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With Higher Feed Costs What Kind of Cow Do We Need?
There has been considerable discussion of late as to what kind of cow would be the most profitable if higher costs for protein and energy were to stay with us for and extended period of time. We decided to ask an expert, so we posed the question to Tom Lawlor, Geneticist for the Holstein Association.

Here is Tom's response and we thank him for putting this together for us:
 
"Under today’s tough economy, every aspect of dairy management needs to be scrutinized, and your breeding program is no exception. More than ever we want trouble free, easy breeding, feed efficient cows. Now, having said this, the changes to our breeding program should be more of a tweak than a major revamp. The higher producing cows will still be the most feed efficient cows in your herd. Reducing maintenance costs can be accomplished by selecting for high production and moderate size. Better udders and stronger feet & legs will lead to greater longevity, but some moderation on extreme dairy form should be practiced to avoid putting cows into a dangerous low energy balance in early lactation. Improving your herd’s reproductive performance by paying closer attention to SCR, DPR, and PL will help control costs."--Tom Lawlor, HAUSA.
Reader Comments
Comments posted do not express the viewpoint of Dairy Agenda Today or its staff members.
Holstein Breeder
August, 4 2012
OCS-You are right in what you say, but those who will prosper in this business over the long haul are always looking into the future, trying to figure out what kind of animal the majority of dairyman will want down the road. At this time, most guessers are betting that the kind of Holstein desired by the majority will have moderate stature, moderate dairy character, good health traits, and high production. I remember talking to a person in the poultry business a few years ago. He told me that in Leghorn chickens, they had pretty well maxed out on genetic progress, the extremely short generation interval had helped this happen. He said that one of the few things they could do to increase efficiency was to develop a hen through genetic modification that was smaller in size so that they would have lower nutritional maintenance needs, same concept applies to dairy cattle. The Jersey breed is dramatically increasing the production levels to increase efficiency. Some in the Holstein breed are trying to lower body size to increase efficiency. I am confident that the Holstein breed will maintain its place as the #1 dairy breed but if we keep listening to those who think the Madison winners should be everybody's goal, Jersey might just kick us out of our spot. .
OCS
August, 4 2012
The kind of cow needed in today's situation, is the cow the breeder has been striving for all along, the kind that work for his situation.
Harry
August, 3 2012
A moderate size Holstein is not a Jersey. Whoever said that in one of the past comments must obviously think that that Jerseys are huge - because a moderate size Holstein is considerably larger than even large Jerseys.
jason
August, 3 2012
LWH--what is your dairy ration? I think everyone would be interested and want to get $12.00 over feed cost.
Advertiser with Registered Jerseys
August, 3 2012
I really appreciate the scientific comments that are posted here.
not jersey fan
August, 3 2012
we just sold our jerseys, the experts say they dont eat as much. if you give a jereys a chance, she eats and poops just as much as a holstein and milks half asmuch
Holstein Breeder
August, 3 2012
The people who promote and reward the kind of cow that most efficiently converts of protein and energy to human food are the people who will do the most to insure the long term viability of the dairy industry and the superiority of the Holstein breed. Those who promote and reward inefficient feed converters slow down genetic progress. Yes, people will continue to breed extremely tall and extremely dairy Holsteins and there is a market for them among the people who show, and if that is where your interests are, go for it, but if you go to a lot of Holstein sales you will find that the market for this type of animal is limited. The Association and the breeders looking at the big/long term picture are breeding and promoting cows that maximize feed conversion and health traits.
Confused
August, 3 2012
Holstein breeder, do you have the classifiers mate your cows? Seriously, are you really blaming the classifiers for the problems in the holstein breed? Everyone is free to breed their cows however they want. Choose what bulls work for your setup. It amazes me how many people in this industry want to blame others for all their problems.
Holstein Breeder
August, 2 2012
I think the Holstein management and Board are doing the right thing by trying to promote the fact that cows with moderate stature and dairy character are the most efficient feed converters. The problem lies with the classifiers. They firmly believe that the cows that win Madison should be the highest classifying cows and those cows are too extreme in both stature and dairy character. I think it will be a huge challenge to change their mindset. At the same time Holstein wants their classifiers to be the sole collectors of type data. I just don’t see this working out the way it should?
