WEBVTT 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:15.060 Breaking free from the chains of the past Where 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:18.820 truth moves faster than a Holstein calf No law 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:21.660 waiting on some printed page We're charting new 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:25.300 ground in the digital age From genomic codes 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:29.120 to robot facts We cut through the noise, no hold 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.460 them back not your daddy's dairy news tonight 00:00:32.460 --> 00:01:03.500 we're sparking Welcome back to the Bullvine Podcast, 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:05.439 where we cut through the dairy industry noise 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:07.299 to get you the insights that actually matter 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:09.840 for your operation. Today, we are doing a deep 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:12.379 dive into a brand new feature piece from www 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:16.859 .thebullvine .com. Yeah, and this one is heavy. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:19.859 We're looking at Canada's 20 most used Holstein 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:22.319 sires right now. Right, and we're not just reading 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:24.299 the catalog descriptions here. We are jumping 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:27.840 right into a structural issue that is actively 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.640 reshaping the bottom line of... Well, almost 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:35.019 every dairy operation out there today. Including 00:01:35.019 --> 00:01:37.060 yours. If you're listening to this in the tractor 00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:39.299 or driving to the feed store, you need to think 00:01:39.299 --> 00:01:41.799 about your own herd for a minute. Exactly. You 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:45.099 spend hours analyzing proofs, calculating matings, 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:48.560 investing heavily in these elite, highly recommended 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:50.900 genetics. Because you're choosing the sires that 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:53.340 mathematically promise to secure your operation's 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:56.019 future, right? Right. But if we look past the 00:01:56.019 --> 00:01:58.359 shiny headline numbers printed on those semen 00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:00.680 order forms. Which is what everyone looks at 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:03.900 first. Of course it is. But there is a very high 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:07.180 probability that those exact elite genetics are 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:10.460 quietly siphoning tens of thousands of dollars 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:13.300 from your profitability. It's an invisible leak. 00:02:13.419 --> 00:02:15.340 That's the best way to describe it. It does not 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:18.000 show up as a line item on your monthly expense 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:21.439 report. And that is precisely what makes it so 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:24.120 incredibly dangerous. So the mission for today's 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:27.539 deep dive is to decode the newly modernized Lactonet 00:02:27.539 --> 00:02:30.199 subindexes. We want to strip away the marketing 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:32.500 hype and equip you with the raw data you actually 00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:35.300 need to protect your farm's margins. Because 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:37.539 the gap between what is being marketed in those 00:02:37.539 --> 00:02:40.759 glossy AI catalogs and what is biologically materializing 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:42.699 out in the barn, I mean, it's never been whiter. 00:02:42.860 --> 00:02:45.199 It really hasn't. So let's set the stage here 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:47.860 with the problem identification. The scale of 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:50.000 this genetic footprint is just staggering. Yeah, 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:52.159 we are not evaluating a fringe group of noosh 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:54.979 bulls here. Now, these 20 sires, just 20 individual 00:02:54.979 --> 00:02:58.080 bulls, are responsible for producing 23 % of 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:01.460 all registered Canadian Holsteins in 2025. Almost 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:03.400 a quarter of the entire national replacement 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:06.770 crop. Tracing back to 20 animals, they're averaging 00:03:06.770 --> 00:03:11.009 2 ,940 daughters each. Which is massive. And 00:03:11.009 --> 00:03:13.569 when a single genetic profile is replicated that 00:03:13.569 --> 00:03:16.569 heavily across the national herd, any inherent 00:03:16.569 --> 00:03:19.610 flaw is magnified exponentially. But on paper, 00:03:19.710 --> 00:03:22.919 Jake, or sorry, on paper... These bulls look 00:03:22.919 --> 00:03:26.300 absolutely untouchable. They do. They average 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:29.879 the 96th percentile for the Lifetime Profitability 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:34.159 Index, the LPI. Right. An average LPI of 3 ,568. 00:03:34.430 --> 00:03:36.710 And to put that 96 percentile into perspective 00:03:36.710 --> 00:03:39.409 for your operation, it suggests these animals 00:03:39.409 --> 00:03:42.789 represent the absolute elite echelon of breed 00:03:42.789 --> 00:03:45.569 progress. You buy that semen thinking you're 00:03:45.569 --> 00:03:47.449 getting the best of the best. But when you cross 00:03:47.449 --> 00:03:50.129 -reference that elite overall ranking with their 00:03:50.129 --> 00:03:52.990 specific trait performance, the paradox becomes 00:03:52.990 --> 00:03:55.870 glaring. It's a massive contradiction. Those 00:03:55.870 --> 00:03:58.150 exact same bulls, the ones dominating the 96 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:01.289 percentile for lifetime profitability. are sitting 00:04:01.289 --> 00:04:03.770 at a dismal 31st percentile for reproduction. 00:04:04.069 --> 00:04:07.610 31st percentile. Let that sink in. They are mathematically 00:04:07.610 --> 00:04:10.849 elite, but fundamentally below average at getting 00:04:10.849 --> 00:04:13.530 cows pregnant. Which, out in the real world, 00:04:13.550 --> 00:04:16.449 in a commercial dairy environment, female fertility 00:04:16.449 --> 00:04:18.990 is the baseline requirement for revenue generation. 00:04:19.550 --> 00:04:22.029 If you can't get her bred, nothing else matters. 