The high input index helps our international dairy farmers select bulls that are more likely to breed daughters that will last and perform well in higher production environments.
What makes up the high input index?
The graph below shows the weighting of the traits within the High Input Index, in addition to eight of the existing traits of gBW.
How the high input selection index works
The high input index takes into account four traits that cows need to cope with intensive feeding.
These traits are:
- udder support
- capacity
- udder overall
- protein
These traits are combined with the traits for gBW to produce a high input index for each bull. We use this index to identify bulls whose offspring are best suited for a high input feeding system.
You can use the index to compare how suitable animals are to your system, with the aim of breeding the best suited cows for increased milk production, wherever in the world you’re farming.
