WEBVTT 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:14.039 Creeping across the pasture land. Got dirt on 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:18.719 the boots and a working hand. From the milk house 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:24.000 home to the auction call. These are the folks 00:00:24.000 --> 00:01:01.090 standing strong and tall. Yeah, this is... Welcome 00:01:01.090 --> 00:01:02.770 back to The Deep Dive, brought to you by The 00:01:02.770 --> 00:01:04.750 Bullvine, where we cut through dairy industry 00:01:04.750 --> 00:01:07.069 noise to get you the insight that actually matter 00:01:07.069 --> 00:01:10.250 for your operation. And today we're peeling back 00:01:10.250 --> 00:01:13.230 the layers on a story that is, it's really required 00:01:13.230 --> 00:01:15.849 reading for anyone managing genetics in the modern 00:01:15.849 --> 00:01:18.650 era. I agree. This feature piece challenges everything 00:01:18.650 --> 00:01:21.150 the industry tells us about index rankings and, 00:01:21.189 --> 00:01:23.650 you know. price tags, it's got explosive history, 00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:26.829 current warnings, and a massive paradox right 00:01:26.829 --> 00:01:29.469 at its heart. It truly does. We are deep diving 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:32.329 into the legacy of Carol Prelude M. Toto, the 00:01:32.329 --> 00:01:35.349 Italian specialist bull. When he hit the UK market 00:01:35.349 --> 00:01:39.269 in, what, 1998? He was a total anomaly. Oh, completely. 00:01:39.409 --> 00:01:42.150 He was priced at a painful 40 pounds per straw, 00:01:42.349 --> 00:01:45.510 which was, I mean, quite literally four times 00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:47.849 the average commercial volume bull at the time. 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:50.799 Yeah. And to add insult to injury, his paper 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:53.680 proof showed moderate, even mediocre production. 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:56.120 And the irony here is just stunning. And it's 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:59.180 really the core thesis of this deep dive. A bull 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:01.700 that looked like a financial mistake on paper 00:02:01.700 --> 00:02:05.000 expensive, low ranked for milk yield became the 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:07.599 genetic cornerstone of billion dollar dynasties. 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:10.439 He arguably saved the structural integrity of 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:12.780 the Holstein breed in Europe and well, beyond. 00:02:13.219 --> 00:02:15.460 We're going to trace that journey. And critically, 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:18.319 we're going to show you how. That exact history, 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.560 that pattern of chasing flashy production while 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:24.979 ignoring durability, it's repeating itself right 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:27.699 now with genomic selection. Okay, let's unpack 00:02:27.699 --> 00:02:29.599 this and set the stage for why this matters to 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:31.599 the farmer listening today. We have to rewind 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:34.659 the clock a bit. We do. Back to the late 1990s. 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:37.439 This was the peak era of the production at all 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:40.879 costs mentality. Right. An echo chamber created 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:43.819 by decades of relentless focus on the bulk tank. 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:47.539 Volume, volume, volume. And the stakes for understanding 00:02:47.539 --> 00:02:50.400 this history are, they're immense. We talk to 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:52.439 farm consultants constantly. They show us the 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:54.419 hard data that separates the survivors from those 00:02:54.419 --> 00:02:57.360 who failed. Think back to the 2008 economic crisis. 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:00.259 Input costs soared, milk prices tanked, and that 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:02.639 volatility just crushed operations. I remember 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:04.900 those times it was absolutely brutal It was. 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:08.800 And the data shows a really clear pattern. Farms 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:11.280 that bought the cheap, high production, high 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:14.719 TPI bulls in the late 90s, the ones that gave 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:16.960 you those spectacular first lactation numbers. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:19.039 Yeah, the ones that look great on paper. Exactly. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:20.699 Those were often the ones who couldn't weather 00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:23.599 the storm. Their cows just broke down. They fell 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:26.740 apart. Replacement rates skyrocketed right when 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:28.639 money was tightest. They were hemorrhaging cash. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:30.860 So the high initial yield was essentially a trap. 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:33.680 It was a trap. Exactly. But the farms that... 00:03:33.740 --> 00:03:36.319 Invested in Mentodo's survival genetics, paying 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:39.360 that premium for durability, for health and for, 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:41.620 you know, a third or fourth lactation. You were 00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:43.439 the one still standing. They were still profitable. 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:46.099 They were still milking these quiet fifth and 00:03:46.099 --> 00:03:48.620 sixth lactation cows that were just doing their 00:03:48.620 --> 00:03:51.689 job without a vet bill. That investment decision 00:03:51.689 --> 00:03:54.129 25 years ago is often the difference between 00:03:54.129 --> 00:03:56.590 still farming today and seeing your fields become 00:03:56.590 --> 00:04:00.889 suburban development. The fundamental, often 00:04:00.889 --> 00:04:03.210 overlooked lesson here is that longevity is the 00:04:03.210 --> 00:04:06.189 only true sustainable engine of farm profitability. 00:04:06.629 --> 00:04:08.969 And before we dive into all the details, we have 00:04:08.969 --> 00:04:10.770 to tackle the most controversial aspect head 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:13.889 on, because it's a bit of a mind bender. It is. 00:04:13.990 --> 00:04:16.189 If you look at Bemtodo's current genetic proofs. 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:20.189 Let's say in the August 2025 UK evaluations, 00:04:20.509 --> 00:04:23.569 the numbers look like a catastrophe. He shows 00:04:23.569 --> 00:04:26.410 negative production traits like minus 18 kilograms 00:04:26.410 --> 00:04:29.829 of milk and a profitable lifetime index, a PLI, 00:04:29.829 --> 00:04:34.040 of minus 112 pounds. That is the ultimate paradox. 