Breaking free from the chains of the past Where
truth moves faster than a Holstein calf No law
waiting on some printed page We're charting new
ground in the digital age From genomic codes
to robot facts We cut through the noise, no hold
them back not your daddy's dairy news tonight
we're sparking Welcome back to the Bullvine Podcast,
where we cut through dairy industry noise to
get you the insights that actually matter for
your operation. And today, we're diving deep
into a feature piece that's been generating some
serious buzz. This one's got layers and some
surprises that are going to make farmers rethink
how they've been approaching dairy genetics and
sire selection. Absolutely. You know, what truly
strikes me lately, just from walking through
barns, visiting operations, is how much the conversation
has really shifted. Yeah. How so? Well, for years,
the buzz was always about chasing the next sky
-high TPI, you know, total performance index
or the LPI, lifetime profit index, or maybe bragging
rights for top NM1 net merit dollars or pro -o
profit dollars. The big headline numbers. Exactly.
But now it feels undeniably different. I'm hearing
producers talk much more about balance. They're
talking about building herds that actually work
day to day. Herds that are resilient, productive,
profitable. Not just looking good on paper based
on one number. Precisely. Instead of just having
one single trait that shines while, you know,
others might be lagging behind quite a bit. And
for good reason, too. What's absolutely crucial
for our listeners, for your operation, is that
we finally have the advanced tools to actually
do this right. You mean like the updated LPI?
Yeah. Lactonet's modernized LPI system, the one
launched this past April. It's been an absolute
game changer. It's not just a minor tweak. It's
a pretty complete overhaul with six incredibly
detailed. sub -indexes. So this whole concept
of selecting a no -hole sire, a bull, without
major genetic weaknesses, it's not just like
a wishlist item anymore. Not at all. It's rapidly
becoming the new reality for competitive producers.
You know, the ones who are serious about protecting
and improving their bottom line. And let's be
utterly blunt about why this shift is so critically
urgent right now. Margins in dairy are, well,
they're brutally tight. Tighter than many of
us have ever seen, I'd say. For sure. We're seeing
feed costs just soaring. ranging anywhere from
$450 to $500 per ton for quality dairy rations
across most of Ontario and Quebec. And similar
costs popping up everywhere, really. It's not
just a regional thing. Right. And then there's
labor. Good, reliable labor is scarcer and more
expensive than ever. Tell me about it. So farmers
simply cannot afford genetic holes in their herd
that turn routine management into... Like daily
firefighting. Yeah, where simple tasks suddenly
become these huge resource drains. Exactly. We're
talking time, money, mental energy. The potential
to save, say, $250 per cow annually just through
feed efficiency alone. That's not just significant.
For many operations, that's a genuine lifeline.
It's breathing room when the pressure is immense.
You hit the nail on the head. This isn't just
about... nice to have improvements anymore. It's
about survival. It's about resilience, securing
that long -term profitability in what's, frankly,
an increasingly tough economic climate. It's
about building a herd that doesn't just produce
milk, but actually thrives. But here's where
it gets really interesting and maybe a little
controversial for some. Oh, go on. The surprising,
maybe unsettling truth is that your best bull,
you know, the one with the highest single total
merit index you've been chasing, he might actually
be your herd's biggest hidden weakness. Whoa.
Okay. That's a bold statement. Well, we'll unpack
how the unintended consequences of selecting
only on a single dominant trait or maybe an overly
simplified total index has inadvertently concentrated
harmful recessive genes, profit -limiting genes.
Throughout our herds, without us really noticing.
That's the risk. A single total merit number.
like lpi it just doesn't tell the full story
it doesn't show the complexities the true strengths
and weaknesses across all the critical areas
that impact how a cow actually performs in the
real world and ultimately your farm's profitability
it's a paradigm shift then and one that the dairy
industry frankly has needed to embrace for a
long long time we've been flying a bit blind
haven't we or at least with a heavily tinted
windshield So let's unpack this. For a while,
chasing high TPI, LBI, NMDA, AL, ProDollar, it
seemed like the surefire path to success. And
look, to be fair, for a certain period, it did
seem to deliver results, especially when maybe
the overall genetic level wasn't as high. True.
But the research has consistently shown that
multi -trait selection indices, you know, generally
outperform single -trait approaches for overall
genetic progress. But old habits. They die hard.
