Three new dairy cow breeding indices, including a feed efficiency value, will be released in April 2015 for the Australian dairy industry.
ADHIS-scheme
Those wanting information soon can hear experts talk at International Dairy Week, where the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS) will be running seminars later this month. Peter Williams of the ADHIS said: “Many dairy farmers will find the new indices are powerful tools that make it much easier to identify sires that match their breeding philosophy.”
BPI-index
ADHIS advice is for farmers to work according to breeding philosophy. For example, an operation wanting a balance of production, type ad health traits could look at a bull on the Balanced Performance Index (BPI). All bulls will have information from other indices published, such as type weighted index and the Australian Breeding Values. Mr Williams added: “In this example, the farmer might make a short list of bulls and review their other breeding values to select which sires to buy.”
Thanks to ADHIS.