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:36.220 On paper, if you filtered your catalog today 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:38.959 for anything above a neutral PLI, you would skip 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:41.620 him entirely. An AI technician pitching him based 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:43.779 on those raw numbers would be, well, left off 00:04:43.779 --> 00:04:45.839 the farm. But we are arguing that the negative 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.060 proof is actually a measure of his success, not 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:50.519 his failure. Precisely. His genetics were so 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:53.060 successful at correcting those Bell -era frailties 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:55.240 that they lifted the structural and health baseline 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:57.939 of the entire Holstein population. We're going 00:04:57.939 --> 00:04:59.800 to spend time later explaining the base change 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:02.870 phenomenon, but think of it this way. He was 00:05:02.870 --> 00:05:05.129 so good at fixing things that the fix became 00:05:05.129 --> 00:05:07.649 the new normal. And this leads to our ultimate 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:10.550 warning. The bull that's topping all the genomic 00:05:10.550 --> 00:05:13.050 lists today, the one that looks spectacular on 00:05:13.050 --> 00:05:16.069 paper, might just be tomorrow's financial disaster 00:05:16.069 --> 00:05:18.589 for your operation. Just like the high production. 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:21.470 Low longevity Bell daughters were back in the 00:05:21.470 --> 00:05:24.129 late 1990s. We have to learn from this history 00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:26.990 or we are absolutely doomed to repeat it. OK, 00:05:27.050 --> 00:05:28.990 let's start the investigation by defining the 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:31.649 colossal problem that Makoto was engineered to 00:05:31.649 --> 00:05:33.589 solve. And that means we have to talk about the 00:05:33.589 --> 00:05:36.810 Bell legacy. Yes. Carlin M. Ivanhoe Bell. He 00:05:36.810 --> 00:05:39.089 arrived on the scene in the late 80s and early 00:05:39.089 --> 00:05:42.050 90s. And for lack of a better phrase, he just 00:05:42.050 --> 00:05:45.449 revolutionized. the bulk tank. He was the definition 00:05:45.449 --> 00:05:47.790 of production, putting an average of, what, 1 00:05:47.790 --> 00:05:50.269 ,700 pounds above the herd average into the tanks? 00:05:50.430 --> 00:05:53.009 He was a superstar, no question. Farmers were 00:05:53.009 --> 00:05:55.089 ecstatic because they could immediately see the 00:05:55.089 --> 00:05:58.009 return. But the phrase, no such thing as a free 00:05:58.009 --> 00:06:00.649 lunch, was never more true than with Bell. Right. 00:06:00.810 --> 00:06:03.310 That immense production came at an immense physiological 00:06:03.310 --> 00:06:05.689 cost, something the farmer only discovered, you 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:07.410 know, a year or two into the daughter's productive 00:06:07.410 --> 00:06:09.990 lives. The sources detail what happened next. 00:06:10.509 --> 00:06:13.980 The Bell paradox was essentially, production 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:17.560 wrapped in tissue paper. Those genetics drove 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:20.060 structural frailty across the board. And we're 00:06:20.060 --> 00:06:21.579 not talking about small things. We're talking 00:06:21.579 --> 00:06:24.339 about poorly attached udders that hung low, increasing 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:26.899 the risk of injury and infection. We're talking 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:29.550 about cows prone to... devastating metabolic 00:06:29.550 --> 00:06:32.930 disorders, specifically milk fever and ketosis, 00:06:32.970 --> 00:06:35.889 because they just couldn't partition the energy 00:06:35.889 --> 00:06:38.970 required for that spectacular output. And crucially, 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:42.029 weak legs that simply could not sustain the load 00:06:42.029 --> 00:06:44.889 and the relentless production pace. Producers 00:06:44.889 --> 00:06:46.970 who managed those bell daughters during that 00:06:46.970 --> 00:06:50.490 era described the barn floor as a constant battlefield. 00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:53.509 I mean, that sounds exhausting. It was a management 00:06:53.509 --> 00:06:55.910 nightmare. You had cows everywhere standing with 00:06:55.910 --> 00:06:58.250 splayed rear legs trying to balance these broken 00:06:58.250 --> 00:07:00.750 down udders. You had chronic lameness issues 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:02.910 starting in the second lactation, and they were 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:05.149 perpetually struggling to breed back. So the 00:07:05.149 --> 00:07:06.949 replacement rate must have been through the roof. 00:07:07.470 --> 00:07:10.360 Unsustainable. Research run by major universities 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:12.699 documented that bell daughters live significantly 00:07:12.699 --> 00:07:15.439 shorter productive lives, often two to three 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:18.459 years less than cows with more balanced genetics. 00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:20.540 Wait, I want to drill down on the economics of 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:23.540 that. If you're getting, say, 1 ,700 pounds of 00:07:23.540 --> 00:07:26.759 extra milk in the first lactation, but you lose 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:30.120 two full lactations of productive life, where 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:32.779 does the balance sheet actually land? That's 00:07:32.779 --> 00:07:34.439 the million -dollar question, because that's 00:07:34.439 --> 00:07:36.790 where the industry got fooled. The spectacular 00:07:36.790 --> 00:07:39.110 first lactation production gains were almost 00:07:39.110 --> 00:07:41.990 entirely negated or even reversed by the high 00:07:41.990 --> 00:07:44.329 replacement costs and the vet bills. Right. The 00:07:44.329 --> 00:07:46.670 estimated cost to rear a heifer to first calving 00:07:46.670 --> 00:07:49.290 in the late 90s was substantial. It easily offset 00:07:49.290 --> 00:07:51.709 the marginal gain in that first year. If a cow 00:07:51.709 --> 00:07:54.689 only lasts 2 .5 lactations, you are constantly 00:07:54.689 --> 00:07:56.790 pouring money into raising replacements just 00:07:56.790 --> 00:07:58.949 to maintain your herd size. You are running on 00:07:58.949 --> 00:08:01.740 a genetic treadmill. So the industry had, through 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:04.439 this relentless focus on volume, effectively 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:07.180 bred out the necessary resilience. They had created 00:08:07.180 --> 00:08:09.600 these production monsters wrapped in tissue paper. 