Especially when you've got a number one bull
headline -grabbing LPI. Looks like he could rewrite
the record books, right? It's tempting. Very
tempting. But we've been missing the full picture,
prioritizing that single shiny number over, well,
the health, the fertility, the overall functionality
of the actual cow. It's like buying a sports
car just for its top speed, but ignoring the
fact it guzzles gas, breaks down constantly,
and costs a fortune to maintain. Not very practical.
Hold on. That means we were essentially building
herds with one hand tied behind our backs. Chasing
a shiny number, but inadvertently creating problems
elsewhere that would just quietly bleed our operations
dry. From a farmer's perspective, yeah, this
isn't just abstract genetic theory. This translates
directly into daily headaches on the farm. Like
what, specifically? Well, if you're constantly
dealing with cows that won't breed back easily,
or they're always in and out of the hospital
pen with mastitis or lameness. Or just aren't
thriving, needing extra attention day after day.
Exactly. That's a direct, tangible result of
those unseen genetic holes. It's the kind of
problem that saps your time, your energy, your
profitability, often without a clear, immediate
cause you can easily point to. Precisely. And
that's where the unintended consequences really
bite. By focusing on that single dominant trait,
or that overly simple index, we've inadvertently
concentrated these harmful, recessive, and profit
-limiting genes. It's insidious, right. It creaks
up slowly. You might not realize the depth of
the problem until it's basically system -wide
affecting a big chunk of your animals and costing
you real money. So let's talk specifics. How
do these genes negatively impact the herd? What
are we truly talking about here on the farm?
Okay, lay it out. First, fertility. Big one.
We're seeing lower conception rates, more open
days. Which means more services per conception,
more straws, more time. Exactly. And that's not
just an inconvenience. That's lost production
because cows aren't getting pregnant when they
should. It's more vet visits for preg checks
or resolving reproductive issues. Plus all the
extra labor spent on heat detection and multiple
breedings. It's a direct hit to your bottom line
when cows aren't settling efficiently. Which
pushes out that average calving interval. Delays
the next lactation. A cow that's open too long
is basically an unproductive cow costing you
money every single day. And then there's health.
These genetic imbalances can lead to increased
susceptibility to diseases. Right. More mastitis,
more lameness, metabolic issues like ketosis
or milk fever. Which means more vet calls, more
expensive treatments, and often, unfortunately,
higher calling rates specifically for health
reasons. And when you're constantly reacting
to this revolving door of health issues that,
frankly, could have been selected against genetically,
you're not just losing money on treatments and
lost milk. You're losing valuable time, adding
immense stress to your staff, who are probably
already stretched thin, and it impacts your overall
herd welfare too. It's a constant battle that
just drains resources. And it goes beyond just
fertility and specific diseases to overall cow
functionality. These are the issues that make
cows less resilient, harder to manage day to
day. Like what? Yeah, maybe they don't have the
structural integrity like strong feet and legs
to really last for multiple lactations, leading
to premature culling. Or maybe poor udder attachment,
making them more prone to injury or issues in
the parlor. Exactly. Increases milking time,
potential for infection. Yeah. These are the
cows that require that extra bit of attention,
extra handling. They just don't fit smoothly
into the rhythm of a well -run operation. They're
the ones always seeming to cause little disruptions
that... actually add up significantly over time.
And the implications of this, they play out differently
depending on the size of your operation, right?
Which is a crucial point for everyone listening.
Definitely. For smaller herds, let's say under
200 head, the impact of even just a few individual
problem cows can be felt much more acutely. Yeah.
Each cow's performance is magnified when your
numbers are smaller. A single cow with persistent
fertility or health issues can represent a significant
chunk of your daily workload and financial drain.
It's not just a statistic on a page. It's that
one cow you might spend an extra hour on every
single day. Exactly. Every vet call, every misbreeding,
every bit of extra labor for that problem cow.
It hits harder when your margins are already
razor thin and you don't have hundreds of other
cows to absorb the slack. But for larger operations,
say 300 to 500 head, the issues become more systemic.
It's not just a few problem cows anymore. It's
an underlying genetic predisposition that compounds
across many animals. Which leads to widespread
management challenges, a general drag on herd
efficiency, and significant financial drains
that can actually be harder to pinpoint until
they've become really ingrained across generations.
You're dealing with a pattern, not just an anomaly.