00:04:22.209 --> 00:04:24.689 Exactly. A cow that fails to conceive, extends 00:04:24.689 --> 00:04:27.810 her days open, drops in lifetime milk yield efficiency, 00:04:28.230 --> 00:04:31.920 and... And she fails to produce a replacement 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:35.100 heifer. Right. When I first pulled the data for 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:37.740 this deep dive to see how an elite LPI could 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:41.139 even coexist with such poor fertility, I actually 00:04:41.139 --> 00:04:44.819 had to review the December 2025 lactanate proofsheets 00:04:44.819 --> 00:04:47.620 multiple times. I thought the data was corrupted. 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:49.639 Because if you just look at the top line averages 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:52.839 for this top 20 group, they present an incredibly 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:56.250 compelling package for any breeder. 92 % rank 00:04:56.250 --> 00:04:59.029 for production traits. Yep, 97 % rank for longevity 00:04:59.029 --> 00:05:01.829 and type. Pro dollars metric sitting around 2008, 00:05:02.069 --> 00:05:04.629 which is roughly the 93rd percentile. So it is 00:05:04.629 --> 00:05:07.410 incredibly easy to see why these sires are dominating 00:05:07.410 --> 00:05:09.810 semen sales. If you're sitting at the kitchen 00:05:09.810 --> 00:05:12.009 table making rapid decisions based on the bold 00:05:12.009 --> 00:05:14.170 print, you're naturally going to load your tank 00:05:14.170 --> 00:05:17.389 with these genetics. You'd be crazy not to. Based 00:05:17.389 --> 00:05:19.629 on the old way we looked at things, historically 00:05:19.629 --> 00:05:23.189 that singular LPI figure served as the ultimate 00:05:23.189 --> 00:05:25.769 shorthand for a bull's genetic value. It was 00:05:25.769 --> 00:05:28.129 the one number to rule them all. Exactly. It 00:05:28.129 --> 00:05:30.990 was a blended metric that farmers trusted implicitly. 00:05:31.339 --> 00:05:34.160 But the landscape fundamentally shifted in April 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:37.439 2025. Right, when Lactonet modernized the LPI 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:39.699 framework. Yeah, they separated the traditional 00:05:39.699 --> 00:05:42.899 index into six standardized sub -indexes. And 00:05:42.899 --> 00:05:44.779 the intention behind that modernization was good, 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:47.360 right? Yeah. It was to provide breeders with 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:50.759 a highly granular, transparent view of what a 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:53.019 sire actually brings to a mating. Instead of 00:05:53.019 --> 00:05:55.279 just obscuring all the individual trait deficiencies 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:58.160 inside one massive aggregated number. But the 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:00.240 introduction of those sub -indexes is exactly 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:03.000 what shatters the illusion of the flawless elite 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.879 sire. It's a harsh reality check. Very harsh. 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:08.459 When you look at those six specific pillars, 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:11.459 17 out of the top 20 sires in this high -use 00:06:11.459 --> 00:06:14.100 group rank strictly below the breed average for 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:16.660 reproduction. Below the 50th percentile. 17 out 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:19.300 of 20. When a farmer is paying a premium for 00:06:19.300 --> 00:06:22.319 a 96th percentile bull, they assume a baseline 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:24.459 of competence across the board. Of course they 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:28.160 do. So how does the math allow a sire to perform 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:30.879 that poorly in reproduction while maintaining 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.360 an elite overall rank? It requires a highly specific 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:37.519 algorithmic skew. That's the secret sauce, right? 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:40.860 The algorithm is heavily weighted to reward production 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:43.920 volume and physical frame, and it actively masks 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:47.579 the deficiencies in health and fertility. Let's 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:49.720 look at Brian Van Dormaal's recent paper in the 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:51.779 Interpol Bulletin. He breaks down the mechanics 00:06:51.779 --> 00:06:54.379 of this weighting perfectly. Yeah, the modernized 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:57.060 formula caps the combined weight of health, reproduction, 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:00.620 milkability, and environment at just 28%. All 00:07:00.620 --> 00:07:03.779 four of those combined are only 28%. Right. Meanwhile, 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:05.800 the vast majority of the index is controlled 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:08.610 by just two categories. Production carries a 00:07:08.610 --> 00:07:12.089 40 % weight, and longevity and type carries 32%. 00:07:12.089 --> 00:07:15.470 So together, production and type dictate 72 % 00:07:15.470 --> 00:07:19.029 of a sire's final LPI score. The system is structurally 00:07:19.029 --> 00:07:21.810 designed to prioritize milk yield and confirmation 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:25.029 above absolutely everything else. Which means 00:07:25.029 --> 00:07:27.850 the casualty list extends well beyond just reproduction. 00:07:28.730 --> 00:07:31.519 Let's look at the raw data. The bull vine extracted 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:33.699 for the group averages across those bottom four 00:07:33.699 --> 00:07:36.060 sub -indexes. It's not pretty. For health and 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:39.079 welfare, 13 of the 20 bulls sit below the breed 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:42.180 average. Reproduction, as we noted, 17 of 20 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:45.560 below average, languishing down at the 31st percentile. 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:48.730 Milkability. 12 out of 20 are below average. 00:07:48.949 --> 00:07:52.069 And environmental impact has 15 out of 20 falling 00:07:52.069 --> 00:07:54.589 below the midpoint. So a producer trying to build 00:07:54.589 --> 00:07:58.110 a resilient, self -sustaining herd is unknowingly 00:07:58.110 --> 00:08:00.649 pulling from a genetic pool where the majority 00:08:00.649 --> 00:08:03.389 of the highest use sires are negative on health, 00:08:03.589 --> 00:08:06.810 negative on fertility, and negative on milking 00:08:06.810 --> 00:08:09.459 speed. It's incredibly frustrating from a farmer's 00:08:09.459 --> 00:08:12.339 perspective. And this mathematical skew directly 00:08:12.339 --> 00:08:15.500 highlights a deeply documented biological complex 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:17.779 that we've known about for decades. The negative 00:08:17.779 --> 00:08:20.199 correlation between female fertility traits and 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:23.620 extreme milk yield or angular conformation. Exactly. 