industry has changed, so have the genetic traits you can select for your herd. While TPI® and Net Merit (NM$) have long been the standard, many producers CentralStar works with are placing more emphasis on health and wellness traits in their genetic selection process.
Production and functional type traits have improved greatly with the advent of genomics, creating cattle that yield more dollars in the bulk tank and have the structure needed to last in the herd. In recent years, this has led producers to place more emphasis on selecting for a healthier cow that makes more money and
WT$ Relative Value (%)
saves more in the form of reduced vet bills and costly recovery time.
by Zoetis, DWP$ and WT$ combine real-world economics with genetic evaluation data.
If you are among those that are interested in intensifying your selection for health traits, such as mastitis resistance, it may be time to use Dairy Wellness Profit® (DWP$) and Wellness Trait® (WT$) as selection indexes. Developed
That said, don’t make a rash decision. Genetic selection for your herd is extremely important and complex so meet with your CentralStar team to create a plan that best fits all of the genetic goals for your herd.
DWP$ Relative Value (%) Calf Wellness Traits
Lameness Mastitis
Ketosis DA RP
Metritis
WT$ focus is a combination of the six cow wellness traits (mastitis, lameness, metritis, retained placenta, displaced abomasum and ketosis) along with polled to directly estimate the additional dollars these traits contribute to overall profit.
Cow Wellness
Mastitis, Lameness, Metritis, RP, DA, Ketosis, Milk Fever, Respiratory Disease
Longevity, Milk Quality, Calving
Production
Fertility
Functional Type DWP$ acts similarly to TPI and NM$ as it combines traits for an overall rating, however it has added emphasis on health traits. Fifty-four percent of DWP$ is comprised of production, fertility, longevity, health and wellness traits, compared to only 40 percent in NM$.
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BREED FOR HEALTHIER, LONGER-LIVED COWS
With Dairy Wellness Profit Index
Using Dairy Wellness Profit (DWP$) as a selection index allows you to capture more lifetime production from healthier, longer-lived cows. Fifty-four percent of DWP$ is comprised of production, fertility, longevity, health and wellness traits compared to 40 percent in Net Merit (NM$).
DWP$
SEXED
14HO13666 DELROY
Cow Wellness
Longevity, Milk Quality, Calving
DWP$ NM$
Milk
CFP
PL
BETA ZLAME CASEIN
ZMAST
Progeny Proven Sires
Calf Wellness Traits
Mastitis, Lameness, Metritis, RP, DA, Ketosis, Milk Fever, Respiratory Disease
SIRE
Production
14HO7828 ODIN
7HO13454 ROCKETFIRE
7HO12659 PASSAT
7HO13253 VERTEX
7HO12788 FRAZZLED
932 913 868 845 755 736
679
1,420 141
4.3
A1A1
106
103
665
584 146
3.6
A2A2
106
107
755
2,793 146
6.6
A2A2
98
95
659
1,186 117
5.4
A2A2
102
102
526
1,895 108
2.7
A2A2
100
103
667
1,707 118
5.7
A2A2
99
96
1145 1099 1055 1048 1048 1030 1018 986
765
1,360 122
6.7
A2A2
101
107
752
995 112
7.6
A1A2
106
106
681
1,614 147
4.6
A1A2
105
108
751
1,077 134
6.1
A2A2
103
100
680
1,803 113
6.9
A1A2
102
104
737
1,385 132
6.3
A1A2
103
100
776
2,063 161
3.7
A1A2
99
97
626
1,607 105
5.5
A2A2
101
104
GForce™ Sires
Fertility
Functional Type DWP$ directly estimates the potential profit contribution an individual animal will pass along to the next generation. Selecting for DWP$ has been shown to have greater lifetime milk/fat/protein production than selecting for NM$. Ask your CentralStar team about the benefit of using DWP$ as a selection index.
7HO15198 JIMBO
14HO14453 ARROWHEAD
14HO14202 DECLAN
14HO14226 ROME
7HO14436 BIG DOLLARS
7HO14951 STANNIS
7HO14320 ALPHABET 7HO14991 PIERRE-P
08/20 CDCB/HA/Zoetis Genomic Evaluations. ®DWP$ is a registered trademark of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or its licensors. Visit www.selectsires.com for complete information, including sire reliabilities.
800.631.3510 • mycentralstar.com