In those larger herds, You're not just putting
out individual fires. You're potentially battling
a whole forest fire of genetic weaknesses. That
can overwhelm your management systems, your labor
force. Leads to staff burnout, that constant
feeling of being behind. It's a production bottleneck
you basically bred into your own herd without
realizing it. Now let's challenge what everyone
knows or what they thought they knew. For years,
the conventional wisdom, almost the gospel truth
in some circles, was that the Hashtag one LPI
bull was always the best choice for genetic progress.
Right. Get the highest number, job done. And
sure, for a while, that strategy seemed to deliver
some impressive numbers for milk production or
maybe type confirmation. But the reality, especially
with today's crushing economic pressures, it's
dramatically different. We have to look beyond
that single number now. That old wisdom is starting
to crack under the weight of real world farm
economics. I'm just not buying that anymore.
You can't just chase one number and expect everything
else to magically fall into place. That's where
we get into trouble. And this is where the bull
vines signature contrarian analysis comes in.
We dug into the data, specifically table three
from the source material. It reports the April
2025 indexes for the 20 Holstein sires with the
most Canadian registered daughters in 2024. So
these aren't obscure bulls. These are the ones
that have been heavily used right across the
industry. Exactly. And what it shows is a really
stark imbalance. While LPI, the production subindex.
that measures yield traits and the longevity
and type subindex, LTI, covering confirmation
and herd life, they show 0 % of these sires ranking
below the 50th percentile. Okay, wait, wait.
0 % below the 50th percentile rank for LPI, production,
and longevity and type. That means all of these
heavily used bulls were average or better in
those specific areas. Right. They were consistently
strong or at least average or better in those
areas, which tells you something about what the
LPI formula historically prioritized. Yeah, it
suggests the formula was heavily weighted, almost
designed to push those specific numbers up, engineered
to create superstars in yield and type. Exactly.
It was a formula that historically favored these
particular traits to drive genetic progress there.
But here's where it gets alarming. Here's where
the real problem shows itself. Uh -oh. When you
look at the other crucial areas, the picture
changes dramatically. A staggering 75%, three
quarters of these top 20 sires are below the
50th percentile rank for the reproduction subindex.
All right. 75 % below average for fertility.
Wow. And also for the environmental impact subindex,
EII, which looks at feed efficiency and greenhouse
gas emissions. 75 % below average there too.
That's huge. So high production maybe, but poor
fertility and poor feed efficiency. And it doesn't
stop there. The health and welfare subindex,
HWI. covering disease resistance and overall
well -being. 60 % of these widely used sires
are below the 50th percentile, below average
for health. 60%. And milkability. The milkability
subindex on my assessing milking speed and temperament
has 45 percent below average, still nearly half.
OK, so when we say below the 50th percentile
rank, just to be clear for everyone listening,
we mean these sires are performing worse than
half of all bulls evaluated in that specific
trait. They're below average where it really
counts for daily management. This clearly indicates
that historically the LPI formula by heavily
favoring production. type, and longevity often
did so at the expense of other vital traits.
Traits absolutely critical for a cow's real -world
performance and your farm's profitability. You
get a bull that's a superstar on paper for milk,
but his daughters are constantly struggling with
reproduction or health issues. That's not a net
gain. That's a tradeoff. And it's a tradeoff
we just can't afford anymore with today's tight
margins. And this isn't just a slight dip we're
talking about. It's like a fertility and health
time bomb potentially lurking in your top genetics.
That's the real danger here. But here's what
they're not telling you explicitly with just
that single high OPI number. That bull might
be a disaster if his daughters struggle to breed
back or are constantly sick. That's not a gain.
That's a net loss for my operation. Explain that
net loss. Well, you're bringing in a cow that
ultimately needs more inputs, maybe more specialized
feed, definitely more vet visits, more labor.
And she still might not. performed to her genetic
potential because she's always battling something.
She might produce a lot of milk on her good days,
but if she takes five services to get pregnant
or constantly battles mastitis, that high production
number becomes almost meaningless in the grand
scheme. It just eats into every hundred weight
produced, every bit of labor, every ounce of
stress on the farm. Creates a never -ending cycle
of problems instead of a smooth, efficient operation.
It's like buying a high -performance tractor
that spends more time in the shop than actually
working in the field. What good is that? It's
like having that star athlete on your team who's
constantly injured. The potential is there. The
talent might be undeniable on paper, but the
actual performance is consistently compromised
by these underlying weaknesses. Yeah, exactly.
