As you invest in fewer replacement heifers, additional focus must be on creating cows that stay healthy, with reduced challenges of mastitis and lower Somatic Cell Scores. The Herd Health Profit Dollars (HHP$™) index is designed to produce cows that are highly productive and built to last.
HHP$ is a health-focused index to rank heifers in herds that genomic test but don’t test with Zoetis or have CLARIFIDE® Plus results. HHP$ is a tool that can be used for A.I. sire selection and provides a health-focused index that can be used across the industry to rank bulls on the future profitability of their daughters.
Have you noticed the new Herd Health Profit Dollars (HHP$) index? Jeff Ziegler, vice president of dairy cattle breeding, and Bruce Smith, district sales manager at COBA/Select Sires Inc., are here to talk about this new genetic tool. Follow along as they address these common questions.
Q1: Why a new index? Why has Select Sires created HHP$?
Q2: What traits are included in the HHP$ index?
Q3: How does HHP$ compare to other indexes?
Q4: How has HHP$ influenced sire development?
Dairy farmers are using genetic audits to right-size their heifer inventories and diversify revenue. Fewer replacement heifers demands lower herd turnover rates. With this shift, herds will have more older cows. Boosting their resistance to disease will become increasingly important. Genetic focus on healthy, longer-living cows to maximize productive life will yield a greater return on investment.
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