AIPL Report Were from the government and were

AIPL Report: We’re from the government and we’re here to help you! H. Duane Norman Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD duane. norman@ars. usda. gov NDHIA San Antonio (1) 2008

Trend in days open Lactation 1 2 3 4 5 NDHIA San Antonio (2) H. D. Norman 2008

Cow fertility trends Year bred 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Calving to 1 st breeding (d) Holstein Jersey 89 82 91 84 91 85 92 85 90 84 92 85 88 81 88 83 86 84 85 83 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 3 () 70 -d NRR for 1 st service (%) Holstein Jersey 1 st service Services per CR (%) lactation (no. ) Holstein Jersey H. D. Norman 2007

Cow fertility trends Year bred 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Calving to 1 st breeding (d) Holstein Jersey 89 82 91 84 91 85 92 85 90 84 92 85 88 81 88 83 86 84 85 83 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 4 () 70 -d NRR for 1 st service (%) Holstein Jersey 54 57 55 57 54 56 53 55 52 56 50 53 48 53 46 52 … … 1 st service Services per CR (%) lactation (no. ) Holstein Jersey H. D. Norman 2007

Cow fertility trends Year bred 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Calving to 1 st breeding (d) Holstein Jersey 89 82 91 84 91 85 92 85 90 84 92 85 88 81 88 83 86 84 85 83 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 5 () 70 -d NRR for 1 st service (%) Holstein Jersey 54 57 55 57 54 56 53 55 52 56 50 53 48 53 46 52 … … 1 st service Services per CR (%) lactation (no. ) Holstein Jersey 36 39 34 37 32 36 31 35 31 36 29 35 30 36 31 36 30 35 … … H. D. Norman 2007

Cow fertility trends Year bred 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Calving to 1 st breeding (d) Holstein Jersey 89 82 91 84 91 85 92 85 90 84 92 85 88 81 88 83 86 84 85 83 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 6 () 70 -d NRR for 1 st service (%) Holstein Jersey 54 57 55 57 54 56 53 55 52 56 50 53 48 53 46 52 … … 1 st service Services per CR (%) lactation (no. ) Holstein Jersey 36 39 2. 1 2. 0 34 37 2. 1 32 36 2. 2 2. 1 31 35 2. 3 2. 1 31 36 2. 3 2. 1 29 35 2. 2 30 36 2. 5 2. 3 31 36 2. 5 2. 3 30 35 2. 6 2. 4 … … H. D. Norman 2007

Holstein NRR (2005 breedings) Parity 1 2 3 4 5 >5 1 st service 48 45 45 45 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 7 () 70 -day NRR (%) 2 nd 3 rd 4 th service 46 43 41 40 44 42 41 44 43 41 43 42 41 43 43 41 5 th service 39 38 39 39 40 39 H. D. Norman 2007

Holstein CR (2005 breedings) Parity 1 2 3 4 5 >5 1 st service 32 29 29 28 27 25 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 8 () 2 nd service 33 30 30 30 28 26 CR (%) 3 rd service 31 29 30 29 28 26 4 th service 29 28 28 27 26 25 5 th service 26 26 25 25 H. D. Norman 2007

Herds with synchronized breeding Synchronization status Calving 70 -day to 1 st NRR for breeding 1 st service CR (d) (%) Services Pregper nancy lactation rate (no. ) (%) None 90 46 30 2. 6 20. 2 Possible 78 40 27 2. 9 21. 8 Probable 74 38 27 2. 9 22. 4 Synchronized 72 35 25 3. 1 21. 7 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 9 () H. D. Norman 2007

US regions NDHIA San Antonio (10) H. D. Norman 2008

Holstein regional averages (2005 breedings) Region Mideast Midwest Mountain Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest Calving 70 -day to 1 st NRR for breeding 1 st service CR (d) (%) 92 86 93 85 76 89 73 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 1 ( 1) Services per lactation (no. ) H. D. Norman 2007

