Determining the effectiveness of genetic evaluations for stillbirth in additional U.S. dairy breeds was the research focus for Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) intern Anil Sigdel in summer 2021.

In 2018, U.S. Holstein cows in the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) program remained in the milking herd for an average of 28.4 months. Looking back to those born in 1975, they stayed an average of 34.4 months – a full half a year longer. This interval, coined Productive Life, runs from the day of calving in the first lactation to the day the cow left the herd. Some have suggested cows aren’t staying as long because “they are subjected to more stress.”

When dairy producers have valuable genetic and management information but fail to take advantage of it, it might be termed unfortunate. However, think of all the potential information that could be provided but isn’t (yet); these absences are preventing real progress and can be called “missed opportunities.” Obviously, similar situations are pervasive everywhere in life, but fortunately U.S. dairy producers can avoid a few of these missed opportunities, which we’ll detail in this article.