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:13.240 Precisely. By the time M. Toto was born in 1993, 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:16.439 the industry, especially in Europe where environmental 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.379 pressures and longevity demands were higher, 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:22.040 was desperately searching for wearability, for 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:24.480 structural correctives, for genetics that could 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.720 handle long -term stress. They needed a fix. 00:08:26.899 --> 00:08:29.639 They did. That structural deficiency is what 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:31.860 led enlightened breeders to prioritize traits 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:34.779 like longevity and utter confirmation, because 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:37.080 the most expensive cow is not the one producing 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:39.419 less milk. The most expensive cow is the one 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:41.779 you have to replace too soon. And that desperate 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:44.120 need for correction created the perfect vacuum 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:47.620 for a specialist bull like Emtoto. But the correction 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:50.019 didn't originate from the same production -focused 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:52.120 genetic programs that created the problem. No, 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.620 it could. It had to come from a different philosophy 00:08:54.620 --> 00:08:57.429 entirely. Which brings us to the unique environment 00:08:57.429 --> 00:09:00.009 of our second deep dive segment, the Italian 00:09:00.009 --> 00:09:02.809 reality check. This is where conventional wisdom 00:09:02.809 --> 00:09:05.330 surrounding U .S. style genetic indices gets 00:09:05.330 --> 00:09:08.509 utterly challenged. The question is, why did 00:09:08.509 --> 00:09:11.029 Italy's breeding philosophy diverge so sharply 00:09:11.029 --> 00:09:13.629 from the North American focus on fluid milk volume? 00:09:13.970 --> 00:09:16.009 It all comes down to the end product, doesn't 00:09:16.009 --> 00:09:18.710 it? In North America, liquid consumption drove 00:09:18.710 --> 00:09:22.379 genetics. In Italy, the sources state that over 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:25.940 80 % of Italian milk was destined for incredibly 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:29.000 high -value, quality -controlled cheese production. 00:09:29.299 --> 00:09:31.620 We're talking Parmigiano -Reggiano and Grana 00:09:31.620 --> 00:09:33.519 Padano. And these aren't just commodity products. 00:09:33.620 --> 00:09:36.340 They are protected designation of origin or PDO 00:09:36.340 --> 00:09:39.419 products with exceptionally strict quality requirements. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:41.899 So those market realities completely dictate 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:44.220 the genetic priorities. The Italian National 00:09:44.220 --> 00:09:48.080 Association, ANIFI, They didn't use TPI or PLI 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:50.879 in the same way. No, they relied on the ILQM, 00:09:50.940 --> 00:09:53.980 the Italian Lactation Quality Merit Index. And 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:55.980 yes, production was 80 % of the weighting, but 00:09:55.980 --> 00:09:58.639 that remaining 20 % was heavily focused on type, 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.500 with utter confirmation being absolutely central 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:03.559 to their scoring system. But it goes beyond just 00:10:03.559 --> 00:10:05.240 structure, right? It's about the milk components 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:07.500 themselves. Absolutely. They weren't just looking 00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:10.639 for volume. They needed specific protein quality. 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:12.879 This is where we talk about kappa casein content. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:15.700 Okay, for the listener, break that down. Why 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:17.799 does kappa casein matter so much for cheese? 00:10:18.059 --> 00:10:20.720 It's crucial for efficient and stable curd formation 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.840 during cheese making. If you lack the right type 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:26.379 and quantity of this protein, your cheese yield 00:10:26.379 --> 00:10:29.059 suffers, and the quality of the final cheese 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:31.940 wheel is compromised. Metodo was bred to boost 00:10:31.940 --> 00:10:34.940 protein quality, ensuring high cheese yield efficiency, 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.820 a factor that production indices often overlook 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:40.899 in favor of just sheer volume. And they also 00:10:40.899 --> 00:10:43.659 needed ruggedness. These cows had to handle the 00:10:43.659 --> 00:10:46.039 Po Valley environment and the long, sustained 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:48.879 production cycles required for those high -value 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:51.480 cheese dairies. Right. Functionality, as Italian 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:54.460 judge Gianni Beretta noted, was paramount. You 00:10:54.460 --> 00:10:56.679 needed cows that will last four, five, or six 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:59.639 lactations, producing high -quality milk. Longevity 00:10:59.639 --> 00:11:01.659 in that environment wasn't nice to have. It was 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:04.320 a non -negotiable economic necessity. So let's 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:06.450 analyze Metodo's pedigree. because it perfectly 00:11:06.450 --> 00:11:08.830 illustrates how strategically he was designed 00:11:08.830 --> 00:11:11.610 as a corrective tool for the entire breed. He 00:11:11.610 --> 00:11:14.210 was built to address the bell flaws without losing 00:11:14.210 --> 00:11:17.309 the bell production potential. Exactly. His sire 00:11:17.309 --> 00:11:19.710 was Ronnie Burke Prelude, which brought stature, 00:11:19.850 --> 00:11:22.129 style, and that essential durability from the 00:11:22.129 --> 00:11:25.070 legendary Starbuck line. But the maternal side... 00:11:25.450 --> 00:11:28.049 That provided the necessary counterbalance to 00:11:28.049 --> 00:11:31.509 the tall, narrow look. His dam was Dixie Lee 00:11:31.509 --> 00:11:33.990 Bree Star Betsy, a two -mar Black Star daughter. 00:11:34.289 --> 00:11:36.789 And Black Star was the strength and width specialist 00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:40.230 of his generation. So Prelude gave Emtodo height 00:11:40.230 --> 00:11:42.710 and dairy character. Black Star gave him that 00:11:42.710 --> 00:11:44.889 critical width, capacity, and sheer physical 00:11:44.889 --> 00:11:47.690 strength. The sources even provide his AAA code, 00:11:47.929 --> 00:11:51.610 426. For those unfamiliar, AAA is a system focusing 00:11:51.610 --> 00:11:54.799 on physical balance. Walk me through why that 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:57.259 specific code was the logical corrective fix 00:11:57.259 --> 00:11:59.159 for the narrowbell daughters who just lacked 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:02.240 capacity. Okay, so the code 426 perfectly signaled 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:04.500 a corrective bull for the common structural deficits 00:12:04.500 --> 00:12:06.840 of the time. The 4 means strength and width. 