Management
Feed Efficiency – The most important project for Holstein breeding in the coming years
In April 2015, Australia was the first country in the world that published a breeding value for feed efficiency. The Netherlands followed in December 2020, and since April the USA...
Get Acquainted with Herdbooks Worldwide: South Africa Holstein
South Africa has among the largest average herd size of any country worldwide. Of all animals registered by South Africa Holstein, 97% are the result of imported semen, producing a...
World Wide Sires: Assisting Farmers to Get the Most out of their Genetic Investment
This year, World Wide Sires celebrates its 50th anniversary. Established by the Californian Holstein breeder and entrepreneur Bill Clark in 1971, WWS has been the international representative for all American...
Spastic Paresis; costly defect in dairy cows
In recent years, there has been necessary attention for the increasingly straighter rear leg position in Holsteins. Too often we see young animals that have much straighter rear legs than...
Outcross - Fad or Value?
This month our regular guest-writer – An American Dairyman – is wondering how to make outcross work: And how to get value from outcross. Levels of inbreeding percentage are increasing...
Heat Stress: A Major Issue for the Modern Dairy Cow
It may well seem like your cows are becoming less able to deal with the stress of a hot summer’s day – feed intake drops, respiration rates go up, and...
aAa Animal Analysis: Systematic Breeding Guide to Help Make Better Breeding Decisions
There is a wealth of information available to help select the right bulls to use in your herd: Total merit rankings, genomics, linear traits, pedigree and cow family information… the...
Farmersbid.com – A new online auction service provider with lots of expertise
For years, live streaming and online bidding have been standard practice for auctions worldwide. The current Coronavirus pandemic has made the trend even more popular. And the experiences have largely...
Beef-on-Dairy Programs Evolution & Genetics Hokkaido
The surge in use of beef bulls on lower genetic merit dairy cows continues to grow, and part of the evolution in this market is the use of male sexed...
Linebreeding at an Elite Level: ‘If You Have Something Really Good, Intensify That.’
What follows is a special story: About a special breeder: One who is not concerned in the least with the aspect of “inbreeding”. Armed with a tremendous treasure of pedigree...
Why are people losing interest in genetics? Genetic Income Opportunities
Since the breakthrough of genomics in 2008, the situation in the breeding industry has clearly changed. Our regular guest writer, An American Dairyman, is taking a look at it and...
The Value of Index Conversions
Holstein breeding is a truly international industry. Thousands of bulls enter AI studs around the globe every year. How do you know which ones are the best for your breeding...