Holstein regional averages (2005 breedings) Region Mideast Midwest Mountain Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest NDHIA San Antonio Convention 1 ( 2) Calving 70 -day to 1 st NRR for breeding 1 st service CR (d) (%) 92 47 86 46 93 48 85 46 76 42 89 44 73 36 Services per lactation (no. ) H. D. Norman 2007

Holstein regional averages (2005 breedings) Region Mideast Midwest Mountain Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest Calving 70 -day to 1 st NRR for breeding 1 st service CR (d) (%) 92 47 29 86 46 30 93 48 27 85 46 31 76 42 29 89 44 23 73 36 27 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 1 ( 3) Services per lactation (no. ) H. D. Norman 2007

Holstein regional averages (2005 breedings) Calving 70 -day to 1 st NRR for breeding 1 st service (d) (%) Region Mideast 92 47 Midwest 86 46 Mountain 93 48 Northeast 85 46 Northwest 76 42 Southeast 89 44 Southwest 73 36 NDHIA San Antonio Convention 1 ( 4) Services per CR lactation (%) (no. ) 29 2. 7 30 2. 7 27 2. 8 31 2. 6 29 2. 8 23 3. 0 27 2. 8 H. D. Norman 2007

Benefits of improved reproduction l Lowers your semen cost l Optimizes cows lifetime yields l l Reduced culling due to delayed or failed conception, i. e. less need for herd replacements Provides more herd replacements NDHIA San Antonio (15) H. D. Norman 2008

Two tall tales l Reproduction is only a management issue l Genetics cannot help solve fertility problems NDHIA San Antonio (16) H. D. Norman 2008

Reproductive evaluations l Fertility of bull as a service sire l Fertility of bulls’ daughters when they reach breeding age NDHIA San Antonio (17) H. D. Norman 2008

Bull fertility evaluations l Estimated Relative Conception Rate (ERCR) w l 70 -day nonreturn rate (NRR) Source: − DRMS (Raleigh, NC), 1986− 2005 − USDA (Beltsville, MD), 2006−present Western Bull Fertility Analysis w 75 -d veterinary-confirmed conception rate w Source: Agri. Tech (Visalia, CA), 2003 −present NDHIA San Antonio (18) H. D. Norman 2008

ERCR distribution (Aug. 2007) NDHIA San Antonio (19) H. D. Norman 2008

New service sire evaluation coming l l l Based on conception rate rather than NRR More accurate w Inseminations from most of the United States w All services (not just first) w Additional model effects included Available in late Spring/Summer 2008 NDHIA San Antonio (20) H. D. Norman 2008

Pregnancy rate (PR) l l Percentage of open cows between 50 and 250 days in milk that become pregnant during each 21 -day period Advantages over days open (DO), the days from calving to conception Easily defined w Information from nonpregnant cows included w w Larger values preferable NDHIA San Antonio (21) H. D. Norman 2008

Pregnancy rate (PR) l l PR = [21/(DO − voluntary waiting period + 11)]100 w Voluntary waiting period assumed to be 60 days w Factor of +11 adjusts to middle day of 21 -day cycle Examples w Herd with average of 70 DO has PR of 100% w Herd with average of 91 DO has PR of 50% w Herd with average of 133 DO has PR of 25% w Herd with average of 154 DO has PR of 20% NDHIA San Antonio Convention 2 ( 2) H. D. Norman 2007

USDA pregnancy rate l Linear approximation l PR = 0. 25 (233 − DO) l 1% higher PR = 4 days fewer open NDHIA San Antonio (23) H. D. Norman 2008

Reproductive evaluations l Fertility of bulls’ daughters when they reach breeding age NDHIA San Antonio (24) H. D. Norman 2008

Daughter pregnancy rate (DPR) l l l First USDA genetic evaluations in 2003 Same across-breed animal model as for yield traits, productive life (PL), and somatic cell score (SCS) Heritability of 4% NDHIA San Antonio (25) H. D. Norman 2008

DPR (continued) l l l Predicted transmitting abilities (PTAs) reported as percentages w Daughters of bull with PTA DPR of 1 expected to be 1% more likely to become pregnant during estrous cycle than if bull had PTA DPR of 0 w Each increase of 1% in PTA DPR equals a decrease of 4 days in PTA DO approximated by − 4× PTA DPR Example: Bull with PTA DPR of +2. 0 would have PTA DO of − 8 NDHIA San Antonio (26) H. D. Norman 2008