And this is precisely why Dr. Christine Bays
from the University of Guelph, who leads the
Resilient Dairy Genomics Project, has been such
a strong advocate for this balanced approach
for years now. Her work is really validating
this shift. Absolutely Her work and the compelling
genetic data emerging from her lab are really
proving her right. She frames it beautifully,
talks about hedging your genetic investment portfolio.
Like diversifying your stocks. Exactly. Diversifying
your genetic assets, much like a financial advisor
would tell you not to put all your eggs in one
basket, rather than putting all your genetic
future into one narrow set of production or type
traits and just hoping for the best. It's just
common sense, really, when you think about it
like that. You wouldn't put all your... retirement
savings in one volatile stock, so I bet the entire
future of your herd on one or two trades. That's
just asking for trouble down the line. Now let's
follow the money. Because ultimately, that's
what makes or breaks a dairy operation. We've
talked about the brutal feed costs $450, $500
per ton. Yep. Impossible to ignore. When you
have those genetic holes in your herd, it just
means more inputs, more vet calls, extra labor,
maybe specialized feeds, often for the same or
even less output. It's a losing game. A slow
drain on your resources. And this is exactly
where feed efficiency becomes a major, major
win. Dr. Base's work and other industry analyses
too, they suggest that cattle from these more
balanced genetic programs are about 8 to 12 percent
more efficient in feed conversion. Okay, let's
break down that number, 8 to 12%, because that
translates directly into real dollars for you,
the farmer listening. To do the math for us.
At current feed costs, that 8 to 12 % efficiency
gain could mean potential savings of $200 to
$250 per cow annually. Per cow, per year. Let
that sink in. If you're running, say, a 300 head
herd, that's a staggering $60 ,000 to $75 ,000
extra in your pocket every single year. Wow.
That's not a small adjustment. That's a significant
improvement to your profitability. That can be
the difference between just breaking even and
actually building equity, growing the business.
Absolutely. And let's break down what this actually
costs you per cow or even per hundred way when
you are dealing with poor fertility or constant
health issues, because it's often hidden. It's
not just the immediate vet bill, right? For a
difficult calving, a retained placenta, a recurring
case of mastitis. Exactly. It's the lost production
from that cow being open too long, delaying her
next lactation, extending her unproductive days
on feed. It's the extra labor spent trying to
get her bread back or nursing her through yet
another illness, taking valuable time away from
other... critical farm tasks. It's the cost of
early culling. Culling a cow that should have
had another two or three productive lactations
in her only to be replaced by a heifer that also
costs money and time to raise. Those hidden costs
add up incredibly fast, eating into every hundredweight
produced. Your efficient cows end up subsidizing
the inefficient ones. It's death by a thousand
cuts for your margin, slowly but surely eroding
your financial stability. That's the insidious
part. These aren't always obvious line items
that jump out at you on a spreadsheet, but they
are absolutely crushing your profitability, silently
taking a bite out of every dollar you earn. It's
the quiet thief in the night. Now, we have to
be realistic. Transitioning to balanced selection
isn't free. There's an upfront investment. Right.
Agricultural economist Dr. Alphonse Wiersink
from Gulf points this out. there are significant
implementation costs. What kind of costs are
we talking? We're talking about genetic testing
requirements for your entire herd, potentially,
not just the elite animals, restructuring your
breeding programs to actually use this new data
effectively, and, very likely, upgrading your
data management systems to handle all this new
information efficiently. So what are the ballpark
figures? For, say, 100, 200 cow operations, you're
probably looking at an investment in the range
of $8 ,000 to $15 ,000 to get this rolling properly.
Okay. And for larger herds? For 300, 500 cow
herds, those costs can climb to maybe $15 ,000
to $25 ,000. It's a real upfront investment that
definitely requires commitment. But here's where
it gets interesting, the payback timeline. It
varies, but it's generally positive, right? Yeah.
