Look to Longevity for up to £193 Per Cow

UK - Dairy producers can now boost margins by up to £193* per cow by using IGENITY®, Merial's innovative genetic profiling tool, says FARMINGUK.
calendar icon 20 December 2007
clock icon 2 minute read

IGENITY has identified that the difference in potential longevity between cattle can be as much as 8.3 months, following the addition of new gene markers to the DNA profile.

"For a 110-cow herd, an extra 8.3 months of productive life equates to £193* additional profit per cow," explains independent consultant Dick Esslemont. "That's after all variable and fixed costs, and is based on the current milk price and input costs."


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"So, simply by analysing a hair sample, producers can confidently select those animals that contribute to improved longevity."
Nigel Otter, Director of IGENITY for Europe

A cow's potential longevity is scored from 1-10, low to high respectively, and it is the difference between a cow scoring one and a cow scoring 10 that equates to 8.3 months' productive life.

"For a typical 110-cow herd, the margin increase for one point of difference in genetic improvement is up to £2125*," Dr Esslemont calculates.

In a practical farming situation, the spread of longevity scores within the herd is more likely to be around five points of difference. So, if producers start with a herd of animals with an average longevity score of 5 and, over time, improve the score to 10, you would expect a margin increase of up to £10,625.

"It is a great advantage to be able to select the cows which have the longest productive lifetime and, in doing so, reduce the herd's culling rate." adds Dr Esslemont.

Nigel Otter, Director of IGENITY for Europe, continues: "Historically, selection for this trait has been difficult as heritability is low and cannot be easily measured until late in the cow's life.

"But producers who are able to evaluate their cows when they are still young heifers can make confident breeding and management decisions at a much earlier stage.

"So, simply by analysing a hair sample, producers can confidently select those animals that contribute to improved longevity.

"It's a tremendous step forward, with new data from the field proving yet again how valuable IGENITY is for today's dairy farmer," he enthuses.

The IGENITY profiling kit contains all that is needed for producers to submit samples and obtain a full report of their cows' potential. IGENITY already provides accurate information on a range of economically important dairy production traits relating to milk production, cheese production, dairy form and fertility.

"IGENITY is committed to providing the dairy industry with the most comprehensive, powerful and practical cattle profile possible," Mr Otter concludes.

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