There are many things to look at in terms of data when it comes to selecting genetics. Traits, indexes, milk proteins, fertility, and… What do they all mean and how do you use them within your dairy? We’re here to explain dairy trait terminology. Use this as a resource to help you better understand what each trait, index, or other selection factors describe. Then, use it to understand the meaning of the values given on a bull proof as seen on ABS Bull Search or a female genomic evaluation result.
Today’s U.S. dairy genetic evaluations are computed in April, August, and December by the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Holstein Association USA, and American Jersey Cattle Association. For Holstein and Jersey sires, evaluations are genomically enhanced and represent a blending of genomic data, pedigree information, and results from progeny.
Industry Traits
PRODUCTION
MILK (Milk LBS)
- Expected second-lactation milk production in pounds compared to breed average.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increased Milk LBS
FAT (Fat LBS)
- Expected second-lactation fat production in pounds compared to breed average.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increased Fat LBS
PRO (Protein LBS)
- Expected second-lactation protein production in pounds compared to breed average.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increased Protein LBS
HEALTH AND FERTILITY
PL (Productive Life)
- Expressed as additional months of life in the milking string.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Lifetime Days in Milk
LIV (Livability)
- Represents the additional percentage of cows that avoid dying on the farm, permitting producers to recoup disposal income.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Decrease Mortality Rate
DPR (Daughter Pregnancy Rate)
- Percentage of non pregnant cows that become pregnant during each 21-day period, compared to breed average. Trait using a 50-day voluntary wait period. A DPR of 1 implies daughters from the bull will on average 4 fewer days open in their lactation.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Decrease Days Open
SCS (Somatic Cell Score)
- Uses somatic cell score data from the first five lactations as an indicator of mastitis resistance.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Somatic Cell Count (SCC)
HCR (Heifer Conception Rate)
- Percentage of inseminated heifers that become pregnant at each service; shown as a deviation in percentage.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Conception Rate
CCR (Cow Conception Rate)
- Percentage of inseminated cows that become pregnant at each service; shown as a deviation in percentage. For example, a bull with a CCR value of 1 implies that the conception rate for his daughters will likely be 1% higher during the lactation than daughters of a bull with an evaluation of 0.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Conception Rate
FS (Feed Saved)
- The expected pounds of feed saved per lactation based on body weight composite (BWC) and residual feed intake (RFI) evaluations. Larger, positive values are more favorable. This composite trait favors animals with lower BWC.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Feed Efficiency
RFI (Residual Feed Intake)
- The difference between the actual and expected feed in-take expressed in pounds of dry matter consumed per lactation. Lower values are considered desirable.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Feed Consumed
CDN MSP (Canadian Milking Speed)
- First lactation daughters expected to be appraised as “Average” or “Fast” for milking speed. Average=100, standard deviation=5
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase milking speed efficiency without reducing udder health
CDN MT (Canadian Milking Temperament)
- The temperament of first lactation cows at milking time. Average=100, standard deviation=5
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase the number of cows that are “Calm” or “Very Calm” while being milked
AHI (ABS Health Index)
- A composite index that includes mastitis, metritis, ketosis, displaced abomasum, hypocalcemia, retained placenta, twinning rate and heifer survival. Average = 100, standard deviation = 5.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Decrease Health Issues
CALVING TRAITS
SCE (Sire Calving Ease)
- Percentage of difficult births expected in first calf heifers.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Direct Estimate of Difficult Calvings
DCE (Daughter Calving Ease)
- Percentage of difficult births expected for daughters sired by the bull.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Difficult Calvings
SSB (Sire Stillbirth)
- Percentage of stillborn calves expected for a sire.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Stillbirths
DSB (Daughter Still-birth)
- Percentage of stillborn calves expected for a sire’s daughters.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Stillbirths
CONFORMATION
PTAT (Type)
- The difference in final score classification points compared to the base population.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Improve Classification Score
UDC (Udder Composite)
- A composite index that incorporates fore and rear attachments, udder depth, cleft, teat placement, and stature.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Improve Udder Conformation
FLC (Feet and Leg Composite)
- A composite index based on rear legs–rear view, foot angle, feet and legs score, and stature.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Improve Leg Conformation
BWC (Body Weight Composite)
- A composite index that incorporates strength, body depth, rump width, dairy form and positive stature.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Weight
STA (Stature)
- Height at the hips.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Height
STR (Strength)
- Evaluation of strength and substance, including width of chest.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Strength