Current breed averages Breed PR (%) Ayrshire 23. 2 Brown Swiss 20. 3 Guernsey 19. 1 Holstein 22. 0 Jersey 26. 4 Milking 24. 8 Shorthorn NDHIA San Antonio (27) DO (d) 140 152 157 145 127 134 Gestation Calving length (d) interval (d) 282 422 288 440 286 443 280 425 280 407 281 415 H. D. Norman 2008

DPR trend (August 2007 base) NDHIA San Antonio (28) H. D. Norman 2008

Bull PTA DPR frequency (Aug. 2007) NDHIA San Antonio (29) H. D. Norman 2008

Lifetime merit indexes Trait Protein Fat Milk PL SCS Udder Feet/legs Body size DPR Calving ability NDHIA San Antonio (30) Units Pounds Months Log Composite Percent Dollars Relative value (%) Net Fluid Cheese merit 23 28 0 23 18 23 0 − 12 24 17 13 17 − 9 − 7 − 9 6 5 6 3 3 3 − 4 − 3 − 4 9 7 8 6 4 6 H. D. Norman 2008

Lifetime value l l Factors in determining economic value to DPR w Loss of about $1. 50/DO w 2. 8 lactations per cow w No breedings for half of cows during final lactation w Correlation of heifer and cow fertility (0. 3) w Value of extra calves w Other unmeasured health expenses Total lifetime merit value of $21/PTA DPR unit NDHIA San Antonio (31) H. D. Norman 2008

Genetic merit of high-DPR Holstein bulls Trait Bulls (no. ) PTA milk (lb) PTA fat (lb) PTA protein (lb) PTA SCS All active AI bulls 684 838 32 25 2. 94 PTA PL (mo) PTA DPR (%) PTA DO (derived) Net merit ($) Semen price ($/unit) 1. 1 − 0. 4 1. 6 242 24 NDHIA San Antonio (32) H. D. Norman 2008

Genetic merit of high-DPR Holstein bulls Trait Bulls (no. ) PTA milk (lb) PTA fat (lb) PTA protein (lb) PTA SCS All active AI bulls 684 838 32 25 2. 94 PTA PL (mo) PTA DPR (%) PTA DO (derived) Net merit ($) Semen price ($/unit) 1. 1 − 0. 4 1. 6 242 24 NDHIA San Antonio (33) Active AI bulls with PTA DPR of ≥ 2. 0 % 41 287 14 17 2. 86 4. 2 2. 5 − 10. 0 346 25 H. D. Norman 2008

Genetic merit of high-DPR Holstein bulls Trait Bulls (no. ) PTA milk (lb) PTA fat (lb) PTA protein (lb) PTA SCS All active AI bulls 684 838 32 25 2. 94 PTA PL (mo) PTA DPR (%) PTA DO (derived) Net merit ($) Semen price ($/unit) 1. 1 − 0. 4 1. 6 242 24 NDHIA San Antonio (34) Active AI bulls with PTA DPR of ≥ 2. 0 % 41 287 14 17 2. 86 Top 50% of active AI bulls based on lifetime net merit (>$245) 342 1, 125 43 34 2. 88 4. 2 2. 5 − 10. 0 346 25 2. 1 − 0. 1 0. 4 357 25 H. D. Norman 2008

Genetic merit of high-DPR Holstein bulls Trait Bulls (no. ) PTA milk (lb) PTA fat (lb) PTA protein (lb) PTA SCS All active AI bulls 684 838 32 25 2. 94 PTA PL (mo) PTA DPR (%) PTA DO (derived) Net merit ($) Semen price ($/unit) 1. 1 − 0. 4 1. 6 242 24 NDHIA San Antonio (35) Active AI bulls with PTA DPR of ≥ 2. 0 % 41 287 14 17 2. 86 4. 2 2. 5 − 10. 0 346 25 Top 50% of active AI bulls based on active AI bulls lifetime net based on net merit with PTA merit DPR of ≥ 2. 0% (>$245) 342 20 1, 125 735 43 31 34 30 2. 88 2. 84 2. 1 − 0. 1 0. 4 357 25 5. 1 2. 6 − 10. 4 476 26 H. D. Norman 2008