00:08:23.860 --> 00:08:26.339 Dairy cattle possess a finite amount of energy 00:08:26.339 --> 00:08:28.699 to partition every single day. They only have 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:31.300 so much gas in the tank. Right. And when genetics 00:08:31.300 --> 00:08:34.080 push a cow to produce extreme volumes of milk, 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:37.529 the physiological demand is immense. The energy 00:08:37.529 --> 00:08:40.049 required for high -level lactation inevitably 00:08:40.049 --> 00:08:42.889 forces a metabolic trade -off. And the reproductive 00:08:42.889 --> 00:08:45.909 system is typically the first to suffer. Always. 00:08:46.649 --> 00:08:49.370 Luteinizing hormone pulses weaken, the follicular 00:08:49.370 --> 00:08:51.870 phase is compromised, and conception rates just 00:08:51.870 --> 00:08:54.710 drop off a cliff. So a bull can have daughters 00:08:54.710 --> 00:08:57.269 that consistently struggle to conceive, require 00:08:57.269 --> 00:09:00.470 multiple expensive services, extend their lactation 00:09:00.470 --> 00:09:03.580 curves into highly unprofitable territory. But 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:05.779 because those same daughters produce massive 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:08.279 volumes of milk and exhibit high type scores, 00:09:08.580 --> 00:09:11.279 the sheer volume of their production mathematically 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:14.139 overpowers their fertility failures within that 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:16.559 LPI formula. It's the equivalent of dropping 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:19.179 a massive high horsepower engine into a chassis 00:09:19.179 --> 00:09:22.179 with failing brakes. Great analogy. The top speed 00:09:22.179 --> 00:09:24.159 looks incredible on paper, but the daily operation 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:26.299 is highly inefficient and prone to breakdown. 00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:29.879 And that 72 % waiting for production and type 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:32.779 ensures that these negative correlations in fertility 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:36.340 simply do not generate enough drag to drop these 00:09:36.340 --> 00:09:39.779 bulls out of the elite percentiles. The LPI remains 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:43.820 artificially buoyant. Exactly. But to play devil's 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:46.299 advocate here, we have to acknowledge why farmers 00:09:46.299 --> 00:09:48.740 are actively choosing to purchase these genetics 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:51.539 in such massive quantities. Dairy producers are 00:09:51.539 --> 00:09:54.080 operating sophisticated businesses with incredibly 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:56.460 tight margins. They aren't just making arbitrary 00:09:56.460 --> 00:09:59.960 selections. No, there is a tangible, immediate 00:09:59.960 --> 00:10:03.100 market signal driving these semen orders, and 00:10:03.100 --> 00:10:05.580 it revolves entirely around the changing structure 00:10:05.580 --> 00:10:08.240 of milk checks. Follow the money. Always follow 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:10.779 the money. The primary driver right now is components 00:10:10.779 --> 00:10:13.220 and milk marketing premiums. Let's analyze the 00:10:13.220 --> 00:10:15.419 production breakdown of these top 20 bulls. They 00:10:15.419 --> 00:10:17.620 are delivering exceptional value in the specific 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:20.149 metrics processors are paying for today. Yeah, 00:10:20.190 --> 00:10:22.710 the group averages a confirmation score of plus 00:10:22.710 --> 00:10:26.490 9 .7, securing the 94th percentile. On the component 00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:30.669 side, they are pushing plus 88 kilograms of fat. 00:10:30.870 --> 00:10:35.730 Which is a massive plus 0 .40 % deviation. And 00:10:35.730 --> 00:10:38.730 they're adding plus 58 kilograms of protein. 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:42.960 A plus 0 .21 % deviation. So if your milk check 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:45.539 is heavily incentivized for butterfat and protein 00:10:45.539 --> 00:10:48.440 percentages, these bulls represent an immediate 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:50.580 revenue boost in the bulk tank. You're going 00:10:50.580 --> 00:10:53.139 to pay more in your next check. But drilling 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:56.220 down into the specific physical traits reveals 00:10:56.220 --> 00:10:59.299 a really bizarre anomaly within that elite confirmation 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:02.259 score. Oh, the mammary system. Yeah. Despite 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:05.220 averaging the 94th percentile for overall type, 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:08.279 the mammary systems for this group averaged just 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:11.700 plus 5 .8. Placing them in the 81st percentile. 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:14.320 And it gets worse. One of the bulls in this highly 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:16.840 utilized top 20 list actually carries a minus 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:20.200 3 for mammary systems. Minus 3. Right. A decade 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:22.879 ago, a minus 3 udder score would have functionally 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:25.379 disqualified a sire from widespread commercial 00:11:25.379 --> 00:11:27.799 use. Absolutely, regardless of his production. 00:11:28.330 --> 00:11:30.690 But today, breeders are actively choosing to 00:11:30.690 --> 00:11:33.350 accept subpar udders and poor reproduction to 00:11:33.350 --> 00:11:36.110 secure specific marketing traits. We are witnessing 00:11:36.110 --> 00:11:38.710 a massive rapid shift in breeding priorities, 00:11:38.950 --> 00:11:41.429 specifically regarding the casein and polled 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:44.190 revolution. The data drop detailing this transition 00:11:44.190 --> 00:11:46.669 over just the last two years is totally staggering. 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:50.440 If we compare the 2021 to 2023 registration data 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:53.279 to this current 2025 data, the representation 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:57.919 of A2A2 genetics among top sires has surged from 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:01.100 45 % to roughly 70%. Almost three -quarters of 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:03.500 the top bulls. And B .D. cappucasian representation 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:07.539 has skyrocketed from 19 % to 50%. And the use 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:10.320 of homozygous pole genetics, the PP gene that 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:13.279 ensures calves are born naturally hornless, That 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:16.120 has nearly quadrupled. Dividing from 4 % to 15 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:18.860 % of the elite sire pool. So breeders are no 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:21.200 longer treating caseins and polled traits as 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:23.720 secondary bonuses. They have become primary selection 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:26.500 criteria. Because the economics are clear. Right. 