00:12:06.980 --> 00:12:08.820 That's targeting heart growth capacity, front 00:12:08.820 --> 00:12:11.259 end width, and overall body depth, counteracting 00:12:11.259 --> 00:12:12.980 the narrowness that Bell introduced. And the 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:15.730 2 and the 6. The two signal stature, so he kept 00:12:15.730 --> 00:12:18.370 the frame, and the six indicates refinement adding 00:12:18.370 --> 00:12:20.909 dairy quality and clean bone, making sure the 00:12:20.909 --> 00:12:23.429 strength wasn't just brute force. Essentially, 00:12:23.590 --> 00:12:26.129 he was bred to take a frail, high -production 00:12:26.129 --> 00:12:29.750 cow and wrap it in a durable, robust frame. But 00:12:29.750 --> 00:12:31.710 the real genetic masterstroke, the thing that 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:33.429 fixed the bell udders, was what they called the 00:12:33.429 --> 00:12:36.250 chief mark correction. Yes. The structural weaknesses 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:38.429 and low -hanging udders that Bell transmitted 00:12:38.429 --> 00:12:42.539 were deep in the pedigree of so many cows. Matodo's 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:45.559 maternal grand dame was sired by walkway chief 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:48.100 Mark. And chief Mark was famous for one thing, 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:51.700 transmitting superior, tightly attached udders 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:55.090 with correct teat placement. This Belex Chief 00:12:55.090 --> 00:12:58.029 Mark cross, facilitated through Matodo's lineage, 00:12:58.269 --> 00:13:00.710 is cited as one of the most successful nicks 00:13:00.710 --> 00:13:02.470 in Holstein history. So what you're saying is 00:13:02.470 --> 00:13:03.889 Matodo was able to carry the high production 00:13:03.889 --> 00:13:06.330 potential that was locked in the bell line. Yes, 00:13:06.330 --> 00:13:08.590 but the physical deficiencies, the utter flaws, 00:13:08.850 --> 00:13:11.149 were corrected and packaged with the superior 00:13:11.149 --> 00:13:13.610 structure provided by Chief Mark. The pharma 00:13:13.610 --> 00:13:16.509 translation here is just powerful. Matodo was 00:13:16.509 --> 00:13:19.409 literally bred. to repair the physical damage 00:13:19.409 --> 00:13:21.350 inflicted by the previous generation's production 00:13:21.350 --> 00:13:23.409 obsession. And the key difference in philosophy 00:13:23.409 --> 00:13:26.269 was longevity, all driven by that PDO cheese 00:13:26.269 --> 00:13:28.990 market. Think about the impact of mastitis in 00:13:28.990 --> 00:13:32.009 a quality market. If your milk has high somatic 00:13:32.009 --> 00:13:34.230 cell counts, indicating infection or inflammation, 00:13:34.710 --> 00:13:37.269 the cheese factory won't just penalize you. They'll 00:13:37.269 --> 00:13:39.889 reject it. They reject the milk outright. You 00:13:39.889 --> 00:13:42.830 lose the sale entirely. Mastitis resistance in 00:13:42.830 --> 00:13:44.950 this context wasn't some health bonus. It was 00:13:44.950 --> 00:13:47.350 a hard economic requirement for survival in a 00:13:47.350 --> 00:13:49.769 quality -driven market. This is why Matodo's 00:13:49.769 --> 00:13:52.409 greatest strengths were invisible traits, utter 00:13:52.409 --> 00:13:54.909 health, and somatic cell score. That brings us 00:13:54.909 --> 00:13:57.490 perfectly to our third deep dive segment, Follow 00:13:57.490 --> 00:14:00.090 the Money. We need to quantify the invisible 00:14:00.090 --> 00:14:02.850 economics of utter health, which ultimately proved 00:14:02.850 --> 00:14:04.909 that the price tag of 40 pounds was actually 00:14:04.909 --> 00:14:07.529 a bargain. You mentioned the defining physical 00:14:07.529 --> 00:14:10.830 trait of Matodo's daughters, tight teat sphincters. 00:14:11.179 --> 00:14:14.980 Yes. They were renowned slow milking transmitters. 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:18.659 In a high throughput, modern rotary parlor environment 00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:20.500 where the manager is judged on how many cows 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:22.980 they get through per hour, slow milking is viewed 00:14:22.980 --> 00:14:26.100 as a serious defect. Because speed is king. Speed 00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:29.080 is prioritized above all else. But the source 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.220 analysis explains the precise physiological tradeoff. 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:34.779 And this is crucial for understanding the economic 00:14:34.779 --> 00:14:37.860 mistake the industry was making. Loose finkters 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:40.659 mean fast making, which parlor managers love. 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.600 But that loose tissue leads the door wide open 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:46.019 for bacteria to enter the udder post -milking, 00:14:46.179 --> 00:14:49.019 turning those cows into mastitis magnets. And 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:51.840 Matodo's genetics transmitted the opposite. Tight 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:54.639 teat sphincter muscles. This made them snow milkers, 00:14:54.659 --> 00:14:57.100 yes, which frustrated the staff. But those tight 00:14:57.100 --> 00:14:59.379 sphincters created a natural physical barrier, 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:02.179 an impenetrable defense mechanism against bacterial 00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:04.980 invasion immediately following milking. And this 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:07.279 resulted in Matodo achieving health proofs that 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:10.759 were just utterly superior. His UK proofs showed 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:13.659 an elite somatic cell score of NERIG of 13, a 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:16.299 healthy cow index of plus 17, and a lame disadvantage 00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:19.419 of plus 0 .7. Let's pause and define what NERIG 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:22.169 of 13 SCC means for the practical farmer. OK, 00:15:22.269 --> 00:15:24.750 so when we talk about SCC scores, a negative 00:15:24.750 --> 00:15:27.389 number is good, meaning the bull reduces SCC 00:15:27.389 --> 00:15:30.509 in his daughters. A Nader 13 in the UK system 00:15:30.509 --> 00:15:33.590 is considered elite. It translates directly to 00:15:33.590 --> 00:15:36.350 fewer chronic infections, fewer subclinical cases, 00:15:36.590 --> 00:15:38.789 and therefore higher quality milk checks and 00:15:38.789 --> 00:15:41.470 far less dumping of unusable milk. I want to 00:15:41.470 --> 00:15:43.429 challenge the economics here, though. A lot of 00:15:43.429 --> 00:15:45.909 farmers here slow milker and they immediately 00:15:45.909 --> 00:15:48.830 think labor costs. If Mitoto's daughters are 00:15:48.830 --> 00:15:51.049 adding 30 seconds to the milking time for 200. 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:54.320 cows, that's real labor money being spent. How 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:56.340 do we balance that tangible cost against the 00:15:56.340 --> 00:15:58.480 invisible savings? That is the perfect question, 00:15:58.580 --> 00:16:00.820 and it illustrates why traditional spreadsheets 00:16:00.820 --> 00:16:03.600 failed to value mTOTO correctly. The parlor manager 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:06.500 sees the tangible cost. A hard milker costs maybe 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:09.759 30 or even 50 nevers a year in extra labor because 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.019 of slower throughput. That's a definite calculated 00:16:12.019 --> 00:16:15.440 loss. Okay, so a 50 devery loss per cow per year. 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:17.919 That's one bad. Now, let's look at the profit 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:19.899 from what the sources call the invisible cow. 