A.I. & BREEDING

The immune system is the body’s natural defense system that provides protection from a wide range of pathogenic micro-organisms.

Although there is an obvious role that environmental exposure plays in building immunity to specific diseases, the proficiency and robustness of the entire immune system is actually genetically regulated.

Fill in the blank: When making genetic selection decisions, my ultimate goal is to create a ___________ cow. If you filled in the blank with the word “profitable,” a new tool is on the way that will be of interest to you.

Today, dairies of all sizes everywhere are looking for tools that maximize both efficiency and profitability. One of the fastest ways to accomplish both while making rapid genetic and reproductive improvement is with in vitro fertilization (IVF).

These days, if you use A.I. sires as opposed to natural service, it’s practically impossible not to make genetic progress. The bulls offered by A.I. companies are of such caliber that, for the most part, genetic progress heads in one direction – upwards. However, the rate at which a herd makes progress is highly variable.

Do the continually changing industry selection indexes and recent genetic base change have you questioning what that means for your genetic plan?

With the arrival of lower-cost genomic testing options, an increasing number of registered purebred and commercial producers are using these tools for routine sorting and selection applications.