S1008: Genetic Selection and Crossbreeding to Enhance Reproduction and Survival of Dairy Cattle (S-284)

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Inactive/Terminating

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SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[11/18/2003] [12/01/2004] [12/22/2005] [12/27/2006]

Date of Annual Report: 11/18/2003

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/19/2003 - 10/21/2003
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2002 - 09/01/2003

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Accomplishments

Objective 1: Develop selection tools to enhance reproduction and survival using field data. Georgia investigated the use of different bounds on the genetic parameters of days open in selected states. Subsets of the data were created by truncating DO at 150 to 365 d. The residual variance increased with higher truncation points similarly for all states from about 700 at DO 150 to over 4000 for DO 365. Additive genetic variances generally increased as well, although the pattern of changes was state dependent. Genetic parameters of DO are strongly influenced by editing criteria and by regional differences. Illinois obtained genetic estimates on calf survival. Twenty bulls were identified as having a bimodal pattern of inheritance using the density estimation procedure PROC KDE in SAS. Thirty two bulls had a normal distribution. Sons of one bull with the bimodal pattern can be divided into two groups for high and low %PTA. The low group had a negative mean, which meant an increased incidence of calf mortality. Illinois also investigated the probable outcomes of different breeding strategies on the Seeing Eye population of German shepherd dogs and Labrador retrievers, including selection indices, independent trait selection, directional selection, stabilizing selection, and negative assortative mating. Weighting mature weight and mature height equally but in the opposite direction without restrictions was the only index that produced the desired effects of decreasing mature weight and increasing mature height in Labrador retrievers. Iowa searched for Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) associated with perinatal survival (PS). Dystocia, age of dam, sex of calf, season and year of birth are frequently associated in varying degrees with low PS. Collaboration with the University of Illinois resulted in the development of a process to characterize the distribution of PTA-PS among sons within paternal half-sib groups. This process identified seventeen families with a bimodal distribution for PTA-PS, i.e., there were two groups of sons within each family, one with a high mean PTA-PS and another with a lower mean PTA-PS. An association was found between PTA-PS in sons of one sire and each of the two alleles for a common marker inherited from that sire. Nebraska is conducting research on estimating the effect on production for cows given and not given BST. The lactation curves will be based on fitting lactation curves with cubic spline functions. These models can be used to account for standard lactation curve for each cow. This could be useful for lactations longer than 305 days, different types of recording schemes, and records currently in the process of being collected. New York looked at the effect of diseases on days open, days to first breeding and days from first breeding to conception using survival analysis models, and to assess the significance of the sire component and its possible confounding effect. Ten disease groups were considered as possible risk factors for the reproductive traits. Although the additive genetic components were significant for all traits considered, the sires did not act as confounders. North Carolina has examined relationships of overall estimated relative conception rates (ERCR) of service sires with 70-day non-return (NR) rates in herds of single states or sets of states within a region. There do not seem to be regional biases in relative relationships of ERCR to 70-day NR rates. Also, effects of inbreeding on reproduction in primiparous Jersey cows were examined. Reduction in fertility, as observed in Jerseys in recent years, is at least partially associated to inbreeding. Wisconsin looked at the effect of