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:28.919 BB kappa casein fundamentally alters the structure 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:31.539 of the casein micelle in the milk, resulting 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:33.840 in a firmer cheese curd and higher overall cheese 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:36.740 yield. Processors demand this efficiency and 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:39.669 they pay premiums for it. And A2 milk has evolved 00:12:39.669 --> 00:12:43.330 from a niche dietary product into a major consumer 00:12:43.330 --> 00:12:45.909 -facing marketing strategy. Then you add in the 00:12:45.909 --> 00:12:48.889 shift toward pole genetics. That directly addresses 00:12:48.889 --> 00:12:51.830 both tightening animal welfare regulations and 00:12:51.830 --> 00:12:54.549 the severe labor shortages on farms. It completely 00:12:54.549 --> 00:12:57.750 eliminates the time, cost, and stress of dehorning 00:12:57.750 --> 00:13:00.009 calves. The source material explicitly points 00:13:00.009 --> 00:13:02.509 out that continuing to dehorn calves in 2026 00:13:02.509 --> 00:13:05.230 is rapidly becoming a management choice rather 00:13:05.230 --> 00:13:07.759 than a genetic constraint. And the Sire usage 00:13:07.759 --> 00:13:10.860 list proves this unequivocally. The number one 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:13.740 most used bull on this entire list is quote -unquote 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:17.399 A2P2. He provides a complete modern package. 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:20.720 He is daughter proven, A2A2, homozygous pulled, 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:23.840 and maintains elite confirmation. Just five years 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:26.379 ago, finding a bull with that specific stacked 00:13:26.379 --> 00:13:28.840 profile sitting at the absolute top of the national 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:31.100 usage list would have been considered impossible. 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:33.639 Further down the list, sitting at number 11 is 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:36.559 Right Stuff PP. The prominence of these sires 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:38.940 confirms that homozygous polled and casein -heavy 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:41.100 genetics have entirely broken out of the niche 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:43.100 market. They are dictating mainstream genetic 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:45.700 flow. Producers have made a calculated decision. 00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:49.179 They are willing to forgive a 31st percentile 00:13:49.179 --> 00:13:51.799 reproduction score, and they are willing to overlook 00:13:51.799 --> 00:13:54.519 a minus -3 mammary system, as long as the bull 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:58.279 guarantees A2 -A2 milk, polled calves, and elite 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:00.960 fat and protein percentages. But, and this is 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:03.659 where the reality check hits the hardest. This 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:06.539 hyper -focused selection for specific traits 00:14:06.539 --> 00:14:09.220 is accelerating a much more insidious problem. 00:14:09.419 --> 00:14:12.179 The silent killer of dairy profitability. If 00:14:12.179 --> 00:14:14.549 we follow the money. The most alarming data point 00:14:14.549 --> 00:14:16.850 in this entire analysis from the bull vine points 00:14:16.850 --> 00:14:19.909 directly to an inbreeding crisis that is actively 00:14:19.909 --> 00:14:22.409 eroding farm profitability. Let's talk about 00:14:22.409 --> 00:14:24.970 the average inbreeding coefficient of these top 00:14:24.970 --> 00:14:29.330 20 sires. It is an astonishing 11 .9%. 11 .9. 00:14:29.490 --> 00:14:32.230 Out of the 20 bulls dominating the national herd, 00:14:32.330 --> 00:14:34.289 only three possess an inbreeding coefficient 00:14:34.289 --> 00:14:37.350 below 10%. For context, the average inbreeding 00:14:37.350 --> 00:14:39.330 level for all Canadian Holstein Huffers born 00:14:39.330 --> 00:14:44.039 in 2024 was already high at 9 .9. 9%. And the 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:46.379 national breed average has been steadily creeping 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.940 up by approximately a quarter of a percent every 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:52.000 single year since the widespread adoption of 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:55.779 genomics around 2010. But these 20 sires, the 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:58.659 animals responsible for 23 % of the entire upcoming 00:14:58.659 --> 00:15:02.179 generation, are carrying inbreeding loads nearly 00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:04.399 two full percentage points above the current 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:06.899 national average. We are aggressively concentrating 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:10.299 a very, very narrow genetic pool. And the economic 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:12.360 devastation of this concentration is not theoretical. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:14.679 It's not just a warning on a spreadsheet that 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:18.100 you can ignore. No, global research has comprehensively 00:15:18.100 --> 00:15:20.059 validated the threat of inbreeding depression. 00:15:20.299 --> 00:15:23.460 This is a worldwide biological reality. Geneticist 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:26.019 Dr. Chad Daychow at Penn State has extensively 00:15:26.019 --> 00:15:28.580 tracked this in the United States. He noted that 00:15:28.580 --> 00:15:30.980 the U .S. Holstein population currently averages 00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:34.659 around 8 % inbreeding. With young genomic bulls 00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:37.419 frequently pushing into the 9 to 10 % range as 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:40.240 breeders aggressively line breed to stack those 00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:42.389 elite traits we just talked about. The physical 00:15:42.389 --> 00:15:45.029 manifestation of this inbreeding depression has 00:15:45.029 --> 00:15:47.029 been quantified by several major international 00:15:47.029 --> 00:15:50.330 institutions. Let's look at the Wageningen University 00:15:50.330 --> 00:15:53.769 study in the Netherlands. Huge study. They analyzed 00:15:53.769 --> 00:15:56.889 the lactation records of nearly 39 ,000 first 00:15:56.889 --> 00:15:59.919 parity Dutch Holsteins. The researchers established 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:02.500 