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:23.100 What is the cost of a single severe mastitis 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:26.139 case? Conservatively, you lose the milk from 00:16:26.139 --> 00:16:28.500 the infected quarter, you spend on the vet visit, 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:30.799 you spend on antibiotics, you spend time on labor 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:32.539 for treatments. Three times a day for a week. 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:34.860 Right. And you have milk withholding. Yeah. That 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:37.320 total cost for a single severe case can easily 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:40.039 run 300 to 500 euros. The bold daughter might 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:42.220 have three or four severe cases in a short career. 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:45.769 Exactly. So now... Combine the avoided vet bills, 00:16:46.049 --> 00:16:48.750 the avoided labor, the avoided milk loss, the 00:16:48.750 --> 00:16:51.210 avoided permanent damage to the udder, and then 00:16:51.210 --> 00:16:53.690 add the biggest saving of all, avoided culling. 00:16:54.049 --> 00:16:56.730 By avoiding those problems and getting just two 00:16:56.730 --> 00:16:59.629 or three extra profitable lactations, which metodo 00:16:59.629 --> 00:17:02.919 daughters routinely did, you generate 2 ,000 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:06.420 to 3 ,000 in additional pure profit per cow over 00:17:06.420 --> 00:17:08.559 her lifetime. So we're comparing a certain 50 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:11.299 annual labor cost against a potential 3 ,000 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:13.519 lifetime profit increase from avoided disaster. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:15.960 The spreadsheet's were dead wrong when they only 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:18.319 focused on fast milking and volume. They were 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:20.859 catastrophically wrong. The mtoto cow wasn't 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:22.900 spectacular. She was profitable because she was 00:17:22.900 --> 00:17:25.500 quiet. She cost nothing to keep running. She 00:17:25.500 --> 00:17:27.420 was the definition of functional resilience. 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:31.220 And that ultimately justifies the famous 40 -pound 00:17:31.220 --> 00:17:34.500 question. When Avoncroft introduced him in 1998, 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:37.559 he was 40 pounds per straw when competitors like 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:40.059 Ulma Prelude Tugelo were 20 pounds and General 00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:42.319 Purpose Volume Sires were, what, 10 pounds, 15 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.019 pounds? It required a philosophical leap to stid 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:47.099 that money. It was a strategic investment, not 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:49.359 an expense. Farmers weren't paying 40 pounds 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:51.519 for production volume. They were paying 40 pounds 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:54.220 for an insurance policy. They were buying a targeted 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:57.220 solution to expensive systemic problems, mastitis, 00:17:57.420 --> 00:17:59.460 high replacement rates, structural breakdown 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:02.099 that were bleeding their operations dry. That 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:04.279 premium price reflected his specialty status 00:18:04.279 --> 00:18:06.559 and his ability to fix problems that cost 10 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.740 times that much to manage. Forward -thinking 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:11.539 producers recognize that value, even if his production 00:18:11.539 --> 00:18:14.599 proofs were just moderate. And that strategic 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:17.559 contrarian application of M -Toto is perfectly 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:19.799 illustrated in our fourth deep dive segment. 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:22.819 The case studies and examples which led to the 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:25.900 birth of the shuttle dynasty. This story is the 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:28.140 ultimate example of defying the conventional 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:30.500 wisdom of the AI industry. We're talking about 00:18:30.500 --> 00:18:32.799 the Pickford family in the UK and their cow, 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:36.859 Condon Arrow Sharon, classified EX91. The year 00:18:36.859 --> 00:18:39.720 is 1999, and Sharon is eight years old. Eight 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:41.640 years old. Think about that in terms of genetic 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:43.779 turnover. The industry had fully filtered her 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:46.680 out. She was, by all accounts, a genetic antique. 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:50.740 Obsolete. Yeah. AI companies want young, high 00:18:50.740 --> 00:18:53.059 -genomic heifers to breed from because progress 00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:55.759 moves so fast. Sharon was considered completely 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:58.339 obsolete. But the Pickfers looked past the hype. 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:00.779 They recognized that Sharon possessed the most 00:19:00.779 --> 00:19:02.819 important genetic trait you can't get from a 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:05.519 genomic test. durability. She had survived eight 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:07.940 years of high production, maintained a high classification, 00:19:08.299 --> 00:19:10.920 and kept breeding back. She was a proven survivor. 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:14.420 Their decision was a calculated wager. They bred 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:16.799 this proven survivor, Sharon, to the durability 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:20.680 specialist, Mentoto. The goal wasn't just maximizing 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:23.559 milk. It was locking in that longevity and adding 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:26.279 Mentoto's elite low SCC and utter refinement, 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:28.900 specifically to counter the prevailing industry 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:31.700 age bias. And that decision created a dynasty. 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:36.779 On July 23, 1999, Pixton Schottel was born. The 00:19:36.779 --> 00:19:39.220 sources describe Schottel as a perfected mtoto. 