With the August sire summary, Genex Cooperative Inc. will rank Holstein bulls with a new genetic index.
“We are excited to introduce a new genetic ranking called the Ideal Commercial Cow index. This index, designed to breed for farm profitability and efficiency, uses real-time economic indicators and science-based genetic principles to address the needs of progressive dairy producers,” states Keith Heikes, Genex chief operating officer.
The Ideal Commercial Cow (ICC$) index is a profit-indicating measure to be published exclusively by Genex. The index incorporates elements – from the U.S. national evaluation and other data sources – that affect production efficiency, health, fertility and fitness, milking ability and calving ability.
In addition to the new Holstein sire index, five subindexes will provide dairy producers the opportunity to emphasize genetic selection for specific areas of farm management.
“ICC$ is an index that can quickly address emerging genetic trends, and new traits of economic impact can be added as they become available. Therefore, this index provides the ability to better respond to changing economic climates and dynamic environments present in the global dairy industry,” explains Heikes.
The index has been thoroughly reviewed and validated by dairy geneticists with doctorates in animal breeding and previewed by commercial dairy producers for grassroots input.
The development of new selection indexes is not foreign to Genex. In 1987, the cooperative introduced Herdlife, the industry’s first measure of cow longevity and a precursor to Productive Life. In the early 1990s, Genex developed Lifetime Profit Rankings, or LPR, which was a model for today’s Lifetime Net Merit $ index. PD
—FromGenex Cooperative Inc.press release