a clear baseline and found that every single 00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:05.519 1 % increase in an animal's genomic inbreeding 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:10.480 resulted in a 36 .3 kilogram drop in 305 -day 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:12.759 milk yield. It simultaneously lengthened the 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:15.039 calving interval and increased the somatic cell 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:17.759 score. Meaning the cows gave less milk, took 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:19.779 longer to get pregnant, and had higher rates 00:16:19.779 --> 00:16:22.019 of utter inflammation. A triple threat to your 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:24.799 margins. And there's a separate 2023 analysis 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.480 out of the University of Parma in Italy. They 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:30.000 look at nearly 28 ,000 Italian Holsteins and 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:32.360 found even more severe penalties. Yeah, they 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:35.639 confirmed that every 1 % increase in inbreeding 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:39.080 slashed 305 -day milk yield by approximately 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:42.620 61 kilograms, while also driving down total fat 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:45.500 and protein yields. Which is the profound irony 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:48.899 here. Producers are aggressively purchasing these 00:16:48.899 --> 00:16:53.500 heavily inbred elite LPI bulls specifically to 00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:55.840 boost their component yields. But the biological 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:58.759 drag of the inbreeding they are introducing actively 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:01.539 suppresses the expression of those exact traits. 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:04.880 It creates a genetic treadmill. Exactly. A producer 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:08.059 is continually forced to select for higher and 00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:11.619 higher component proofs just to offset the biological 00:17:11.619 --> 00:17:14.440 yield suppression caused by the rising inbreeding 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:17.140 levels. To understand the direct financial impact 00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:19.140 of this cycle, we have to look to the foundational 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:22.759 economic models built by researchers Smith, Cassell, 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:25.480 and Pearson at Virginia Tech. They analyzed an 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:29.279 incredible data set of over 2 .6 million lactation 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:31.259 records. When they isolated the registered cow 00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:33.799 population, where pedigree tracking is meticulous 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:36.259 and the true accumulation of inbreeding is highly 00:17:36.259 --> 00:17:38.640 accurate, the financial penalty was completely 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:40.799 undeniable. Let's break down the math for the 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:42.319 listener because this is where it hits the wallet. 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:44.740 When adjusted for current inflation and modern 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:47.279 milk pricing, the Virginia Tech models demonstrate 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:51.440 that registered cows lose between $40 and $46, 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:55.440 an absolute lifetime profit, for every 1 % increase 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:57.799 in inbreeding. And the critical takeaway from 00:17:57.799 --> 00:17:59.779 their research is that these economic losses 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:05.819 are strictly linear. The jump from 3 % to 4 % 00:18:05.819 --> 00:18:08.960 inbreeding costs you the exact same $46 as the 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:12.450 jump from 11 % to 12%. There is no biological 00:18:12.450 --> 00:18:15.970 ceiling where a cow suddenly adapts to the inbreeding 00:18:15.970 --> 00:18:18.910 load and the financial bleeding stops. So let's 00:18:18.910 --> 00:18:21.650 apply that linear loss to the reality of utilizing 00:18:21.650 --> 00:18:24.750 these top 20 sires today. If your mating program 00:18:24.750 --> 00:18:28.549 utilizes these 11 .9 % inbred sires and pushes 00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:31.009 the resulting daughters just two percentage points 00:18:31.009 --> 00:18:34.390 above the current 9 .5 % baseline, the math is 00:18:34.390 --> 00:18:37.809 unforgiving. It represents an $80 to $110 lifetime 00:18:37.809 --> 00:18:40.509 profit drag on every single cow in your herd. 00:18:40.809 --> 00:18:43.910 Take a moment to scale that $110 penalty across 00:18:43.910 --> 00:18:47.430 your own operation. If you are milking a 200 00:18:47.430 --> 00:18:50.829 cow herd, that seemingly minor two percentage 00:18:50.829 --> 00:18:53.710 point increase in inbreeding translates directly 00:18:53.710 --> 00:18:57.710 to between $16 ,000 and $22 ,000 in completely 00:18:57.710 --> 00:19:00.630 invisible economic losses. You will never receive 00:19:00.630 --> 00:19:02.769 an invoice from your accountant labeled inbreeding 00:19:02.769 --> 00:19:05.569 penalty. No, it manifests entirely in the shadows. 00:19:05.789 --> 00:19:08.089 It looks like higher cull rates. Cows failing 00:19:08.089 --> 00:19:10.819 to breed back on the third service. Heifers lacking 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:13.619 vigor. And milk checks that consistently fall 00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:16.160 short of what the herd's genetic proofs indicated 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:19.019 they should be producing. This is a staggering 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:22.819 hidden tax on operational margins, and it inevitably 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:25.019 leads to a critical question about information 00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:28.279 asymmetry. If the global data is this definitive, 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:30.619 and the financial penalties of inbreeding and 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:33.380 poor reproduction are this severe, why are producers 00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:36.019 completely blind to this when they open a semen 00:19:36.019 --> 00:19:38.059 catalog to make their genetic purchasing decisions? 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:40.900 The answer lies in the massive disconnect between 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.660 the raw data that exists and the curated data 00:19:43.660 --> 00:19:46.380 that is actively presented to you, the buyer. 