eby
August, 2 2012
Dan i would love to see your experiment i am 100% certain that the 56 inch 1200 lbs Planet daughter will turn that bale into more milk then Frosty. Why do you pretend high index cows can't eat my planet and shottle daughters will eat every bit as much or more then my dundee and roy daughters and produce an extra 3000kg from it
LWH
August, 2 2012
Forage cheaper than grain? never!!!!Dan do you know what it cost to grow an acre of hay? 12 trips across a field for 5 tons dry matter! I will keep my Genomic "wiener dogs" milking 95# 4.0 and 3.15 with income over feed cost $12/cow/day
NE
August, 2 2012
We have also used genomics to its fullest extent and are also "reaping the benefits" so to speak. The cows coming into the milking string are milking unbelievably well and are fairly trouble free cows. Not saying that every genomic bull is a homerun but you're not suppose to use them as such. Using a little of a lot of young genomic bulls will get you much further in a breeding program to reach traits/production that you are looking for. We have second and third generation heifers coming in now and look as good as any heifer we've bred. If you pay attention to the linear and are not just matching numbers to numbers is as good as using proven bulls the same.
Phil
August, 1 2012
Hi Chris, you are right about the differences in conformation proof - they are expressed differently. Also if we were to compare fat and protein yield proofs we would have to account for breed base differences - Holsteins give more.
Time saver
August, 1 2012
Could DAT put a rating on these comments? A simple good, average, and poor would save me a lot of time.
Chris
August, 1 2012
Phil- That is not comparing apples to apples, have you read Jersey proofs. They have different componets that make a Jersey proof. They are also weighted differently than a Holstein. H2- You say 80% of the dairy industry is Holstein, you are correct. Only a few years ago it was over 90%, that is a big decrease and that lost percentage is going to the Jersey breed. Just a side note, there was just as many registered Jerseys scored in the US as there was registered Holsteins in 2011.
NS
August, 1 2012
how come all the negative comments about genomics come from folks who seem to not even use them??!! I was an early adopter of the technology and am now reaping the results. I'll have you know Dan, that the some of the best young cows I have in my herd are from the top genomic bulls! It is another tool in the toolbox, it needs to be used with caution, but it does give us an advantage when used right. I am finding that it is almost dead on the prediction of heifers...So why don't we hear from people that have actually used them, and are milking daughters now.
Phil
August, 1 2012
Nicely put Tom - strongly agree. Higher producing cows will always be more efficient if they breed back and are trouble free. Also is it not true that more moderate size cows (Holstein) tend to be better reproductively? A question for "Badger" - if the highest ranking Jersey sire (with a progeny proof) were actually a Holstein - would he make an AI sire lineup?
Dan
August, 1 2012
frame and capacity is it mr. Lawlor!Forage is so much cheaper to feed than corn and beans.Cows aren't pigs,but that seems to be what people are breeding with this thing called genomics!I'd like to see a test done at expo,put a bale of hay in front of a cow like Frosty and another one in front of your genomic little wiener dog cow and we'll see how much forage gets converted to how much milk.
H2
August, 1 2012
Laughing- all day long...I truly believe the Jersey cow is efficient- that's why I said they have some good traits. But why is 80+ percent of the country milking Holsteins? It's because Holsteins can produce more than the 80 pounds you gave them credit for. It takes a good Jersey herd to average 60-65 lbs. You must have a really good herd, but a good Holstein herd averages 90-95. How many 30,000 lb rolling herds does the Jersey breed have?
SB
August, 1 2012
I,m not sure what kind of cow it will take...it's not going to matter to me if congress does not pass the new farm bill in the current form and they must pass it soon or this small dairy will be history and the corn that was going to get cut for silage will get hauled to town for big $$$.
Laughing
August, 1 2012
H2, your the one really out of touch. Saying you want to have smaller more feed efficient holsteins is like saying you want to pull a trailer with a truck but with the efficiencys of a compact car, not gonna happen! also when is this industry gonna wake up and realize we don't even get paid for fluid any more. Look at your milk check and see where your money comes from. over 90% from components. So a jersey at 60 lbs with a 5% fat would produce 3 lbs of fat per day. A Holstein would have to produce 80lbs per day at a 3.8 to make the same fat. Which of these cows will eat more feed to accomplish the above, you be the judge, meanwhile I'll keep milking my truly efficeint jersey's.
H2
August, 1 2012
out of touch, buddy, you really are out of touch. The traits Mr Lawlor described are just what the formulas consist of when they calculate NM$ and TPI. With the high cost of feed today, we need this smaller, more feed efficient, disease resistant Holstein. Badger- the Jersey breed has traits they excel in, but Holsteins have some traits that are above and beyond any other breed. Persistant production even towards the end of lactation is a huge economic trait Holsteins have over the protein breeds.
out of touch
August, 1 2012
I thought lifetime net merit or TPI was supposed to make the most profitable cow for the times! Guess not!?!
Badger
August, 1 2012
Mr. Lawlor just described a Jersey cow.