synchronization of estrus or ovulation on genetic parameters of days to first breeding. Individual cow service periods were classified by type of breeding: Standing heat (SH) or any type of synchronization (SYN) protocol applied within 12 days before first insemination. Interval to first breeding, average 72 days, was similar for both treatment groups. Heritability estimates did not differ between SH and SYN treatments. As expected, residual variances were substantially reduced in the SYN treatment group. Wisconsin also undertook threshold model analysis of male fertility. As expected, mean Veterinary Confirmed Conception Rate (VCCR) was lowest (25.9%) in July and highest (34.1%) in February. Young sires tended to have lower VCCR (27.6%) than proven sires (30.5%), although this is probably a reflection of careless usage of inexpensive young sire semen (e.g., on cows that might not really be in heat) rather than a true indication of biological differences between bulls of different ages. Primiparous cows with daily milk yields > 36 kg/d and multiparous cows with daily yields > 45 kg/d tended to have slightly lower VCCR, by 1.8% and 1.6%, respectively, as compared with other animals of the same age. Another project in Wisconsin was failure time analysis of health and management influences on female fertility. Cows that were synchronized prior to 75 DIM, 37.9% of the total, were 4% more likely to become pregnant than unsynchronized cows. Cows that had metritis and retained placentas were 20% and 18% less likely, respectively, to become pregnant than cows that had not experienced these disorders. Tennessee determined heritabilities for electrical conductivity. A repeatability model and five random regression models with increasing order of Legendre polynomials were used. The best model was a model with a 4th order Legendre polynomial for both additive genetic and permanent environmental effects. For this model, heritability estimates ranged from about 0.36 in the beginning and at the end of the lactation to about 0.26 in mid lactation. Tennessee also estimated genetic correlations between body condition scores (BCS) and dairy form in the US with cow diseases in Denmark. Higher BCS was significantly correlated with less metabolic and digestive disease in first and third lactations. Dairy form was significantly correlated with less metabolic and digestive disease in first lactation and foot and leg disease in first, second and third lactations. USDA/AIPL refined the evaluation of daughter pregnancy rate. Pregnancy verification codes were added to the AIPL database in 2002, and these veterinary diagnoses are used in calculating DPR instead of assuming that the final insemination was successful. Methods were developed to use records in progress (RIP) for DPR at 130 days in milk (DIM) instead of waiting until 250 DIM for completed records. A new reproductive event (format 5) database is under construction that will allow more detailed analysis of cow fertility and a national evaluation of bull fertility. USDA/AIPL included service sire calving ease (SCE) and daughter calving ease (DCE) evaluations from USA in pilot studies on international evaluation conducted by Germany and by Interbull. Average genetic correlations of USA with the other 9 countries were .86 for SCE and .64 for DCE. Pilot studies on longevity conducted by Netherlands and Interbull included 3 new countries (United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia) for a total of 14. USA had the highest average genetic correlation (.74) with the other countries and highest individual correlation (.93) with Canada. Objective 2: Explore the impact of crossbreeding on lifetime performance of cows. In Kentucky, matings for the Holstein-Jersey diallel trial began in January, 2003. Mating assignments are made to minimize inbreeding and equalize the representation of service sires. To date seventeen Holstein and twelve Jersey females are confirmed pregnant with calvings beginning in early December. In Minnesota, Holstein cows in the St. Paul and Morris dairy herds were mated 50% to Holstein sires and 50% to Jersey sires for two years (2000/01 and 2001/02). Beginning December 15, 2002, these project heifers were mated to Holstein sires or Montbeliarde sires. For calving-related