The good news is the payback seems real. Operations
that already have a fairly solid genetic base,
maybe they haven't been too extreme in single
trait selection in the past, they might see positive
returns within, say, 18 to 24 months. And for
herds with more historical imbalances. For herds
with more significant genetic imbalances, the
ones that have been heavily chasing single traits
for a long time, it might take a bit longer,
perhaps three to four years to fully realize
the benefits as you breed out those entrenched
weaknesses generation by generation. So the core
trade off here is accepting potentially slower,
maybe incremental progress in any single trait
like raw milk yield. For a more balanced, holistic
improvement across all the economically important
areas. But based on industry observations and
the expert data coming out, this strategy, while
it requires patience and discipline, it is proving
to be far more profitable and sustainable in
the long term. It's about playing the long game,
not just chasing a sprint. And we're seeing this
play out on the barn floor in real time. You've
been hearing stories. Yeah, I've been speaking
with producers across Ontario and Quebec from
the Ottawa Valley to the eastern townships. And
the stories are... Remarkably consistent. The
commie thread is that producers who have shifted
to these more balanced approaches are reporting
tangible improvements. Heard health metrics,
reproductive performance over two to three year
periods. It's not an overnight miracle then.
Definitely not. But it's a steady, positive,
compounding change that built momentum over time.
That reminds me, I had one producer I know from
the Kempville area tell me straight up, he said,
my conception rates were garbage for three years
running oh wow kept chasing high milk bowls thinking
more production would solve everything finally
i threw my hands up said enough is enough started
looking at the whole package the entire genetic
profile and the result He said, three breeding
seasons later, my fresh first lactation cows
are settling like they should. And I'm not calling
the vet every other day with some new problem.
OK, when he said not calling the vet every other
day, that's not just a cost saving. That's a
massive stress reduction. Huge. Think about the
mental load that lifts when you're not constantly
dealing with emergencies or those problem cows
that seem to always need something extra. It's
like having that one relative you love, but who
always needs something, right? Except these relatives
cost you thousands of dollars. Good analogy.
But yeah, this isn't some overnight fix, like
we said. But the trend is clear. It's happening
across different herd sizes, different management
styles. It's a fundamental shift in how people
are approaching herd management through genetics.
And what's really interesting, too, is that it's
not just about avoiding problems, is it? No,
that's a great point. Producers embracing balanced
selection seem to be actually positioning themselves
better for whatever comes next. Meaning? Whether
it's unforeseen climate challenges, persistent
labor shortages, and finding good help is a constant
battle, or volatile feed price fluctuations.
These cattle just seem to handle it all with
less drama. They're more robust. More resilient.
Yeah, ultimately easier to manage in an increasingly
unpredictable environment. They seem better able
to tolerate changes in feed quality or sudden
temperature swings without immediately crashing
or getting sick. Dr. Dan Weary from UBC's animal
welfare program, he's identified some common
patterns among producers who really succeed with
this approach. What does he see? Well, typically
they're maintaining incredibly detailed production
records. That's crucial for identifying areas
for improvement and actually tracking progress.
Data is king. They're investing in staff training
because good genetics need good management to
shine. It's not a magic bullet. You still need
skilled people. Absolutely. Genetics are potential.
Management unlocks it. And crucially, they're
actively resisting the temptation to chase. those
short -term genetic trends, the flavor of the
month bowl that everyone's talking about. That
discipline, that's key to long -term success.
It's about building a solid, reliable foundation
that can withstand the test of time and market
volatility rather than chasing fleeting fads.
It's just common sense, really, backed by good
science now. Looking ahead, this accelerated
shift towards balanced breeding. It seems like
it's only going to intensify as industry consolidation
continues. Yeah, this farm number is dropping.
We've seen Canadian dairy farm numbers decline
significantly from over 12 ,000 in 2014 down
to around 9 ,256 in 2024. Operational efficiency
is no longer just a nice -to -have goal. It's
become an absolute survival requirement. The
farms that are going to thrive... And frankly,
just survive are the ones that are most efficient,
most resilient, most adaptable. And technology
is a huge enabler here, isn't it? The genomic
tools available today are just incredible. Oh,
far beyond what we could have imagined even a
decade ago. Take Cemex's genomic platform, for
example. It processes over 50 ,000 genetic markers
per animal. 50 ,000 markers. That gives you precision
breeding decisions. With significantly higher
accuracy for young genomic bulls compared to
the old traditional pedigree methods. The reliability
jump is impressive. We're talking 70 -75 % accuracy
now versus maybe 30 -35 % with pedigree alone
back in the day. That dramatically reduces the
risk in sire selection. Allows you to select
for traits like disease resistance or feed efficiency
with far greater confidence. Huge leap in confidence.
