Farms Benefit From Research Data Generated by the National Cooperator Database

How does the research data generated by the National Cooperator Database benefit dairy producers and consultants?

Dairy producers are making genetic progress more than twice as fast as they did before genomic selection. The gains made through breeding are permanent and cumulative, and for some traits, more than half the year-over-year gain in performance is due to improved genetics. Today’s animals are more productive, more fertile, longer-lived, healthier, and more profitable than in the past.

Where would genomic evaluations be without the database?

There are no CDCB genomic evaluations without the National Cooperator Database. The cow performance information that flows through the integrated industry system into the database is essential for the calculation of genetic and genomic evaluations.

What do you consider the top three traits producers can select for or away from thanks to the database research?

I recommend producers focus on the lifetime merit index that best matches the way they’re paid for their milk because that’s the most efficient way to make long-term genetic gains. Given that, my top three traits are:

1. Productive Life – Long-lived, profitable cows are the backbone of successful herds. Given the significant fluctuations in replacement heifer inventories and prices, cow longevity is more important than ever.

2. Heifer & Cow Conception Rate – Without good fertility, we can’t create the next generation of dairy animals, and we can’t keep the milk, fat, and protein flowing.

3. Feed Saved – Efficient cows are profitable cows, and Feed Saved evaluations help us identify the top performers. When cows consume less feed at the same level of production, they also have a lower greenhouse gas intensity and contribute to the sustainability of our industry.

How do you see research evolving in the future?

There are several key areas where CDCB research – both internally and in concert with university and industry partners – has the potential to provide substantial additional value to the industry.

• New traits – We continue to work with our collaborators to identify phenotypes that are routinely recorded on dairy farms, have a genetic component, and are of economic importance to dairy producers.
• Management tools – While we’re very good at predicting animal genetic merit and providing dairy producers with tools for making the best possible mating decisions, we can also provide better tools for predicting animal performance.
• Sensor data – There are now dozens of technologies available to dairy producers that collect many measurements (sometimes hundreds or thousands) for each animal each day. Discovering how to apply this information to genetic selection is an exciting prospect.
• The other AI – Machine learning systems and large language models aren’t always as good as the options we’re already using, but they can be useful.
• Genomics – After the tremendous success of genomics, there has been an explosion in other ‘omics technologies. We hope to be able to use this information to make highly personalized predictions in the future.