Progress is a good thing, and in regards to genetics it’s no different. Genetic progress has been the topic of conversation as much in the past five years as ever before because of how it relates to and results from genomics.

Genetics matter. And they are one of the cheapest investments you can make to improve the profitability and efficiency of your herd. While the numbers on a proof sheet may sometimes seem unrealistic or unclear, once you break it down to see how they translate on a herd-level basis, it becomes very real. Using herd management software programs, we can create a genetic assessment of any given herd to see if their animals truly live up to their genetic potential.

In every dairy producer’s ideal world, the norm would be a whole herd of cows that efficiently produces high volumes of milk during several lactations with no transition problems, metabolic diseases, udder health issues or conformation faults leading to an early cull from the herd. In other words, the ideal is a whole herd of “four-event” cows, whose only recorded events throughout a lactation are freshening, a single breeding, pregnancy diagnosis and dry-off.

Everyone wants enough replacement heifers to maintain or even grow their herd size. Producers have achieved this goal with relative ease throughout the past 20 years. While the trend during that time has shown a decline in the number of U.S. dairy cows, the heifer population has remained fairly constant. This means the heifer population as a percentage of the total cow population has been on the rise.