traits, Jersey x Holstein crossbred calves were born with significantly less dystocia than pure Holstein calves. USDA/AIPL developed programs to routinely trace breed composition and calculate heterosis coefficients for all cows and bulls in the AIPL pedigree file. In Virginia, initial matings to create four breed groups, HH, HJ, JH, and JJ, were begun in August 2002, with first calves born in June 2003. To date, about 40 calves have been born, and additional 90 cows/heifers are pregnant for the project and approximately 100 more are in the process of being bred. Virginia looked at breed differences in resistance to heat stress. Herds were identified that included both Holstein and Jersey or Holstein and Brown Swiss cows. We examined two traits, age at first calving, and first calving interval. At Wisconsin, matings of Holstein cows with Jersey x Holstein crossbred bulls in AI was started in February 2002. Detailed health and performance records will be kept on these animals from birth to disposal. Blood samples for DNA analysis will be collected at birth. The genotypes of the backcross animals will be determined at 175 marked locations that span the genome. Relationships between the genotypes and performance traits will be determined. Objective 3: Develop breeding goals and appropriate indexes for optimum improvement of health, survival, reproduction, and production. Indiana looked at divergent selection lines for dairy form. Recent studies have demonstrated that daughters of bulls that transmit lower dairy form produce healthier daughters that survive longer, are more fertile, and produce a greater economic return, despite somewhat lower milk yield. Herritability of dairy form is around .30 compared to .04 for fertility, indicating that selection progress for improved fertility may be more quickly attained by indirect selection on dairy form. In Minnesota, the selection project at the Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca), which continued since 1964, was discontinued in 2003. Plans are to maintain the control line into the future with approximately 30 lactating cows, which has been the size of the lactating herd during the years it was housed at Waseca. The change of location for the control line provides new opportunities for research. Nebraska evaluated autoregressive repeatability animal model for the analysis of first lactation test day records of Holstein cows. New York looked at the effects of year and season of calving, age at first calving, early milk production, and fraction of North American Holstein genes on days open in primiparous cows were assessed by survival analysis and a sire model. Days open were shorter for cows calving in winter and summer relative to cows calving in autumn. Age at first calving showed an intermediate optimum with a lower hazard of conception for cows calving at an age younger than 23 or older than 27 months relative to cows with age at first calving between 23 and 27 months. USDA/AIPL revised Net Merit with new economic values estimated with the help of many other researchers in S-1008 and introduced in August 2003. Inclusion of DPR with 7% of total emphasis and calving ease with 4% of total emphasis required relatively less emphasis for some other traits, primarily milk volume, protein, and productive life. WORK PLANNED FOR NEXT YEAR Work will continue on analyses of reproductive, production and type traits using different models, including longitudinal and survival. Work will include identification of major gene(s) for selected fitness trait. Matings and data collection for the crossbreeding project will continue

Publications

Baumgard, L. H., W. J. Weber, G. W. Kazmer, S. A. Zinn, L. B. Hansen, H. Chester-Jones, and B. A. Crooker. 2002. Effects of selection for milk yield on growth hormone response to growth hormone releasing factor in growing Holstein calves. J. Dairy Sci. 85: 2529-2540. Berger, P. J., J. Koltes, M. H. Healey, M. S. Ashwell, R. D. Shanks, H. Schlesser, and H. A. Lewin. 2003. Putative quantitative trait loci affecting perinatal survival in eleven Holstein families. J. Dairy Sci. 86(Suppl. 1) : 161. Blake, R. W. 2002. Differential genetic expression with alternative environmental definitions. Pages 477-489 in Proc. XII Cong. Portuguese Anim. Sci. Assoc. (APEZ), Vila Real, Portugal. Blake, R. W., and C. F. Nicholson. 