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:42.339 He successfully retained the elite low SCC and 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:44.940 the functional correct type of his sire, but 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:47.099 he gained the necessary increased milk flow and 00:19:47.099 --> 00:19:49.619 powerful frame from his dam's high -producing 00:19:49.619 --> 00:19:52.039 lineage. The phenomenon that followed was unprecedented, 00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:54.940 and it confirms the economic theory of the invisible 00:19:54.940 --> 00:19:57.960 cow. Farmers didn't notice shottle daughters 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:00.099 for their spectacular production. I mean, they 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:02.140 were good, but not record breakers. They noticed 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:04.160 them for their total lack of drama. The invisible 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:07.099 cow. Yes. The shottle daughters rarely needed 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:09.660 vet treatment. They bred back easily. They quietly 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:12.259 produced for five, six, even seven lactations. 00:20:12.460 --> 00:20:14.819 This complete lack of management headaches drove 00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:17.539 what industry analysts called unprecedented reorder 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:19.559 rates. I remember reading about that. It wasn't 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:21.779 just a bull selling well. It was repeat business 00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:25.240 based on actual farm level performance. Exactly. 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:28.359 The process was a farmer would try 10 straws, 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:30.940 see the functional results, the easy calving, 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:33.220 the clean, utter health, and they would immediately 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:36.099 call wanting hundreds more. That right there 00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:39.180 is the real metric of a bull's value. Customer 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:41.799 satisfaction and reorder rates based on durability, 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:45.880 not just the initial glossy index ranking. Schottl's 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:49.170 dominance then went global. In 2008, he achieved 00:20:49.170 --> 00:20:51.710 the number one TPI ranking in the United States. 00:20:51.769 --> 00:20:54.650 I mean, think about that. A UK bred bull from 00:20:54.650 --> 00:20:57.309 an Italian sire focusing on cheese genetics and 00:20:57.309 --> 00:20:59.920 an old cow. dominating North American genetics, 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:02.299 which was focused on volume. It just demonstrates 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:04.420 the desperate global need for that kind of correction. 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:07.460 His legacy is difficult to quantify fully. Over 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:10.960 1 .17 million doses sold globally and an estimated 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:12.819 economic impact in the billions, predominantly 00:21:12.819 --> 00:21:15.720 through saved costs. Reduced mastitis treatments, 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:18.380 fewer involuntary calls, and extended productive 00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:21.450 lives. I'm Toto in shuttle. proved that durability 00:21:21.450 --> 00:21:24.430 and consistency are the fundamental drivers of 00:21:24.430 --> 00:21:26.990 long -term profit, not the spectacular short 00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:30.289 -term production highs. No doubt. So, we've established 00:21:30.289 --> 00:21:32.569 that Memtoto was a genetic giant, a revolutionary 00:21:32.569 --> 00:21:35.069 for his time, but we have to return to the elephant 00:21:35.069 --> 00:21:38.250 in the room that we teased earlier. Why are Memtoto's 00:21:38.250 --> 00:21:42.029 2025 proofs negative? Milk minus 18 kilograms. 00:21:42.829 --> 00:21:46.589 PLI minus 112 pounds. Why does the bull that 00:21:46.589 --> 00:21:48.869 saved the breed look like a disaster on today's 00:21:48.869 --> 00:21:51.309 catalog? This is where we need to slow down and 00:21:51.309 --> 00:21:53.289 really understand the concept of base change 00:21:53.289 --> 00:21:56.569 reality. The Holstein breed average, which determines 00:21:56.569 --> 00:21:58.869 the genetic proof rankings, resets approximately 00:21:58.869 --> 00:22:01.309 every five years to reflect the progress made 00:22:01.309 --> 00:22:03.369 by the entire population. Okay, think of it like 00:22:03.369 --> 00:22:05.630 Olympic records. Every four years, the average 00:22:05.630 --> 00:22:08.009 performance of top athletes gets better, so a 00:22:08.009 --> 00:22:10.549 gold medal performance from 1998 might not even 00:22:10.549 --> 00:22:13.470 qualify for the finals in 2025. That's a perfect 00:22:13.470 --> 00:22:16.609 analogy. Matodo's genetics were so successful 00:22:16.609 --> 00:22:18.829 at introducing health, longevity, and structural 00:22:18.829 --> 00:22:21.369 soundness that they lifted the floor of the entire 00:22:21.369 --> 00:22:24.069 population. The cow that was the exceptional 00:22:24.069 --> 00:22:26.390 standard bearer for utter quality and structural 00:22:26.390 --> 00:22:29.490 correctness in 1998 is, by today's standards, 00:22:29.710 --> 00:22:32.549 merely average. Because the average cow today 00:22:32.549 --> 00:22:35.049 is just structurally and functionally superior 00:22:35.049 --> 00:22:38.369 to the average cow 30 years ago. Largely thanks 00:22:38.369 --> 00:22:41.259 to Matodo's influence. So those negative production 00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:44.279 figures reflect 30 years of intense, successful 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:46.880 selection pressure on the breed as a whole. It 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:49.079 means the breed has successfully caught up to 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:51.319 and surpassed Matoda's production capability 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:54.420 while retaining the durability he provided. And 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:55.900 you have to look at his health traits. They're 00:22:55.900 --> 00:22:58.519 still there. Critically, yes. Look at his health 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:01.220 traits. His SEC score still sits at negative 00:23:01.220 --> 00:23:04.549 13. Those functional genes survived 30 years 00:23:04.549 --> 00:23:07.190 of selection because they work. Genomic analysis 00:23:07.190 --> 00:23:09.769 confirms his foundational influence. His genetics 00:23:09.769 --> 00:23:12.170 consistently show up in analyses of genes in 00:23:12.170 --> 00:23:14.750 common with the current elite population, making 00:23:14.750 --> 00:23:17.849 up 6 .44 % of the shared genetics. That is incredible. 00:23:18.089 --> 00:23:20.930 That level of persistent influence is the ultimate 00:23:20.930 --> 00:23:24.049 proof of value. This historical perspective gives 00:23:24.049 --> 00:23:25.930 us a critical warning for the present moment. 00:23:26.190 --> 00:23:28.650 If Intoto represented the correction for the 00:23:28.650 --> 00:23:33.049 disastrous Bell era, are we now... today facing 00:23:33.049 --> 00:23:36.029 bill 2 .0 we are and we are repeating the mistake 00:23:36.029 --> 00:23:38.269 at warp speed because of the power of genomics 00:23:38.269 --> 00:23:41.829 in the 1980s it took years of progeny testing 00:23:41.829 --> 00:23:44.130 to realize the bill daughters were breaking down 00:23:44.130 --> 00:23:46.829 today we can saturate the breed with similar 00:23:46.829 --> 00:23:50.119 high production low resilience genetics in 18 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:53.579 months. We are aggressively selecting for high 00:23:53.579 --> 00:23:56.460 TPI, which is heavily skewed toward production 00:23:56.460 --> 00:23:59.480 and component yield, while dangerously underweighting 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:01.460 the survival traits that are often harder to 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:04.279 predict accurately from a calf's DNA. We've seen 00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:07.000 the consultants' reports, and they paint a terrifyingly 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:10.269 familiar picture. They quote the exact same pattern. 