BD (Body Depth)
- Evaluation of depth of barrel.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Body Depth
DF (Dairy Form)
- Evaluation of openness and angularity.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Reduce Body Condition
RA (Rump Angle)
- The slope from the hips to the pins, measured in inches.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Reduce Pin Height
TW (Rump Width/Thurl Width)
- Distance between the pins, measured in inches.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Widen Thurl
RLS (Rear Legs: Side View)
- The angle of the set to the hock.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Leg Set
RLR (Rear Legs: Rear View)
- Evaluation of the rear legs ability to stand straight, wide apart with feet squarely placed.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Straighten Leg
FA (Foot Angle)
- The angle the front of the toes makes with the ground.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Steepness
FLS (Feet and Legs Score)
- Classification score based on the cumulative evaluation of feet and leg traits including evidence of mobility.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Increase Leg Classification Score
FUA (Fore Udder Attachment)
- Evaluation of the strength, length and capacity of the fore udder attachment.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Strengthen Fore Udder
RUH (Rear Udder Height)
- Distance between the bottom of the vulva and the top of the milk secreting tissue, measured in inches.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Reduce Distance Between Udder and Vulva
RUW (Rear Udder Width)
- The width of the rear udder where the udder attaches to the body, measured in inches. Widen Udder UC Udder Cleft Depth of cleft between the rear quarters, measured in inches, the trait has an intermediate optimum of 0, cleft stronger or weaker will be penalized.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Strengthen Cleft
UD (Udder Depth)
- The distance between the low-est point of the udder floor and the point of the hock, measured in inches.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Raise Udder Floor
FTP (Front Teat Placement)
- The distance between the front teats, measured in inches.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Reduce Distance Between Front Teats
RTP (Rear Teat Placement)
- Distance between the rear teats, the trait has intermediate optimum of -1 (equal to 1.8 inches), teats closer or wider will be penalized.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Reduce Distance Between Front Teats
TL (Teat Length)
- The length of the longest teat, measured in inches. For Holsteins, 0 represents the aver-age teat length of 2.4 inches. -3 represents the teat length of 2.2 inches, and +3 represents the teat of length 2.6 inches.
EFFECT OF POSITIVE/HIGHER VALUE: Lengthen Teats
Industry Indexes
While understanding industry indexes is important, ABS recommends using a Custom Index to maximize genetic progress. It gives you the power to include the traits and weightings that matter to you. Customize and prioritize trait selection based on your milk market, facilities, and business style by building a Custom Index.
TPI® (Total Performance Index)
- An industry index created by Holstein Association USA with the goal to offer a balanced approach to selection for production, health, and conformation.
NM$ (Net Merit Dollars)
- An industry index created by USDA that combines 39 individual traits for the NM$ Holstein Index. Describes expected life-time profit per cow as compared to the base population born in 2015. *Please note that Holstein and Jersey values are calculated slightly different.
CM$ (Cheese Merit Dollars)
- An industry index created by USDA that combines 39 individual traits more focused on components than NM$. Describes expected lifetime profit per cow as compared to the base population born in 2015. *Please note that Holstein and Jersey values are calculated slightly different.
JPI™ (Jersey Performance Index)
- An industry created by the American Jersey Cattle Association with the goal to offer a balanced approach to selection for production, health, and conformation.
JUI™ (Jersey Udder Index)
- An industry created by American Jersey Cattle Association with the goal to identify high-performing, long-lived cows with durable udders.
RELATIVE EMPHASIS (%) OF TPI, NM$, AND CM$ FOR HOLSTEINS
TPI AND NM$ INDEX WEIGHTINGS FOR HOLSTEINS
MILK PROTEIN
A1/A1, A1/A2 or A2/A2 (Beta Casein)
- One of the caseins in milk protein.
AA, AB, AE, BE, BB or EE (Kappa Casein)
- One of the caseins in milk protein. This is beneficial in cheese making as cows with the BB genotype for Kappa Casein have a slightly higher Kappa Casein content in their milk.
REAL WORLD DATA® TRAITS
RWD® Bull Fertility (RWD®)
- Use to provide ABS customers with an easy-to-use ranking of fertility for conventional for ABS sires.
MEANING OF STARS: Increase in conception rate.
TransitionRight®
- Used to strategically choose ABS sires to enhance the transition health of your herd by making cows more genetically resistant to disorders including mastitis, metritis, and ketosis.
MEANING OF STARS: Reduce incidences of transition-related challenges.
POLLED Versus POLLED
PP (Homozygous Polled)
- Animals will have no horns and all offspring will be born without horns.
Pp (Heterozygous Polled)
- Animals will not have horns, but offspring may or may not have horns depending on the sire they are mated to.
pp (Recessive Horned)
- Animals will be born with horns.
Profit from Genetic Progress
Managing a dairy farm is not always simple, but selecting the right genetics does not have to be difficult. Use Bull Search’s sort and filter tools to identify the ideal dairy genetics for you. At ABS, we are here to help you make your genetic selection a walk in the park.
Get in touch with your ABS Genetic Advisor or complete the form below to create a personalized genetic strategy.