DairyCo

Breeding decisions made easy

Published 14 December 10

DairyCo has produced a new booklet, Breeding Briefs, to help farmers prioritise the information and figures they need to make good breeding decisions.

Breeding Briefs helps farmers to identify the key tools for genetic improvement for their setup, and provides information about using these tools in practice.  

Topics covered include:

• Genetic indexes, why we need them, what they mean and how to use them in practice.
• Heritability of traits
• Indexes from other countries
• Genomics

Breeding Briefs includes a frequently asked questions section as well as tips on where to find further information and useful contacts.  

"When it comes to genetics you can sometimes be confronted with an overload of information," says DairyCo product manager Kate Cross. "It doesn't matter how good your management, there will always be a ceiling on your profitability if you don't use the right information." 

"It's not just about using genetics for better milk production, it's also about health, welfare, management and type traits. Each one can be improved through better breeding and can make an important contribution to profitability."

Download Breeding Briefs here.

To order your print copy please call DairyCo publications office on 02476 478702, email publications@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk or order on the website.