00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:49.220 The irony is that the raw data is completely 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:52.500 public. Lactanid is not hiding the reality of 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:54.579 these bulls. They provide highly sophisticated, 00:19:54.859 --> 00:19:58.160 unbiased tools completely free of charge. Any 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:01.099 producer can log in and access Compass, the personalized 00:20:01.099 --> 00:20:05.299 LPI or PLPI system, and a highly accurate inbreeding 00:20:05.299 --> 00:20:07.829 calculator. The structural problem occurs at 00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:10.029 the point of sale. When you open a glossy catalog 00:20:10.029 --> 00:20:13.710 from an AI organization like EastGen, or when 00:20:13.710 --> 00:20:15.670 a sales rep guides you through their proprietary 00:20:15.670 --> 00:20:18.829 software like Cemexworks, the presentation of 00:20:18.829 --> 00:20:21.569 the data is intensely curated. The AI companies 00:20:21.569 --> 00:20:23.769 design their interfaces to highlight their absolute 00:20:23.769 --> 00:20:26.299 best marketing angles. The default sorting in 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:29.059 these catalogs prioritizes the traditional GLPI 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:31.640 and pro dollars, printing those aggregated numbers 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:34.440 in massive bold fonts. They aggressively badge 00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:37.980 sires with logos promoting A2A2 homozygous polled 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:40.839 status and whether the bull has ideal teat placement 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.539 to be deemed robot ready. But if a producer wants 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:45.759 to evaluate the subindex rank for health and 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:48.680 welfare or verify the percentile for reproduction, 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:50.720 they are forced to hunt through the fine print 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:53.170 at the bottom of the page. Assuming the AI company 00:20:53.170 --> 00:20:55.730 chose to print those specific sub -indexes at 00:20:55.730 --> 00:20:58.609 all. It is the exact equivalent of walking onto 00:20:58.609 --> 00:21:01.690 a car lot and being sold a truck based entirely 00:21:01.690 --> 00:21:04.289 on its horsepower rating and the premium leather 00:21:04.289 --> 00:21:06.630 interior, while the fact that the transmission 00:21:06.630 --> 00:21:09.789 has a 70 % failure rate is buried in a footnote 00:21:09.789 --> 00:21:12.670 in the owner's manual. That's spot on. The AI 00:21:12.670 --> 00:21:15.289 catalogs rely on the perception that a high overall 00:21:15.289 --> 00:21:17.930 LPI implies functional competence across the 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:20.210 board. They are actively selling the myth of 00:21:20.210 --> 00:21:22.559 the no -hole sire. an animal that supposedly 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:26.079 excels at production, type, health, and fertility 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:28.779 simultaneously. Which brings us to the contrarian 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:31.160 take from the bull vine analysis. They directly 00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:35.180 debunk this myth using an August 2025 case study 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:39.119 of a bull named Apollo PP. Apollo PP proves that 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:41.920 true genetic balance is exceedingly rare. He 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:44.160 was marketed as the ultimate achievement in pole 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:46.359 genetics. He ranked as the highest homozygous 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:48.839 pole sire in the breed, boasting a massive 3 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:53.670 ,924 LPI. He carried a 99th percentile rank for 00:21:53.670 --> 00:21:56.450 longevity and type and successfully hit five 00:21:56.450 --> 00:21:59.450 out of the six modernized subindexes above the 00:21:59.450 --> 00:22:02.559 50th percentile breed average. On paper, utilizing 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.980 a sire with those metrics seems like the easiest 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:07.240 decision a breeder could make. Yet, despite being 00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:09.420 the absolute pinnacle of polled breeding and 00:22:09.420 --> 00:22:12.819 dominating five subindexes, Apollo PP is still 00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:15.420 plummeted to the 41st percentile on reproduction. 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:18.180 If the absolute best, most highly engineered 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:21.259 polled sire in the global database still carries 00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:23.680 a significant biological hole in his fertility 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:26.140 profile, you have to assume that the average 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:29.140 sire sitting in the top 20 usage list possesses 00:22:29.140 --> 00:22:31.970 multiple severe deficiencies. when you finally 00:22:31.970 --> 00:22:34.750 force the AI software to display all six columns. 00:22:34.970 --> 00:22:37.430 The perfect, flawlessly balanced bull simply 00:22:37.430 --> 00:22:39.349 does not exist in the current high -production 00:22:39.349 --> 00:22:42.029 paradigm. So we have clearly outlined a systemic 00:22:42.029 --> 00:22:45.309 vulnerability. The reliance on aggregated LPI 00:22:45.309 --> 00:22:47.529 numbers is actively masking severely depressed 00:22:47.529 --> 00:22:49.809 reproduction and health traits. The aggressive 00:22:49.809 --> 00:22:52.509 push for milk components is driving inbreeding 00:22:52.509 --> 00:22:55.130 to levels that cost herds tens of thousands of 00:22:55.130 --> 00:22:57.839 dollars in hidden losses. And the primary point 00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:00.140 of sale marketing materials are designed to obscure 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:03.420 these exact weaknesses. But the purpose of understanding 00:23:03.420 --> 00:23:06.740 this data is not to panic. It's to gain leverage 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:10.160 over your own genetic program. Let's talk solutions. 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:13.579 The source analysis provides a very explicit, 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:17.539 highly practical... Kitchen table strategy, broken 00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:19.980 down by specific timelines. Actionable insights, 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:22.119 so you know exactly how to operationalize this 00:23:22.119 --> 00:23:24.240 information. Effective genetic management requires 00:23:24.240 --> 00:23:27.140 shifting from passive reliance on marketing to 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:29.900 active, intentional data auditing. All right, 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:31.980 so let's say a farmer just finished milking and 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:34.019 is driving to the feed store. What are the specific 00:23:34.019 --> 00:23:35.900 things they need to do, starting immediately? 