It means you're making decisions based on solid,
detailed genetic data, not just educated guesses
or a bull's famous relatives. And it goes beyond
just selecting sires now, too. Real -time monitoring
systems. Yeah. Those are becoming more common.
Systems that can actually correlate genetic potential
with actual real -time production metrics on
the farm. So you can identify underperforming
genetics or maybe emerging health issues before
they really start hitting your bottom line. Exactly.
Imagine getting an alert that a group of cows
may be genetically predisposed to ketosis are
showing early signs based on sensor data. You
can intervene proactively instead of reacting
to a full -blown crisis later. It's the kind
of early warning system dairy farmers desperately
need to make proactive management decisions.
not reactive ones. And look, from a financial
perspective, there is potentially good news on
the horizon, too. Interest rates are generally
expected to continue declining through 2025.
Which creates a window of opportunity. A really
important window, yeah. For financing investments
in these advanced genetics and management systems,
it makes it more feasible for operations to make
this critical transition. It's an opportunity
to maybe borrow wisely and invest in the future
resilience and profitability of your herd. And
when you analyze the lifetime value of an animal.
The data really drives this home, doesn't it?
For sure. Leading analytics firms like AgriProfit,
their data suggests that balanced genetics can
increase the average productive lifespan by nearly
a full lactation in some herds. A whole extra
lactation on average. That directly translates
to lower replacement costs. massively lower replacement
costs because you're not constantly churning
through animals that burn out too quickly. It
also means more total milk over the cow's lifetime
and greater overall efficiency. It's a huge win
for any dairy producer. A cow that lasts longer
is simply a cow that pays you back more, reduces
your replacement heifer costs, and adds consistency
to your herd. It's that simple, but profoundly
impactful. All right, let's get into some of
the contrarian takes that are bubbling up around
this, because not everyone is fully on board
yet, right? No, definitely not. Change is hard.
I hear farmers saying, look, everyone's saying
if you back off chasing the highest LPI, you'll
lose milk yield or type. And that's a valid concern.
It's been ingrained in us for decades. It has.
But what if you're actually gaining something
far more valuable in the trade -off? Like a more
robust, consistently profitable animal that can
handle real -world challenges, not just excel
on a spreadsheet. I'm not buying that we'll just...
lose milk yield necessarily. Here's why. We're
not talking about sacrificing genetic progress
entirely in those high production or type areas.
We're talking about optimizing it for the real
world. Exactly. Instead of creating cattle with
spectacular strengths in one area, say milk yield,
but then having devastating weaknesses in fertility
or health that negate those gains. You're building
consistently profitable animals that actually
work and last in today's and tomorrow's challenging
environment. You're maybe trading a few percentage
points on a single isolated trait for a whole
lot more resilience, longevity, and overall profitability
across the entire system. You're building a balanced
athlete, like you said earlier, not a specialist
who's always getting injured or can only perform
under perfect conditions. That's a crucial distinction.
It's not about giving up on It's about rebalancing
priorities for a more sustainable, profitable
future. And this is where that five of six rule
is really gaining traction among progressive
producers. Explain that rule again. It's a strategy
that's quite simple, but seems incredibly effective.
Selecting sires that have at least five of Lactonet's
six LPI subindexes ranked above the 50th percentile.
And just remind listeners that 50th percentile
rank means that bull is performing better than
half of all other evaluated bulls for that specific
trait. Right. So the five to six rule ensures
your bulls are performing above average across
multiple categories. It actively prevents those
hidden weaknesses from creeping into your herd
and causing problems later. You might not get
a bull that's, you know. 99th percentile in every
single category. Those are rare anyway, but you're
guaranteeing a bull that's solid across the board
without significant deficiencies in crucial areas
like health or reproduction. It's a pragmatic
approach that acknowledges the complex reality
of dairy farming today. And we're seeing some
interesting regional patterns in the adoption
of this approach, aren't we? Yeah, it varies.
In progressive areas of Ontario and Quebec, you're
seeing maybe 30 -35 % of forward -thinking operations
already implementing some form of balanced selection
protocol. They're often leading the charge, driven
by intense competition and market pressures.
And out west? Western Canada, particularly the
larger operations, they seem to be transitioning
quite quickly, often because they're dealing
with more severe labor shortages. For them, they
simply need cattle that basically manage themselves
as much as possible. So those points Dr. Weary
made about detailed records, staff training,
resisting trends, that's really evident there.
