As a trait, Productive Life (PL) tells us the number of months longer (or shorter) that a cow is expected to be productive in a herd as compared to her herdmates.
In reality, genetic selection for PL doesn’t just mean more old cows. PL predicts which cows are toughest, healthiest and easiest to manage. A cow can only have a long and productive life when she’s healthy, fertile, and resistant to the diseases or problems that cause headaches for farm owners and managers.
There’s a cost for every health event on a dairy. Whether that’s milk fever, mastitis, lameness, pneumonia, abortions, or any other disruption to the normal progression of a cow’s lactation, these detrimental events cost a farm in terms of revenue, time, and peace of mind.
The Proof is in the Numbers
Selection for Productive Life propels you toward a herd of steady, reliable, and profitable cows. Since the actual measure of PL is not calculated until after a cow leaves the herd, we can use other ways to see if higher PL bulls actually create healthier and more trouble-free cows.
The following table breaks down the events within a real 1,500-cow Holstein herd, for all first lactation animals with known sire ID’s. Based only on the animal’s parent average for Productive Life, this shows the extreme difference in health events between cows with a high PL pedigree versus those with a low PL pedigree.
With no other differences separating these animals except their sires’ PL values, we compared how many health events each group had. We looked specifically at cases of mastitis, ketosis, retained placentas, metritis, and displaced abomasum, and also compared ‘do not breeds’ (DNB) and miscellaneous illness events (ILLMISC).
A few things to note:
- Genetic value for PL is not used as criteria for determining do not breed status. But it’s clear that fewer cows from high PL group were coded as ‘do not breeds’ (DNB). This means more cows from within that high PL group are the ones that make it to their 2nd lactation, when they get the chance to amplify their production and profitability in a herd.
- Also, the ILLMISC event (miscellaneous/unknown illness) is recorded when health alerts show up from this farm’s Alta COW WATCH activity system. While there is no specific monetary value specifically tied to an ILLMISC event, these are still cows that require time and attention to ensure they are on the right track. And there are far more ill events in the low PL group than in the high PL group here.
- By including only first lactation cows in this analysis, we are minimizing the environmental effects that contribute to these health events. If we look at cows in their second or greater lactation, then the difference we see in the number of health events between high and low PL is even higher, and that means the economic impact is even greater when considering older cows!
The Economics of Healthy Genetics
Many of these health events have a cost attached to each case. Using the Council for Dairy Cattle Breeding’s figures for the cost associated with each health event, there is more than a $3,000 cost difference between top 25% and bottom 25% first lactation PL cows in our example herd, just because of the cows’ genetic value for PL!
Want to see the cost difference in action? Download our free Producer’s Guide to Productive Life to see the breakdown in cost savings.
Want healthier cows and a healthier bottom line? Let PL get you there.
Environment, cow comfort and overall management practices also play an integral role in the health of any given herd. But the example above, from a real 1500-cow dairy, is a true illustration of how genetics can help create healthier cows and improve your bottom line. To do that, keep these points in mind.
- Productive Life doesn’t only make old cows; it helps create a healthier, more productive herd.
- There is a direct monetary benefit to having cows with higher values for Productive Life in your herd.
- Include selection for PL as part of your customized genetic plan to build your future herd of trouble-free, profitable cows.