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:38.539 The strategy begins with action you can execute 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:41.259 this week. The very first step is to conduct 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:43.690 a comprehensive audit of your semen tank. Log 00:23:43.690 --> 00:23:46.250 into the LactaNet database and manually pull 00:23:46.250 --> 00:23:49.269 the six -part modernized subindex breakdown for 00:23:49.269 --> 00:23:51.609 every single sire currently in your inventory. 00:23:51.890 --> 00:23:54.269 You must force yourself to look past the overall 00:23:54.269 --> 00:23:57.250 LPI and evaluate the structural pillars supporting 00:23:57.250 --> 00:23:59.650 that number. The specific actionable instruction 00:23:59.650 --> 00:24:03.250 here is to flag any sire in your tank that falls 00:24:03.250 --> 00:24:06.990 below the 50 % mark on three or more of the bottom 00:24:06.990 --> 00:24:10.940 four subindexes. Specifically... Health, reproduction, 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:14.430 milkability, and environment. Now... The bull 00:24:14.430 --> 00:24:17.890 vine analysis makes a crucial caveat here. Identifying 00:24:17.890 --> 00:24:19.869 a flagged bull does not mean you immediately 00:24:19.869 --> 00:24:22.210 dump his semen in the trash. You already paid 00:24:22.210 --> 00:24:24.470 for those genetics. Yeah. But it changes how 00:24:24.470 --> 00:24:26.589 you deploy them. You are no longer flying blind. 00:24:26.829 --> 00:24:29.549 If you have a bull sitting in the 30th percentile 00:24:29.549 --> 00:24:32.269 for reproduction, you now know absolutely not 00:24:32.269 --> 00:24:35.029 to use him on a cow that has a history of cystic 00:24:35.029 --> 00:24:37.769 ovaries or requires multiple services. You manage 00:24:37.769 --> 00:24:40.789 the risk by isolating his weaknesses. Okay, so 00:24:40.789 --> 00:24:43.109 that's step one. Once the immediate tank audit 00:24:43.109 --> 00:24:45.529 is complete, the focus shifts to a medium -term 00:24:45.529 --> 00:24:48.609 strategy. Ideally implemented over the next 90 00:24:48.609 --> 00:24:51.529 days or prior to your next major semen purchase. 00:24:51.829 --> 00:24:54.430 This phase requires utilizing the Lactonet inbreeding 00:24:54.430 --> 00:24:56.990 calculator to run projections on every planned 00:24:56.990 --> 00:24:59.809 mating. You need to establish a strict, non -negotiable 00:24:59.809 --> 00:25:02.319 inbreeding ceiling for your herd. Given that 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:04.940 the 2024 heifer average is hovering around 9 00:25:04.940 --> 00:25:10.059 .9%, setting a hard ceiling of 9 .5 % is a highly 00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:12.519 defensible, mathematically sound starting point 00:25:12.519 --> 00:25:15.180 to immediately halt the accumulation of genetic 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:20.089 drag. But implementing that 9 .5 % ceiling forces 00:25:20.089 --> 00:25:23.369 a very real operational trade -off. Because the 00:25:23.369 --> 00:25:25.950 most elite LPI bulls are heavily concentrated 00:25:25.950 --> 00:25:29.250 and highly inbred, enforcing a strict inbreeding 00:25:29.250 --> 00:25:31.150 cap means you will likely have to consciously 00:25:31.150 --> 00:25:34.069 bypass the bulls at the very top of the LPI rankings 00:25:34.069 --> 00:25:36.190 in order to protect your herd's genetic diversity. 00:25:36.630 --> 00:25:39.190 This requires a fundamental shift in perspective. 00:25:39.390 --> 00:25:41.970 You have to evaluate genetics like a risk actuary 00:25:41.970 --> 00:25:44.230 rather than just chasing the highest theoretical 00:25:44.230 --> 00:25:47.640 yield. A sire sitting at a 3 ,400 LPI with a 00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:50.500 9 % inbreeding projection, backed by solid health 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:52.839 and fertility subindexes, will mathematically 00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:55.859 deliver significantly more actual, realized lifetime 00:25:55.859 --> 00:25:58.480 profit to your dairy than a headline -grabbing 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:01.440 3 ,800 LPI sire that pushes your mating to 13 00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:04.140 % inbreeding. The theoretical advantage gained 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:07.339 in the LPI index is entirely consumed by the 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:09.619 linear financial penalty of inbreeding depression. 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:12.180 Which brings the math full circle back to the 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:15.880 $16 ,000 to $22 ,000 in invisible losses we quantified 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:19.779 earlier. A slightly lower LPI is a cheap insurance 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:22.519 policy against catastrophic inbreeding depression. 00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:25.720 Absolutely. So moving to the long -term positioning, 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.619 looking ahead to April 2027 and beyond, the strategy 00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:31.880 shifts toward verifying your current decisions. 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:34.839 Long -term management requires establishing a 00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:37.519 closed -loop feedback system within your own 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:40.799 barn. When the first born 2025 calves from these 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:43.259 heavily used top 20 sires hit the ground and 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:45.400 eventually transition into the milking string, 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:48.680 you must actively audit their physical performance 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:51.200 against their genomic predictions. track their 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:53.700 real -world health events, monitor their specific 00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:55.819 conception rates during their first lactation, 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:58.460 and analyze their somatic cell counts. You need 00:26:58.460 --> 00:27:00.660 to verify if the daughters are actually overcoming 00:27:00.660 --> 00:27:03.220 the poor reproduction percentiles of their sires, 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:05.759 or if those genetic deficiencies are manifesting 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:08.700 exactly as the subindex is predicted. It is about 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:11.559 building your own internal reality check, rather 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:14.319 than trusting the catalog. And regarding the 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:17.240 massive industry shift toward caseins and pole 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:20.480 genetics, the strategic advice is to treat the 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:22.900 current market averages as your new baseline. 