Very evident. They recognize that a balanced,
resilient cow reduces their labor burden significantly.
It's almost like having an extra pair of hands
in the barn when cows just stay healthy and breed
back easily. Meanwhile, maritime provinces seem
to be a bit more cautious. Yeah, which makes
sense given their different cost structures and
maybe different market conditions. But even there,
the conversations about balanced breeding approaches
are definitely starting to pick up. The word
is getting out. It feels like this isn't just
a trend. It's a fundamental necessary shift in
how we have to approach deer genetics for the
future. The writing is definitely on the wall.
Even if the pace of adoption varies across regions,
the future of profitable dairy seems to be tied
to these resilient, balanced genetics. All right,
let's distill this down. Farmer just finished
morning milking. They're driving to the feed
store, maybe listening to this right now. What
are the three things they absolutely need to
know from this deep dive on balanced breeding
that they can actually act on? Okay, great question.
For you listening right now, here are three actionable
insights you can take away, broken down by timeline.
First, immediate action for this week. Start
with your baseline. You absolutely, positively
need to establish genomic profiles for your herd
if you haven't already. Use Lactonet's evaluation
services for this. That testing cost about $45,
$55 per animal. Yeah, roughly in that range.
But look, this is the foundational step for everything
that follows in balanced breeding. There are
simply no shortcuts here. You need to know exactly
where your herd stands genetically, the good,
the bad, the ugly, before you can even begin
to think strategically about where you want to
go. This data will illuminate the strengths and,
maybe more importantly, the hidden weaknesses
in your current genetics. It gives you a clear
map. Okay, baseline established. What's next?
Second, for your medium -term strategy over the
next three, six months. Define your genetic criteria
based on your specific situation. Don't just
pick generic targets off a list. Every operation
is unique with its own specific challenges and
goals. So tailor it. Absolutely. For smaller
herds, maybe under 200 head, you can probably
focus intensely on the three, four key areas
where you know you're struggling most. Maybe
it's fertility, maybe it's udder health, maybe
feet and legs. For midsize operations, say 200,
500 head, you'll likely need a more comprehensive
approach across more traits. Like if SEC is always
high. Exactly. If you consistently have high
somatic cell counts, you need to lean heavily
into selecting for the health and welfare subindex,
the HWI. If fertility is your biggest headache
year after year, then weight the reproduction
subindex RI more heavily in your selections.
And this is the crucial part. Always maintain
that 5 of 6 threshold for overall balanced improvement.
Yes. You want to actively address your known
weaknesses without inadvertently creating new
ones somewhere else. Balance is key. Got it.
And the long game. Third. For your long -term
positioning over the next one, two years, you
absolutely must stay disciplined. This is arguably
the hardest part of the whole thing. Why is that?
Because when that hot new LPI bull shows up,
maybe he only has three or even just two sub
-indexes over the 50th percentile rank, but everyone
in the coffee shop is talking about his sky -high
milk numbers or his incredible type. It's incredibly
tempting to jump on that bandwagon. Fear of missing
out? Yeah. FOMO. Totally, but don't do it. Stick
to your balanced strategy that you defined. Trust
the process. This disciplined approach positions
your operation not just to survive, but to truly
thrive as the industry continues to evolve. You'll
be better equipped to handle labor shortages,
volatile feed costs, climate stress, all of it,
with far more resilience and significantly less
daily drama. It's a genuine investment in your
future stability and peace of mind. Great summary.
Really practical steps there. This has been another
deep dive from the Bullvine podcast. If this
kind of analysis helps your operation, head to
www .thebullvine .com for more articles that
tell you what's really happening in dairy. And
seriously, subscribe wherever you get your deep
dives. We're releasing episodes twice weekly
now. And trust me, you don't want to miss what
we've got coming next week about the real impact
of rising energy costs on barn infrastructure
decisions. Ooh, that's a timely one, too. It
is. So here's a final thought to chew on. The
shift toward total balanced breeding isn't just
another fad. It feels more like the dairy industry
growing up, learning from its past mistakes perhaps,
and adapting to a much more challenging future.
The question isn't whether balanced breeding
is the future. The data seems pretty clear on
that. The real question is whether you're going
to be part of that future, leading the way with
a resilient, profitable herd, or risk getting
left behind dealing with yesterday's... Thank
you.