Confused on which index is best? Think about what your goals are on your dairy. Ask yourself these five simple questions to determine the best index!

1._Which cows on the dairy are your favorite?

Getting out into the barn and walking behind your cows is the best way to pinpoint which traits you like and which ones you do not like. Would you trust a genetic consultant if they don’t go and look at your cows? Likewise, you should evaluate the whole herd before answering this first question. You should start by looking at the young cows, or recently fresh cows, and then work your way to the pens with older cows. While walking through the cows, you should ask yourself questions like:

• "How long are my cows lasting in the herd?”

• “Why are my cows leaving the herd?”

• “Why is she my favorite?”

• “How would I feel if every cow in this barn was a replica of my favorite cow?”

2._In five years, do I want my cows to be bigger, smaller, or the same size?

This question will help you think critically about which linear traits are important when reaching your goals, if any.

The goal of every farmer is to increase profit. In certain situations, this means you should shift your focus away from linears and re-focus on traits that directly impact profitability.

When looking at a linear, we’ve been trained to want to see all the bars heavily weighted towards the right. Consider the bull below. Most dairymen would love this bull due to how his linear looks. But what will this bull provide? Daughters that are taller and larger than average.

Now consider this second bull. Do you ever see a bull with a linear like this and begin to hesitate? Let’s look at what this bull provides: If you break down the linear, you will see a cow who is nearly breed average for stature and still proportionate to herself, balanced, dairy and open ribbed, with very strong udder attachments. This is the type of bull you want if you think your cows need to be the same size or smaller!

3._In five years, what will your perfect cow look like and act like?

Are you focused on just how the cow looks? Or do you want production, reproduction, and health traits first?

Sometimes, we refer to type traits as an indication of performance. This might sound something like:

“I don’t like high pins, because I need them to calve easily.” or “I need good feet and legs so they don’t get lame”

It’s common for all of us to draw conclusions between type traits and performance traits. Historically, we relied on the physical characteristics of a cow to indicate her performance. However, genetic evaluations have come a long way in the last 30 years! They have been able to research and isolate variables so now we can evaluate the genotype (genetic tendencies) separate from the physical appearance of the cow.

For example, is calving ease important to you when reaching your goals? Don’t look at rump angle or width, but rather the trait that directly indicates calving ease! Are you concerned about lameness? Instead of hoping that improved foot conformation will help, you can directly select for the Lameness Resistance trait.

4._In five years, given the choice between Production, Type, Reproduction or Overall Health, which one of these four would you like to see the most improvement in?

This is a difficult question, as most people will respond by saying they would like to see improvements in all four! Experiment with different ways to phrase this question to find one that you feel works best for you.

• “Ok, let’s simplify it. If I had to choose to improve production or type more, which would I choose?”

• “If I had to choose to improve reproductive performance or overall health (for example fresh cow diseases and mastitis), which would I choose?”

• “I said I wanted to improve feet and legs. Do I want to improve the conformation, or did I mean I would like to see less lameness and fewer hoof health issues?”

This question sets you up well for question number five, which allows you to dive a little deeper into determining what your priorities are.

5._You should rank the following 10 traits in order from MOST important to you to LEAST important to you:

• Type

• Production – Volume

• Production – Components

• Fertility/Reproduction

• Mastitis Resistance

• Lameness Resistance

• Calf Health

• Overall Cow Health

• Feed Efficiency

• Udder Conformation/Teat Size & Placement

Pro Tip: To make this simple, list these 10 traits on a blank piece of paper. After writing the traits on a paper, allow yourself a few moments of time to analyze and think things through.

After asking yourself those five simple questions, you should have a good idea of what kind of a cow you are looking for. Consider the chart below that shows the relative emphasis of each of the 10 traits above and how they are considered in each formula. What were the three traits of most importance to you and your goals? Which index shows these traits as a high or medium emphasis?

Special Considerations

In some situations, or depending on the area of the world you are located in, you may need to make some special considerations. In these cases, consider utilizing one of the special designations developed by the geneticists at Select Sires and World Wide Sires.

^®Herd Health Profit Dollars (HHP$®), RobotPRO, GrazingPRO, Mastitis ResistantPRO and FeedPRO are registered trademarks of Select Sires Inc.

™Showcase is a trademark of Select Sires Inc.

^®Dairy Wellness Profit Index (DWP$) is a registered trademarks of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or its licensors.

^®Total Performance Index is a registered trademark of Holstein Association USA.