What if I follow the Recommendations… l l l Question: What happens if folks selects for one of those fitness traits we provide? Issue: Before 1994 there was an academic discussion on what happens if we lower the SCS too much, and then cows have to face a mastitis challenge? We proceeded providing PTA SCS and built it into Net Merit so theoretically there is potential for this issue to still be questioned! NDHIA San Antonio (36) H. D. Norman 2008

Research the potential problem l l l Using field data less costly; using research herds would be expensive Group all AI Holstein bulls with 35 or more daughters into 5 equal groups based on PTA SCS Look at data across 2 generations (sire and maternal grandsire (MGS)) NDHIA San Antonio (37) H. D. Norman 2008

Mean daughter 1 st lactation age-adjusted SCS by sire-mgs PTA SCS group MGS PTA SCS ≤ 2. 85 2. 86 to 2. 94 2. 95 to 3. 02 3. 03 to 3. 13 ≥ 3. 14 NDHIA San Antonio (38) ≤ 2. 85 2. 77 2. 82 2. 88 2. 89 2. 96 Sire PTA SCS 2. 86 to 2. 95 to 3. 03 to 2. 94 3. 02 3. 13 Age-adjusted SCS 2. 89 2. 97 3. 05 2. 96 3. 03 3. 12 3. 00 3. 08 3. 18 3. 04 3. 13 3. 22 3. 08 3. 19 3. 29 ≥ 3. 1 3. 22 3. 29 3. 35 3. 40 3. 46 H. D. Norman 2008

Productive life mean (mo) by sire-mgs PTA SCS group MGS PTA SCS ≤ 2. 85 2. 86 to 2. 94 2. 95 to 3. 02 3. 03 to 3. 13 ≥ 3. 14 NDHIA San Antonio (39) ≤ 2. 85 28. 2 28. 3 27. 9 28. 0 27. 4 Sire PTA SCS 2. 86 to 2. 95 to 3. 03 to 2. 94 3. 02 3. 13 PL (mo) 28. 0 27. 4 27. 2 28. 0 27. 4 27. 3 27. 5 27. 0 26. 8 27. 4 26. 9 26. 6 27. 1 26. 6 26. 4 ≥ 3. 1 26. 4 26. 3 25. 9 25. 8 25. 2 H. D. Norman 2008

Productive life deviation (mo) by sire-mgs PTA SCS group MGS PTA SCS ≤ 2. 85 2. 86 to 2. 94 2. 95 to 3. 02 3. 03 to 3. 13 ≥ 3. 14 NDHIA San Antonio (40) ≤ 2. 85 +3. 2 +3. 1 +2. 9 +2. 4 Sire PTA SCS 2. 86 to 2. 95 to 3. 03 to 2. 94 3. 02 3. 13 PL (mo) +2. 8 +2. 3 +2. 2 +2. 7 +2. 1 +2. 3 +1. 9 +1. 8 +2. 3 +1. 8 +1. 6 +1. 8 +1. 4 +1. 2 ≥ 3. 1 +1. 2 +1. 0 +0. 8 +0. 6 0. 0 H. D. Norman 2008

Percent of cows culled for mastitis by sire-mg PTA SCS group MGS PTA SCS ≤ 2. 85 2. 86 to 2. 94 2. 95 to 3. 02 3. 03 to 3. 13 ≥ 3. 14 NDHIA San Antonio (41) ≤ 2. 85 8. 6 8. 9 9. 0 9. 6 9. 9 Sire PTA SCS 2. 86 to 2. 95 to 3. 03 to 2. 94 3. 02 3. 13 ≥ 3. 14 (% culled) 9. 2 9. 6 9. 4 10. 3 9. 8 10. 0 9. 9 10. 7 10. 6 11. 0 10. 5 11. 0 11. 3 11. 6 12. 1 11. 6 11. 9 12. 3 12. 8 13. 4 H. D. Norman 2008