00:27:23.529 --> 00:27:26.910 With 70 % of the top sires now carrying A2A2 00:27:26.910 --> 00:27:30.609 and 50 % carrying BB -kappa casein, you no longer 00:27:30.609 --> 00:27:33.490 have to compromise on LPI to secure these premiums. 00:27:33.529 --> 00:27:36.650 You can comfortably build a casein forward, polled 00:27:36.650 --> 00:27:39.490 herd today, utilizing these new baselines as 00:27:39.490 --> 00:27:42.009 your floor, provided you maintain strict oversight 00:27:42.009 --> 00:27:45.029 of the inbreeding accumulation. The final, and 00:27:45.029 --> 00:27:47.650 perhaps most critical, actionable insight involves 00:27:47.650 --> 00:27:49.950 changing the dynamic with your AI representative. 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:52.720 When you sit down at the kitchen table to negotiate 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:55.019 your next genetic lineup, you have to assume 00:27:55.019 --> 00:27:57.519 control of the metrics being discussed. You must 00:27:57.519 --> 00:28:00.960 explicitly demand to see all six modernized subindexes 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:03.140 for every single bull they present. Do not allow 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:05.279 the presentation to remain focused solely on 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:08.539 LPI, pro dollars, and component deviations. Here 00:28:08.539 --> 00:28:10.380 is exactly how you handle that conversation. 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:13.339 When the rep presents a list of highly recommended 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:16.299 sires, ask them point blank for the projected 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:19.059 inbreeding coefficient on your specific matings. 00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:21.660 Ask them exactly how many of those sires sit 00:28:21.660 --> 00:28:23.900 above the breed average for health and reproduction. 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:26.940 If they attempt to deflect the question, offer 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:30.240 vague reassurances, or immediately try to steer 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:32.400 your attention back to the glossy LPI number, 00:28:32.619 --> 00:28:35.720 they are signaling exactly whose financial interest 00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:38.059 that sire list was optimized for. Furthermore, 00:28:38.220 --> 00:28:40.299 insist that they help configure your herd in 00:28:40.299 --> 00:28:43.240 the Free Compass or PLPI tools. These platforms 00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:45.839 are unbiased and allow you to heavily weight 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:48.220 the specific traits, like fertility and health, 00:28:48.380 --> 00:28:50.420 that actually dictate your operation's survival. 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:53.160 Synthesizing all of this data provides a very 00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:55.259 clear picture of the current genetic landscape. 00:28:55.619 --> 00:28:58.079 We are not dismissing the genuine, undeniable 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:00.579 progress these 20 bulls represent in driving 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:03.660 extreme component yields and rapidly proliferating 00:29:03.660 --> 00:29:05.559 pole genetics. The sheer production capability 00:29:05.559 --> 00:29:08.680 of the modern Holstein is a biological marvel. 00:29:09.099 --> 00:29:12.380 However, utilizing LPI as the sole metric for 00:29:12.380 --> 00:29:15.079 genetic selection without actively managing the 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:17.660 underlying subindexes and policing inbreeding 00:29:17.660 --> 00:29:20.579 accumulation represents an existential financial 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:23.720 risk to a commercial dairy. The current index 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:26.839 paradigm inherently sacrifices health, fertility, 00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:30.059 and genetic diversity in the pursuit of extreme 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:32.700 production and type. as we wrap up this deep 00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:34.859 dive into the numbers driving the national herd 00:29:34.859 --> 00:29:37.380 we want to leave you with a final provocative 00:29:37.380 --> 00:29:39.920 thought to consider the next time you are analyzing 00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:42.900 a proof sheet if the dairy industry's official 00:29:42.900 --> 00:29:45.920 highly engineered economic weighting models are 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:48.099 supposed to perfectly reflect real world farm 00:29:48.099 --> 00:29:51.380 profitability Why does utilizing a roster of 00:29:51.380 --> 00:29:54.180 sires ranked in the 96th percentile mathematically 00:29:54.180 --> 00:29:57.299 guarantee you tens of thousands of dollars in 00:29:57.299 --> 00:29:59.859 hidden inbreeding penalties and fertility losses? 00:30:00.099 --> 00:30:02.400 It forces us to ask a profound question about 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:05.140 the future of genetic selection. Is our current 00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:08.019 concept of lifetime profitability merely measuring 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:10.660 a mathematical, theoretical cow that exists only 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:13.099 on a spreadsheet rather than the living, breathing, 00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:15.259 biological animal standing in your barn right 00:30:15.259 --> 00:30:17.849 now? Perhaps the next necessary evolution of 00:30:17.849 --> 00:30:20.210 genetic indexing shouldn't simply measure the 00:30:20.210 --> 00:30:22.789 presence of traits but must fundamentally and 00:30:22.789 --> 00:30:25.569 exponentially penalize the accumulation of inbreeding 00:30:25.569 --> 00:30:27.849 before it erodes the foundation of the national 00:30:27.849 --> 00:30:30.849 herd. It is the defining question that will separate 00:30:30.849 --> 00:30:33.369 the resilient profitable dairies of the next 00:30:33.369 --> 00:30:36.470 decade from those that slowly bleed out through 00:30:36.470 --> 00:30:39.220 invisible genetic drag. This has been another 00:30:39.220 --> 00:30:42.059 deep dive from the Bullvine Podcast. For more 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:44.259 straight -talking industry analysis, head to 00:30:44.259 --> 00:30:47.839 www .thebullvine .com. Subscribe wherever you 00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:50.700 get your podcasts. We are out with new deep dives 00:30:50.700 --> 00:30:53.140 every day, and our upcoming topics will keep 00:30:53.140 --> 00:30:55.440 cutting through the noise. Always question the 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:58.039 consensus, demand to see the full data set behind 00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:00.339 the headline numbers, and keep analyzing the 00:31:00.339 --> 00:31:02.980 true drivers of your farm's profitability. We 00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:03.799 will see you next time.