Delegates told breeding indices for dairy cattle needs to be overhauled

Breeding indices for dairy cattle need to be overhauled to make the information easier to understand and more relevant to today’s economic environment, delegates have been told.

Tim Gue, who runs a 350-cow unit at Steyning, West Sussex, said breed companies could make life easier for producers looking to select semen from dairy sires, he said.

PIN, PLI and Type Merit have proved their worth, but some figures still mislead, he said. “Data for bulls sees an average (UK) index of -3.5 for fertility. Why don’t breeding companies make this figure more usable, for example, setting the average to zero or 100 by which producers could get a better gauge?”

Expanding bull data

The use of key figures – including the updated Type Merit that, he suggested, is now more in line with PLI data – are the foundation of breeding decisions. “But with so much choice I recommend using tools such as Holstein UK’s Bull Selector to act as a filter to narrow down that choice – it makes selection easier.”

On Mr Gue’s wish list was the expansion of bull data to include information on calving ease and longevity. “Whatever you do, use tools that make life easier and don’t be influenced by the market or fashion. As breeder John Loftus once told me selecting a bull to use on a good cow is often a damage limitation exercise.”