Productive life mean (mo) by sire-mgs PTA DPR group Sire PTA DPR MGS PTA DPR ≤-1. 2 -1. 1 to -0. 4 -0. 3 to 0. 3 0. 4 to 1. 1 ≥ 1. 2 NDHIA San Antonio (42) ≤-1. 2 25. 0 25. 6 26. 1 26. 4 -1. 1 to 0. 4 26. 2 26. 8 27. 5 27. 8 -0. 3 to 0. 4 to 0. 3 1. 1 PL (mo) 26. 4 27. 3 26. 9 27. 8 26. 9 27. 4 28. 2 27. 9 28. 7 ≥ 1. 2 H. D. Norman 28. 7 29. 0 29. 4 29. 5 2008

Productive life deviation (mo) by sire-mgs PTA DPR group Sire PTA DPR MGS PTA DPR ≤-1. 2 -1. 1 to -0. 4 -0. 3 to 0. 3 0. 4 to 1. 1 ≥ 1. 2 NDHIA San Antonio (43) ≤-1. 2 -4. 2 -3. 8 -3. 7 -3. 3 -2. 8 -1. 1 to 0. 4 -3. 0 -2. 5 -1. 9 -1. 5 -0. 3 to 0. 4 to 0. 3 1. 1 PL (mo) -2. 9 -2. 1 -2. 5 -1. 7 -2. 5 -1. 6 -2. 2 -1. 4 -1. 7 -0. 9 ≥ 1. 2 H. D. Norman -0. 8 -0. 6 -0. 3 0. 0 2008

Percent of cows culled for reproductive reasons by sire-mgs PTA DPR group MGS PTA DPR ≤-1. 2 -1. 1 to -0. 4 -0. 3 to 0. 3 0. 4 to 1. 1 ≥ 1. 2 NDHIA San Antonio (44) ≤-1. 2 13. 3 12. 8 12. 7 12. 2 11. 8 Sire PTA DPR -1. 1 to -0. 3 to 0. 4 to -0. 4 0. 3 1. 1 (% culled) 12. 8 12. 5 12. 3 12. 2 12. 0 11. 7 11. 6 11. 3 11. 0 11. 8 11. 4 11. 2 10. 8 10. 6 ≥ 1. 2 11. 3 10. 9 10. 8 10. 4 10. 0 H. D. Norman 2008

Conclusions NDHIA San Antonio (45) H. D. Norman 2008

Recommendations to breeders l l l Usual recommendation: Don’t select bulls solely on one trait because many traits have economic value Consider economic value of all performance traits in your own market when making genetic choices Dairies with seasonal calving should find an index that puts more weight on daughter fertility than those recommended for the general industry NDHIA San Antonio (46) H. D. Norman 2008

Selection for bull fertility l l Breeding to bulls with higher conception rates returns a profit fairly quickly w Premium of $2 could be paid for semen per 1% improvement in fertility w Thus, a unit of semen from bull with ERCR of +2 is worth $8 more than a unit from bull with ERCR of − 2 Use bull fertility as a secondary selection trait after picking bulls on their economic indexes NDHIA San Antonio (47) H. D. Norman 2008

Selection for cow fertility l l l Selection for improved fertility will pay off, even though the benefit is delayed for 3 years Choose your sires based on lifetime economic merit that includes daughter fertility, rather than for daughter fertility alone However, producers with herd fertility problems could emphasize DPR extensively with little loss in overall net merit NDHIA San Antonio (48) H. D. Norman 2008

Fertility emphasis l l l Service-sire fertility and DPR especially important for grazing herds with seasonal calving Use of a few bulls that average 3. 0% for PTA DPR (equivalent to a decrease of 12 DO) could neutralize much of genetic decline in fertility from use of high-yield bulls for 40 years Select for overall merit based on genetic-economic index appropriate for your situation NDHIA San Antonio (49) H. D. Norman 2008

Thank you! NDHIA San Antonio (50) H. D. Norman 2008