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Show vs. Production Cattle

Exploring Dairy Cattle Genetics: Show and Production Dairy Cattle

Carriel Schmitt and Bryant Stuttle

A little Background on Dairy Show Cows:

Dairy producers have been showing cows for many years. It has been developed into a very large competition that has become worldwide. People do it for marketing purposes, but also they do it as a hobby. Producers have made the show ring one of their biggest life passions. This makes them want to have the best cows that they can have. Due to this they make sure that the cows are always getting the best care that they can no matter the circumstances. Even though having cows tied up may seem to be irrational, the cows actually enjoy the environment very much. The cows are put on very special diets with food that would be comparable to desserts, but with great nutritional value. Also show cows are constantly being bathed so they are cleaned and well groomed. Furthermore, show cows are put on the best beds possible to make sure that they are as comfortable as they can be. With all of this being said show cows are a good thing for the animals and producers alike.

Dairy Show Cow Breeding Methods:

Breeding for show type uses a few different indexes and criteria than other breeding programs. Producers like to select for certain traits that re more useful in getting the cows to look more functional in the show ring. Some big traits they select for are udder composite, feet and leg composite, stature, dairy strength, depth and openness of rib, and type. Breeding for cows that are high in these traits will hopefully make a heifer and cow that are taller, longer, have finer bones, bigger front ends, wider through their whole body, and have a well attached udder that does not sway or sag. The ideal show cow is hard to breed, but it can be done with hard work and persistence.

show cattleWorld-class-dairy-cattle-showIMG_5421

On-Farm Use of Genomic Data to Meet Farm Goals:

Genomic information provides producers with more than just phenotypic traits (traits that are observed), it allows them to better understand the best mating option considering genomic traits such as production and performance, health, size and longevity. Unlike show cow breeding programs, many producers focus their efforts utilizing different criteria to achieve their farm and production goals. One of the top genomic indexes that producers consider are performance-based indexes. These include net merit, TPI (for Holsteins) and JPI (for Jerseys). All three of these performance indexes are based on production first, health second and then conformation genomic data. In addition to performance-based genomic indexes production is another area that producers focus their attention on when breeding cows. Production traits include milk (lbs), fat (lbs), fat %, protein (lbs) and protein % which are all based on the total amount produced during a 305 day lactation.

  • Net Merit
    • Calculated as the parent transmitting ability multiplied by the economic value
    • Is the primary performance index calculated by CDBC (research by USDA)
    • As shown in the diagram below, Production traits represent 44%, Health traits represent 40% and finally, Type/Conformation traits represent 16%

Picture2

  • TPI a Holstein index is made of 46% Production traits, 28% Health, and 26% Conformation traits

Picture310_Cow laying in freestall bed

  • JPI, an index used for Jerseys is based on 58% Production traits, 27% Health, and 15% on Conformation traits

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Other genomic data that producers utilize when making breeding decisions on-farm are health traits, reproductive traits, and type traits. For health, disease susceptibility and productive life (a cow’s genetic capability to productively in the herd) indicate to the farmer, the best information to achieve a herd that will be hardier and more productive overall. Reproductive traits are useful for producers to also consider because if a cow has a difficult birth, it can affect her productivity and inhibit her ability to perform her best. Genomic reproductive traits include the predicted conception rates for daughters, heifers and cows, calving ease, which is the genetic ability of the animal to birth calves with little difficulty, and the predicted still birth occurrence, which is the tendency of calves to be still born or die within the first 48 hours. In addition to health and reproductive traits, farmers also consider type traits as well which include, udder placement, teat position, feet and leg composition, body size, just to name a few. Today it has actually become a common goal among producers to select for smaller animals, in terms of body size.

All of this only scratches the surface! Farmers also select for and against traits such as the color red, polled (no horns), milk proteins, genetic conditions, feed efficiency, fertility, and cheese, fluid and grazing merit. Overall genomic testing animals and using that information to manage breeding on-farm benefits the dairy industry and has made farms and cows in general more efficient.

Interested in learning more? Explore dairy cattle genetics further at:

Photo credit to:

The Bullvine, 2013, World Dairy Expo, 2014, FarmTek, 2014, Bonnie Mohr, 2016, Dutch Hollow Dairy, 2015, Huson Cornell University Dairy Genetics, 2016

© 2015 Cornell University