AS DAIRY OWNERS INVEST IN FEWER REPLACEMENT HEIFERS, ADDITIONAL FOCUS MUST BE MADE ON CREATING COWS THAT CAN STAY HEALTHY, WITH REDUCED CHALLENGES OF MASTITIS AND LOWER SOMATIC CELL SCORES.
THE HERD HEALTH PROFIT DOLLARS™ (HHP$™) INDEX IS DESIGNED TO PRODUCE COWS THAT ARE HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE AND BUILT TO LAST. THE INDEX IS ANOTHER TOOL TO MAKE LONGEVITY HER LEGACY.
I have fewer replacement heifers than ever before. How does this affect the age of my herd?As dairy producers look for every advantage to increase the profitability and sustainability of their herds, many are producing more and more beef calves and right-sizing their heifer inventories.
As herds raise fewer replacement heifers, the turnover rate of the herd declines. Turnover rate determines the average age of the cows within it. As turnover rates decline, the average age of the herd increases.
Why is a low turnover rate important?It is important to make sure herd replacements are engineered to be trouble-free and remain in the herd longer to achieve the greatest return on investment. Some of the key reasons cows leave the milking herd include low production, reproduction issues and mastitis – all of which are accounted for in the HHP$ formula.
What tool should I use to help me achieve my goal of longer retention in the herd?HHP$ focuses on improving production, cow fertility and mastitis resistance and it places strong emphasis on health traits, utilizing health trait PTAs from CDCB. There are two versions of HHP$ customized for Holsteins and Jerseys. The HHP$ index is available for all Holstein and Jersey sires on Select Sires’ website, allowing comparison across all A.I. companies.
How is HHP$ different than other indexes?1. HHP$ includes several features that differentiate it from other industry indexes. For Holsteins, the index offers a balance of improvement in both fat and protein yield and includes economically important health traits. For Jerseys, the index is designed to boost protein yields while maintaining high fertility.
2. Both HHP$ indexes place high emphasis on mastitis resistance. The CDCB mastitis evaluations have proven to reliably indicate genetic differences in this trait with high economic importance, especially in cows in second and later lactations. The emphasis on health traits within HHP$ is far greater than in the TPI®, JPI™ and NM$ formulas.
3. HHP$ continues to place some emphasis on udder conformation even as some industry indexes have stopped including conformation traits. HHP$ emphasizes shallow udders with intermediate optimums for teat size and rear teat placement.
4. The Holstein HHP$ index includes the new CDCB feed efficiency evaluations to moderate body size and efficiently convert feed into milk. The Jersey version of HHP$ does not include emphasis on feed saved, residual intake or reduced body size.
5. HHP$ is a health-focused index for use in ranking females in herds that genomic test but do not test with Zoetis or do not have CLARIFIDE® Plus results.
Q&A | EPISODE 4: HERD HEALTH PROFIT DOLLARS (HHP$)
COMPARISON OF HOLSTEIN INDEX WEIGHTINGS
Based on the April 2022 index compositions.
| TPI | NM$ | CM$ | DWP$® | HHP$ | GrazingPRO® | |
| Milk | 0% | 1% | -2% | 1% | 0% | -10% |
| CFP | 44% | 48% | 48% | 34% | 37% | 27% |
| Fertility | 13% | 6% | 5% | 12% | 11% | 16% |
| Other Cow Health | 9% | 21% | 20% | 22% | 17% | 16% |
| CalvingAbility | 2% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 4% |
| Calf Health | 0% | 1% | 1% | 6% | 0% | 3% |
| Conformation | 25% | 4% | 4% | 0% | 8% | 5% |
| Size/RFI | -2% | -13% | -13% | -11% | -7% | -13% |
GForce indicates sires with elite genetic evaluations based on a combination of traditional pedigree data and genomic data, but does not contain actual daughter data. This combination of data increases the reliability of a young sire’s genetic prediction prior to the availability of actual daughter data. Here is a list of GForce Sires that rank well for HHP$
| 7HO15807 | GEORGE MILLER* | 1,317 | 7HO15233 | MILKY | 1,141 | |
| 7HO15977 | HAYK* | 1,297 | 7HO15167 | GAMEDAY* | 1,138 | |
| 7HO15945 | ROSWELL | 1,213 | 7HO15966 | ISAAC* | 1,138 | |
| 14HO15519 | APOLLO | 1,192 | 250HO15152 | AHEAD | 1,134 | |
| 7HO15821 | FROST BITE* | 1,186 | 7HO15112 | TAOS | 1,126 | |
| 14HO15865 | PERLE* | 1,184 | 14HO15250 | HELIOGEN | 1,126 | |
| 7HO15787 | PRUSIK | 1,171 | 7HO15583 | KASHTON* | 1,124 | |
| 14HO15992 | FIJI | 1,165 | 7HO15695 | ONO* | 1,124 | |
| 7HO15791 | SALSBURY | 1,160 | 14HO15154 | BIGSHOT | 1,122 | |
| 7HO15786 | VOLCANO | 1,147 | 7HO15778 | BEETHOVEN* | 1,120 |
COMPARISON OF JERSEY INDEX WEIGHTINGS
Based on the April 2022 index compositions.
| JPI | CM$ | DWP$ | HHP$ | |
| Milk | -3% | -2% | -1% | 0% |
| CFP | 46% | 48% | 42% | 43% |
| Mastitis, SCS | 6% | 4% | 17% | 18% |
| Fertility | 15% | 5% | 9% | 16% |
| Other Cow Health | 11% | 20% | 15% | 12% |
| Calving Ability | 0% | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Calf Health | 0% | 1% | 11% | 0% |
| Conformation | 9% | 4% | 3% | 11% |
| Size/RFI | ### | -13% | -2% | 0% |
®Your Success Our Passion. and GrazingPRO are registered trademarks of Select Sires Inc. TPI is a registered trademark of Holstein Association USA. DWP$ and CLARIFIDE are registered trademarks of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or licensors. ™Herd Health Profit Dollars and HHP$ are trademarks of Select Sires Inc. JPI is a trademark of the American Jersey Cattle Association.
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