{"id":5816,"date":"2026-08-11T11:26:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/za\/?p=5816"},"modified":"2026-08-11T11:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:42:39","slug":"new-dairy-industry-traits-breeding-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/za\/new-dairy-industry-traits-breeding-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"New\u00a0Industry\u00a0Traits Bring More Precision to\u00a0Dairy Breeding\u00a0Decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Publish date:&nbsp;8.4.26<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The August 2026 Sire Summary introduces several new industry traits designed to give dairy producers a clearer picture of important drivers of dairy success:&nbsp;<strong>reproductive performance, calf health, and balanced conformation.<\/strong>&nbsp;These additions provide new opportunities to make genetic progress in areas that impact herd profitability every day. As with any genetic evaluation, these new industry traits are most valuable when used as part of a comprehensive strategic breeding plan based on overall herd goals and existing genetic selection tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Use these new industry traits as part of a strategic breeding plan customized for your herd\u2019s goals and genetic priorities.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-a-new-way-to-measure-fertility-nbsp-from-cdcb-first-service-to-conception-fsc-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A New Way to Measure Fertility&nbsp;from CDCB: First Service to Conception (FSC)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the new&nbsp;industry&nbsp;traits being introduced, First Service to Conception (FSC)&nbsp;has&nbsp;the most immediate impact for producers focused on reproductive performance. FSC&nbsp;<strong>predicts a lactating&nbsp;cow\u2019s&nbsp;genetic ability to conceive after her first insemination<\/strong>,&nbsp;measuring&nbsp;the number of days from the cow\u2019s first service to conception within a lactation,&nbsp;relative&nbsp;to the&nbsp;breed&nbsp;mean.&nbsp;FSC is not a function of voluntary waiting period (VWP), allowing it to account for individual cow management independently of VWP changes.&nbsp;Traditional&nbsp;fertility traits can be influenced by differences in voluntary waiting periods, making it more difficult to compare animals across management systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-benefits-of-fsc-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Benefits of FSC<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Provides a more direct look at conception efficiency after first service\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Complements existing fertility traits such as Daughter Pregnancy Rate and Cow Conception Rate\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Captures fertility performance independent of VWP\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improves fertility evaluation in herds using extended or custom VWP\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reflects how cows respond under modern reproductive management systems\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delivers an interval-based measure of conception efficiency\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FSC complements well-established fertility traits such as Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR) and Cow Conception Rate (CCR), providing producers with another lens through which to evaluate reproductive performance. It is particularly valuable for herds using&nbsp;varied VWP or a VWP set on a cow basis&nbsp;and offers an interval-based measurement of conception efficiency.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For breeders evaluating FSC, higher values are more desirable because they&nbsp;indicate&nbsp;daughters are expected to conceive sooner after first service. For example, daughters of a bull with a +5 FSC PTA are expected to conceive five days sooner than daughters at the breed average.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/uscdcb.com\/first-service-to-conception\">Learn more about FSC<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-expanding-genetic-selection-for-calf-health-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Expanding Genetic Selection for Calf Health<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Raising healthy replacement heifers&nbsp;remains&nbsp;one of the largest investments dairy producers make.&nbsp;The&nbsp;August&nbsp;2026 Sire Summary also&nbsp;introduces two new calf health traits&nbsp;from CDCB, for the first time,&nbsp;providing&nbsp;genetic insight into an animal\u2019s expected resistance to common calfhood diseases.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-resistance-to-respiratory-problems-rsp-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Resistance to Respiratory Problems (RSP)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Respiratory disease continues to be one of the most common and costly health challenges facing young calves. The new Resistance to Respiratory Problems (RSP) trait&nbsp;<strong>predicts the expected resistance of an animal\u2019s offspring to respiratory&nbsp;problems&nbsp;<\/strong>in a herd with&nbsp;average management conditions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By selecting for improved resistance, producers can support healthier calves, protect replacement heifer&nbsp;investments,&nbsp;and contribute to stronger long-term herd&nbsp;profitability and&nbsp;performance.&nbsp;RSP is expressed in percentage points of resistance above or below the breed average. The PTA&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the expected difference in calfhood respiratory resistance among an animal\u2019s offspring.&nbsp;Higher RSP values&nbsp;indicate&nbsp;greater expected resistance to respiratory disease.&nbsp;It might be helpful to think of this as&nbsp;the opposite&nbsp;of incidence percentage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/uscdcb.com\/respiratory-problems\">Learn more about RSP<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-resistance-to-diarrhea-dia-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Resistance to Diarrhea (DIA)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alongside RSP, the new Resistance to Diarrhea (DIA) trait provides insight into&nbsp;<strong>an animal\u2019s expected genetic resistance to calfhood diarrhea<\/strong>, another leading cause of illness and mortality in youngstock. Improving resistance to diarrhea can help reduce the impact of early-life health challenges and support the future productivity and survivability of replacement animals.