BW and TOP - mutually exclusive?

Over the course of the last two years, I’ve been fortunate to assist breed societies in the TOP (Traits Other than Production) classifying of dairy animals.  These animals were from predominantly two types of herds – sire proving/progeny test herds, and die-hard breeders who worship their cows.  The differences between the two types of herds were so stark that I thought it warranted an article about the subject.

When we were TOP-scoring the sire proving/progeny test herds, there were some exceptionally high BW cows who looked absolutely terrible – skinny pinched-up rumps, average foreudders, and no strength through the middle and front of the cow.  All style and no substance in effect.  The numbers looked great on paper, but when you looked at the animal in the flesh and ran through the TOP-scoring process, it became apparent that she was ‘just a cow’. 

It was only when we classified animals from die-hard breeders that the difference in cow quality and conformation became apparent.  I viewed some absolutely exceptional animals in those herds; 8YO cows whose foreudder still looked welded on and who showed great strength from one end of the cow to the other.  The owners of these animals had abandoned industry’s relentless pursuit of BW, preferring instead to concentrate on how the cow was put together and breeding for conformation.  These cows looked like they were built to last!

Neither approach is right or wrong, but it’s important to understand what our national evaluation system is and isn’t – “BW is a dollar value which ranks bulls and cows on their ability to breed replacements that efficiently convert feed into profit.” (DairyNZ website).  BW does not measure any TOP traits other than Udder Overall (this is only a recent inclusion as of 2022). 

Two of the most common complaints I hear from farmers that reflect some of the inherent problems with the BW evaluation system are: “I’ve got these really high BW cows who look weak and frail and gutless” and “I’m sick of sh*t bulls who leave cows with sh*t udders.”

These comments are, in some respects, a little unjustified.  It’s not the breeding companies’ fault that our industry evaluation system prioritises feed efficiency at the expense of TOP traits; they merely act with that evaluation system in mind and purchase high BW bulls to sell straws and make profit.  It’s just business. 

In my opinion, there’s nothing truly wrong with any company’s bulls – they wouldn’t have bought them otherwise.  They can’t always predict (accurately) how things are going to unfold before those bulls get a ‘proof’, and to suggest otherwise is patently untrue; individual bull reliability for genomic bulls of 50-55% is proof of that. 

I certainly don’t envy the breeding companies when it comes to making mating decisions for contract matings each year, particularly with XB animals.  It must be fairly challenging not really knowing how the interaction and combination of Friesian and Jersey genes will play out for any given mating!

No, the REAL issue lies in the application of said bulls on farm, and a lack of understanding about the importance of TOP traits.  When you couple the predominant semen delivery method with an evaluation system that prioritises efficiency at the expense of TOP traits, then we get the very thing that I hear on a regular basis - “I’ve got these really high BW cows that look like sh*t”. 

This is because the ability to optimise for improvement in any given TOP trait is removed when farmers don’t get to choose which bull gets used on which cow; it is what it is on any given day.    Genetics companies have filled a need in the market by offering these types of products that make a farmer’s life easy at mating time.  However, farmers who use these products also tend to be some of the more vocal critics of the quality of their animals that come from their genetics provider! 

If we look at the lack of understanding about TOP traits, I think the foundations are rooted in the dairy industry’s growth-mode between 1980-2010.  During this period, the national dairy herd grew rapidly and increasing per cow production became important.  At the start of that growth period, average per cow production was down in the 300kg/MS range, so things like udders weren’t a problem.  It was an arms race for the genetics providers to see who could breed the most efficient converter of feed into profit.

That tenet still holds true today (feed conversion efficiency) but arguably the most important TOP trait of them all (Udders, although I would also accept Fertility) hasn’t kept pace with the increasing demands of concentrate feeding and higher milk production.  Farmers trust their genetics provider to deliver them the ‘best’ animals, but has that definition of ‘best’ changed since the dairy industry stopped growing?  One on hand, genetics providers remain hell-bent on chasing genetic gain and measuring that against BW.  Yet on the other hand, most farmers just want an animal that gets in calf, whose udder doesn’t fall off, and lasts beyond 3 lactations!       

To sum everything up, having high BW cows who are well put together isn’t an oxymoron, nor are the two things mutually exclusive.  You just need to think differently about how you want to achieve it…