2003. Livestock, land use change, and environmental outcomes in the developing world. Invited paper. International conference, Responding to the Increasing Global Demand for Animal Products. Sponsored by British Soc. Anim. Sci., Amer. Soc. Anim. Sci. and Mex. Soc. Anim. Prod., Merida, Mexico. Blake, R., E. Fereres, T. Henzell, and W. Powell. 2002. Las ciencias agropecuarias en la Argentina (The agricultural sciences in Argentina). Ciencia Hoy (Science Today) 12(70): 31-51. Boettcher, P.J., J. Fatehi, and M.M. Schutz. 2003. Genotype-by-Environment Interactions in Conventional versus pasture-based dairies in Canada. J. Dairy Sci.86:383-406. Bohmanova, J., I. Misztal, and J. Pribyl. 2003. Differences in growth trajectories in seven beef breeds. J. Anim. Sci. (Suppl.) 81:198. Caraviello, D. Z., K. A. Weigel, and D. Gianola. 2003. Analysis of the relationship between type traits and functional survival in US Holstein cattle using a Weibull proportional hazards model. J. Dairy Sci. (submitted). Caraviello, D. Z., K. A. Weigel, and D. Gianola. 2003. Comparison of Weibull proportional hazards models and linear models for predicting the genetic merit of US Jersey sires for longevity. J. Dairy Sci. (submitted). Caraviello, D. Z., K. A. Weigel, G. Shook, and P. Ruegg. 2003. Measure of the impact of somatic cell count on longevity of Holstein and Jersey cows using survival analysis. J. Dairy Sci. 86 (Suppl. 1):129. Carvalheira, J., E. J. Pollak, R. L. Quaas, and R. W. Blake. 2002. An autoregressive repeatability animal model for test-day records in multiple lactations. J. Dairy Sci. 85:2040-2045. Cassady, J. P. , C. H. Brown, B. T. McDaniel, S. P. Washburn, and J. C. Wilk. 2003. Effects of inbreeding on reproduction in first lactation U.S. Jerseys. Presented as a poster abstract at the American Jersey Cattle Association-National All-Jersey annual meetings. Adams-Mark Hotel; Columbus, Ohio. June 25-28. Cassell, B. G. 2002. Calving ease evaluations are being improved. Hoards Dairyman.147(16):626-627 Cassell, B. G. 2002. Has semen really become a commodity? Hoards Dairyman, 147(12):488. Cassell, B. G. 2002. Is it time to select for disease resistance? Hoards Dairyman.147(18):716-717. Cassell, B. G. 2002. She will live a LOT longer if she is pregnant. Hoards Dairyman.147(14):555. Cassell, B.G. V. Adamec, and R.E. Pearson. 2003. Maternal and fetal inbreeding depression for 70-day non-return and calving rate in Holsteins and Jerseys. J. Dairy Sci. 86:2977-2983. Wisconsin Cassell, B.G., S.M. Jobst, M.L. McGilliard, and R.E. Pearson. 2002. Evaluating sire selection practices using lifetime net income functions. J. Dairy Sci. 85:3492-3502. Cassell, B.G., V. Adamec, and R.E. Pearson. 2003. Effect of incomplete pedigrees on estimates of inbreeding and inbreeding depression for days to first service and summit milk yield in Holsteins and Jerseys. J. Dairy Sci. 86:2967-2976. Cruickshank, J., M. R. Dentine, P. J. Berger, and B. W. Kirkpatrick. 2003. Detecting quantitative trait loci for twinning and production traits in Holstein dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 86(Suppl. 1): 195. Dechow, C. D., G. W. Rogers, L. Klei, and T. J. Lawlor. 2003. Heritabilities and correlations among body condition score, dairy form, and selected linear type traits. J. Dairy Sci. 86:2236-2242. Dechow, C. D., G. W. Rogers, T. J. Lawlor, L. Klei, A.E. Freeman, and G. Azim. 2003. Genetic correlations among body condition score, dairy form and disease from the US. J. Dairy Sci. 86(Suppl. 1):196. (Abstr.). Dechow, C. D., G. W. Rogers, T. J. Lawlor, L. Klei, and P.M. VanRaden. 2003. Genetic correlation estimates among body condition score, dairy form, days open and production traits in US Holsteins. J. Dairy Sci. 86(Suppl. 1):130. (Abstr.). DeGroot, B.J., J.F. Keown, S.D. Kachman, and L.D. Van Vleck. 2003. Estimates of genetic parameters for first lactation test-day yields of Holstein cows with a cubic spline model. J. Anim. Sci. 81:(Suppl.1)3. DeGroot, B.J., J.F. Keown, S.D. Kachman, and L.D. Van Vleck. 2003. Use of cubic splines for estimating lactation curves of Holstein cows treated with bovine somatotropin. 15th Ann. Kansas State Univ. Conf. on Applied Statistics in Agriculture. DeGroot, B.J., J.F. Keown, S.D. Kachman, and L.D. Van Vleck. 