&nbsp;The goal of&nbsp;DIA is to select genetics with increased resistance to diarrhea and scours, lowering&nbsp;the&nbsp;incidence rate in youngstock.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DIA is expressed in percentage points of resistance above or below the breed&nbsp;average, meaning the&nbsp;PTA&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the expected difference in calfhood diarrhea resistance among an animal\u2019s offspring.&nbsp;Like RSP, larger positive DIA values are more favorable and&nbsp;indicate&nbsp;greater expected resistance.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/uscdcb.com\/diarrhea\">Learn more about DIA<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-a-new-holstein-usa-tool-holstein-conformation-composite\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A New Holstein USA Tool: Holstein Conformation Composite<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to the&nbsp;new industry traits from&nbsp;CDCB, Holstein USA is introducing the Holstein Conformation Composite (HCC) as a new selection tool to help breeders&nbsp;find&nbsp;average-sized, balanced Holstein cows&nbsp;by bringing together multiple&nbsp;conformation traits into one selection value.&nbsp;This&nbsp;combination of linear conformation traits&nbsp;identifies&nbsp;animals expected to have balanced frames and udders, with structurally correct feet and legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Higher&nbsp;HCC values reflect animals with a linear pattern more closely aligned to the Holstein USA ideal.&nbsp;For producers, HCC can serve as an&nbsp;additional&nbsp;alternative to PTAT (Final Score)&nbsp;when&nbsp;identifying&nbsp;bulls expected to&nbsp;transmit&nbsp;a particular linear pattern.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-how-should-producers-use-these-new-traits-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Should Producers Use These New Traits?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the new calf health traits&nbsp;and HCC&nbsp;provide valuable genetic information, they should not be viewed as standalone selection criteria. Instead, they should be incorporated into a&nbsp;customized&nbsp;breeding&nbsp;plan&nbsp;that balances production, fertility, health,&nbsp;longevity, conformation,&nbsp;and overall herd goals.&nbsp;Similarly, FSC should be considered alongside established fertility measures such as DPR, CCR,&nbsp;and Heifer Conception Rate (HCR) to build a comprehensive fertility strategy that drives long-term reproductive&nbsp;performance&nbsp;and genetic progress.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-what-nbsp-does-this-nbsp-mean-for-abs-customers-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What&nbsp;Does This&nbsp;Mean for ABS Customers?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These new&nbsp;industry traits&nbsp;align closely with ABS\u2019s long-standing focus on fertility, health,&nbsp;and building cows&nbsp;that last&nbsp;and offer&nbsp;future profitability.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>FSC provides producers with an\u00a0additional\u00a0tool for improving reproductive\u00a0performance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>RSP and DIA bring new genetic insight into calf health and survivability.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HCC offers another way to think about balanced\u00a0Holstein conformation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, these traits help producers make more informed breeding decisions in areas that matter every day on the farm:&nbsp;<strong>getting cows pregnant efficiently, raising healthier calves,&nbsp;improving long-term herd performance,&nbsp;and selecting for cows built with balance.<\/strong>&nbsp;The information these traits show helps producers, globally,&nbsp;<strong>profit from genetic progress.&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ready to incorporate these new&nbsp;industry&nbsp;traits into your breeding&nbsp;strategy? Contact your ABS Representative&nbsp;or complete the form below to profit from genetic progress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:28px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n\t<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-underline wp-block-heading\" id=\"fyr-form\">Find Your ABS Representative<\/h2>\n\n    <div class=\"entry-content\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;\">\n        <iframe id=\"fyrFormIframe\" src=\"https:\/\/intranet-latam.absglobal.com\/api\/fyr\/form?country=ZA&#038;source_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.absglobal.com%2Fza%2Fnew-dairy-industry-traits-breeding-decisions%2F\" width=\"100%\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Publish date:&nbsp;8.4.26&nbsp; The August 2026 Sire Summary introduces several new industry traits designed to give dairy producers a clearer picture of important drivers of dairy success:&nbsp;reproductive performance, calf health, and balanced conformation.&nbsp;These additions provide new opportunities to make genetic progress in areas that impact herd profitability every day. As with any genetic evaluation, these new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9982,"featured_media":5821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27,50],"tags":[674,675,672,676,677,678,679,680],"abs_type":[7],"abs_industry":[57],"class_list":["post-5816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genetic-strategy","category-genetics","tag-calf-health","tag-cdcb","tag-fertility","tag-first-service-to-conception","tag-holstein-conformation-composite","tag-holstein-usa","tag-resistance-to-diarrhea","tag-resistance-to-respiratory-problems","abs_type-article","abs_industry-dairy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.6 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New\u00a0Industry\u00a0Traits Bring More 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