00:24:10.509 --> 00:24:14.009 Herds using only the top 10 TPI bulls see absolutely 00:24:14.009 --> 00:24:17.089 beautiful, spectacular first lactations. Then 00:24:17.089 --> 00:24:19.369 structural or metabolic problems emerge by the 00:24:19.369 --> 00:24:21.970 second, and those high TPI cows are often gone, 00:24:22.130 --> 00:24:24.750 culled, or struggling by the third. Genomic selection 00:24:24.750 --> 00:24:26.890 has simply created fragility at a much faster 00:24:26.890 --> 00:24:29.109 rate. Wait, I need more detail on that frailty 00:24:29.109 --> 00:24:32.250 problem. What specifically is breaking down in 00:24:32.250 --> 00:24:35.099 these modern top -indexed cows? It's the same 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:37.700 bill era mechanics, just expressed differently 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:40.000 due to, you know, modern environmental pressures. 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:43.240 We see early metabolic collapse when the cow's 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:45.539 energy partitioning system can't keep up with 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:47.940 the component yield demand. That leads to poor 00:24:47.940 --> 00:24:50.640 fertility and an increased risk of milk fever 00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:54.279 or ketosis. We see foot and leg issues, specifically 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:56.759 digital dermatitis, because their frame is pushed 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:59.160 too hard. And worst of all, reproductive failure 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:01.859 is soaring, meaning they simply fail to breed 00:25:01.859 --> 00:25:04.359 back, forcing involuntary culture. after the 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:06.460 first or second lactation. And this fragility 00:25:06.460 --> 00:25:08.680 is compounded by the diversity crisis, isn't 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:11.279 it? Exactly. The research is scary. It shows 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:13.519 the Holstein breed's effective population size 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:16.740 has collapsed to maybe 50 to 100 animals. We 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:18.880 are increasing the risk of inbreeding and disease 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:21.240 susceptibility while still chasing that singular 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:24.160 high TPI metric. We're putting all our genetic 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:27.519 eggs into a single fragile basket. So we're forgetting 00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:29.900 the lesson Imtoto taught us. It seems like it. 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:32.700 mToto taught us to diversify and prioritize resilience. 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:35.279 The industry seems to be forgetting that lesson 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:37.660 in the pursuit of a higher index rank. So if 00:25:37.660 --> 00:25:40.079 we need to apply the brakes on this genetic speedrun 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:42.839 and diversify our selection, where do we find 00:25:42.839 --> 00:25:45.599 today's mToto? We know he's not going to be topping 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:48.539 the TPI list, he'll probably be expensive, and 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:50.700 his production will look moderate. The contrarian 00:25:50.700 --> 00:25:53.880 argument is powerful. The most profitable bull 00:25:53.880 --> 00:25:55.559 in the catalog for many commercial operations, 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:57.900 the one who will keep your farm running until 00:25:57.900 --> 00:26:01.160 2040, is likely hiding down at TPI rank, hashtag 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:05.059 300, hashtag 400. That low? Yeah. He misses the 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:07.279 spectacular production metrics that grab the 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:09.680 headlines, but he possesses the comprehensive 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:11.940 durability traits that actually make you money. 00:26:12.099 --> 00:26:14.079 Okay, so I'm the farmer listening right now. 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:16.380 I'm skeptical of paying premium prices for moderate 00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:19.190 production. Walk me through the criteria. What 00:26:19.190 --> 00:26:22.769 specific survival genetics define the 2025 mTOTO 00:26:22.769 --> 00:26:25.230 profile needed for the modern dairy environment? 00:26:25.630 --> 00:26:28.349 Volatile input costs, climate change, robotic 00:26:28.349 --> 00:26:30.910 milking demands. We need to define the survival 00:26:30.910 --> 00:26:34.029 traits with precision. First, reproductive efficiency. 00:26:34.569 --> 00:26:38.210 That bull needs daughter pregnancy rates, DPR, 00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:42.150 at plus 3 .0 or better. Why that number specifically? 00:26:42.650 --> 00:26:44.849 Because a cow that breeds back easily is a cow 00:26:44.849 --> 00:26:47.259 that stays in the herd. It's that simple. For 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:50.160 robotic systems, consistent breeding is non -negotiable 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:52.640 for parlor flow and efficiency. What about health? 00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:56.930 Metodo specialty. We need elite SCC scores. Definitely 00:26:56.930 --> 00:26:59.910 under 2 .7 in the U .S. system or the equivalent 00:26:59.910 --> 00:27:03.309 of mTOTO's negative 13 in the U .K. system. This 00:27:03.309 --> 00:27:06.450 means mastitis resistance. Second, we need metabolic 00:27:06.450 --> 00:27:09.269 resilience cows that don't crash in early lactation 00:27:09.269 --> 00:27:11.509 when pushed for high components. They manage 00:27:11.509 --> 00:27:13.829 their energy demand without resorting to chronic 00:27:13.829 --> 00:27:16.230 negative energy balance. And finally, structure. 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:18.839 And finally, functional structure, robust feet 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:21.160 and legs that can handle concrete floors and 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:23.180 the specific movement demands of robotic gates. 00:27:23.380 --> 00:27:25.740 If that bull is ranked half -tech 350 in TPI, 00:27:26.059 --> 00:27:28.920 his price might still be high, say $50 or $60 00:27:28.920 --> 00:27:31.779 a straw, because the AI companies know the functional 00:27:31.779 --> 00:27:34.440 value is premium. This means the farmer still 00:27:34.440 --> 00:27:37.079 has to overcome the exact same psychological 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:39.980 barrier the Pickfords faced with the 40 -pound 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:43.119 M. Toto straw back in 1998. That's the key takeaway. 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:45.599 You must recognize that paying a premium for 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:47.660 a moderate production bolt isn't an expense. 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:50.500 It's the lowest cost insurance policy you can 00:27:50.500 --> 00:27:52.660 buy against metabolic and structural breakdown. 00:27:53.039 --> 00:27:56.480 The price reflects the avoided disaster. Emtoto 00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:58.779 and Schottl prove that durability and consistency 00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:01.799 lasting six or seven lactations are the real 00:28:01.799 --> 00:28:04.619 quiet engines of long -term profit, entirely 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:07.240 outweighing the spectacular short -term production 00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:09.779 highs. It's about shifting the focus from income 00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:12.829 maximization to cost minimization. The bull that 00:28:12.829 --> 00:28:14.750 costs you the least in vet bills and replacement 00:28:14.750 --> 00:28:17.190 heifers is the most profitable bull. At the end 00:28:17.190 --> 00:28:18.730 of the day, that's it. All right. This has been 00:28:18.730 --> 00:28:21.630 a profound historical and current analysis. The 00:28:21.630 --> 00:28:23.309 farmer listening just finished morning milking. 00:28:23.390 --> 00:28:25.369 They're heading to the feed store, catalog open, 00:28:25.509 --> 00:28:27.390 or perhaps they're logging into their breeding 00:28:27.390 --> 00:28:31.410 software. What are the three structured, actionable 00:28:31.410 --> 00:28:33.529 insights they need to take from this deep dive 00:28:33.529 --> 00:28:36.089 into Mentoto's legacy? OK, we need to structure 00:28:36.089 --> 00:28:39.410 this into immediate, medium and long term actions 00:28:39.410 --> 00:28:42.200 to make this knowledge practical. Let's start 00:28:42.200 --> 00:28:44.200 with immediate action. What should they review 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:46.559 this week? Immediately, you need to review your 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:48.880 current bull filtering system and your internal 00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:52.079 culling reports. Stop filtering exclusively for 00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:55.200 the top 50 TPI list, which is often just chasing 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:57.579 vanity metrics. So change the search parameters. 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:00.220 Exactly. Start screening the entire catalog for 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:03.660 the mToto profile. Bulls with elite health traits, 00:29:03.859 --> 00:29:06.859 specifically low SCC, utter health, and lameness 00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:10.259 advantage, even if the overall PLI or TPI rank 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:12.680 is moderate, like in the hashtag 200 to hashtag 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:15.390 400 range. If you're struggling with mastitis 00:29:15.390 --> 00:29:18.230 or fertility, that bull at hashtag 350 might 00:29:18.230 --> 00:29:20.789 be the one saving your farm in 2028. You need 00:29:20.789 --> 00:29:22.730 to identify your weakest link and start searching 00:29:22.730 --> 00:29:25.109 for the corrective tool. OK, medium term strategy. 00:29:25.710 --> 00:29:27.690 What strategic changes should they implement 00:29:27.690 --> 00:29:29.710 over the next three to six months? Implement 00:29:29.710 --> 00:29:33.250 corrective mating strategically. Remember, mToto 00:29:33.250 --> 00:29:35.430 was marketed as a high -price corrective tool, 00:29:35.549 --> 00:29:37.930 not a general -purpose sire for the entire herd. 00:29:38.730 --> 00:29:41.230 Identify specific cow families or individual 00:29:41.230 --> 00:29:44.309 cows that exhibit the Bell -era flaws, poor udders, 00:29:44.410 --> 00:29:47.329 chronic mastitis, or poor fertility. Target the 00:29:47.329 --> 00:29:50.220 problem, Cass. Right. Use the premium specialized 00:29:50.220 --> 00:29:52.960 sires, the ones that cost more, but offer high 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:56.400 DPR or SCC only on those specific cows that need 00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:59.259 that targeted structural correction. Use the 00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:01.740 cheaper volume bulls only on your genetically 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:04.619 sound cow families. Don't waste the specialist 00:30:04.619 --> 00:30:06.619 genetics on cows that don't need the correction. 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:09.859 And finally, long -term positioning. How do they 00:30:09.859 --> 00:30:11.900 align their operation for the next one to two 00:30:11.900 --> 00:30:14.079 years? You must redefine your profit drivers. 00:30:14.339 --> 00:30:17.299 Make longevity metrics productive life. Healthy 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:19.880 cow index and daughter pregnancy rate, the primary 00:30:19.880 --> 00:30:22.480 factors in your breeding index. You have to recognize 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:25.319 that two extra profitable lactations from an 00:30:25.319 --> 00:30:28.859 invisible cow are worth far more than 500 pounds 00:30:28.859 --> 00:30:30.880 of extra milk in the first. And what if you're 00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:33.400 using robots? If your operation is moving toward 00:30:33.400 --> 00:30:37.099 or already uses robotic milking, mTOTO's functional 00:30:37.099 --> 00:30:39.339 type, specifically the tight udder attachment 00:30:39.339 --> 00:30:42.029 and correct... centrally placed teat position 00:30:42.029 --> 00:30:45.829 is non -negotiable for system efficiency. Align 00:30:45.829 --> 00:30:47.650 your breeding objectives with the reality of 00:30:47.650 --> 00:30:49.809 your farm management, not the glossy magazine 00:30:49.809 --> 00:30:52.349 rankings. This has been another deep dive from 00:30:52.349 --> 00:30:54.750 the Bullbine podcast, reminding us that genetic 00:30:54.750 --> 00:30:57.670 value depends entirely on context. The bull that 00:30:57.670 --> 00:30:59.690 looks like an expensive failure on paper can, 00:30:59.789 --> 00:31:02.009 in fact, be the essential specialist who saves 00:31:02.009 --> 00:31:04.690 your herd from economic disaster. If this kind 00:31:04.690 --> 00:31:07.369 of impartial, no -BS industry analysis helps 00:31:07.369 --> 00:31:16.009 your operation, head to www. And seriously, subscribe 00:31:16.009 --> 00:31:18.890 wherever you get your deep dives. We're releasing 00:31:18.890 --> 00:31:21.150 episodes twice weekly now, and trust me, you 00:31:21.150 --> 00:31:22.529 don't want to miss what we've got coming next 00:31:22.529 --> 00:31:25.269 week. We're doing a comprehensive deep dive into 00:31:25.269 --> 00:31:27.509 the genetic revolution, how record -breaking 00:31:27.509 --> 00:31:29.970 milk components are reshaping dairy's future. 00:31:30.150 --> 00:31:32.569 We will focus heavily on the new net merit 2025 00:31:32.569 --> 00:31:35.369 formula, why the industry is pivoting hard toward 00:31:35.369 --> 00:31:38.029 butterfat and protein yield. and why feed efficiency 00:31:38.029 --> 00:31:40.450 is not just a secondary metric anymore, but the 00:31:40.450 --> 00:31:42.569 single most crucial factor for surviving volatile 00:31:42.569 --> 00:31:45.269 input costs in the coming decade. We'll see you 00:31:45.269 --> 00:31:45.549 next time.