2003. Estimates of genetic parameters and lactation curves with a cubic spline model for Holstein cows treated with bovine somatotropin. J. Dairy Sci. 86:(Suppl.1) 37. Druet, T., J. Svlkner, I. Misztal, and N. Gengler. 2002. On the value of incorporating dominance effects in genetic evaluation of dairy cattle. Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Monteplier, France. CD-ROM communication 01:44. Edwards, J.L. and Tozer, P.R. 2003. Using activity and milk yield as predictors of fresh cow disorders. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):55 (abstr. 222). Gengler, N., G.R. Wiggans, J.R. Wright, and T. Druet. 2002. Simultaneous multitrait estima-tion of genetic merit and heterogeneous variances for type traits. J. Dairy Sci. (submitted) Goodling, R. C., G. E. Shook, K. A. Weigel, N. R. Zwald, and R. D. Welper. 2003. Effect of synchronization protocols on genetic parameters of reproductive traits in dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 86 (Suppl. 1):129. Hammell, E. E., M. L. Raeth-Knight, E. Ballinger, J. G. Linn, A. J. Seykora, and L. B. Hansen. 2003. Performance of Holstein and Jersey-Holstein crossbred heifer calves when using an intensive feeding program from birth to 84 days of age. J. Dairy Sci. 81(Suppl. 1):173. Hansen, L. B. 2002. The role of genetics in cow longevity. Proceedings of the Midwest Dairy Herd Health Conference, Middleton, WI, University of WI-Dairy Extension (November 13). Heins, B. J., A. J. Seykora, and L. B. Hansen. 2003. Effect of mating Holstein females to Holstein versus Jersey AI sires on fertility, dystocia, calf weight, and retained placenta. J. Dairy Sci. 81(Suppl. 1):130. Heins, B. J., L. B. Hansen, and A. J. Seykora. 2003. Comparison of Holstein, Jersey-Holstein crossbred, and Normande-Holstein crossbred first-parity cows for milk, fat, and protein production and SCS during the first 150 days of lactation. J. Dairy Sci. 81(Suppl. 1):39. Helmink, S.K., R. D Shanks, and E.A. Leighton. 2003. Investigation of breeding strategies to increase the probability that German shepherd dog and Labrador retriever dog guides would attain optimum size. J. Animal Sci.(accepted) Huang, Y-C., and R. D. Shanks. 2002. Genetic aspect of foot abscess, heel warts and interdigital hyperplasia in dairy cattle. J Chin. Soc. Animal Sci. 31(2):141-155. Johanson, J. M. and P. J. Berger. 2003a. A within herd evaluation of sires for perinatal mortality including birth weights. Midwest Branch ADS 2003 Meeting, Des Moines, IA. Abstr. #2. Johanson, J. M. and P. J. Berger. 2003b. Birth weight as a predictor of calving ease and perinatal mortality in Holstein cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 86: (in press). Kassa, H., R. W. Blake, and C. F. Nicholson. 2002. The crop-livestock subsystem and livelihood dynamics in the Harar Highlands of Ethiopia. Pages 74-75 in Proc. Responding to the Increasing Global Demand for Animal Products. Kearney, J.F., M.M. Schutz, and P.J. Boettcher. 2003. Genotype by environment interaction in grazing versus confinement dairy production. II. Health and reproduction. J. Dairy Sci. (In Press). Kearney, J.F., M.M. Schutz, P.J. Boettcher, and K.A. Weigel. 2003. Genotype by environment interaction in grazing versus confinement dairy production. I. Milk production traits. J. Dairy Sci.(In Press). Kolter, J., P.J.Berger, J.C.M. Dekkers, M.H. Healey, M.S. Ashwell, R.D. Shanks, H. Schlesser, and H.A. Lewin. 2003. Evidence for major quantitative trait loci affecting perinatal survival in two elite Holstein sire families. Proc. The John M. Airy Beef Cattle Symposium. Visions for genetics and breeding. p131. Ed. J. M. Reecy. Koltes, J., P. J. Berger, J. C. M. Dekkers, M. H. Healey, M. S. Ashwell, R. D. Shanks, H. Schlesser, and H. A. Lewin. 2003. Evidence for major quantitative trait loci affecting perinatal survival in two elite Holstein sire families. Proc. The John M. Airy Beef Cattle Symposium. Visions for genetics and breeding. p131. Ed. J. M. Reecy. Johnston, IA. Kuhn, M. T., P. M. VanRaden, and J. L. Hutchison. Use of early lactation days open records for genetic evaluation of cow fertility. J. Dairy Sci. (submitted) Kuhn, M.T. and VanRaden, P.M. 2003. Use of early lactation days open records for genetic evaluation of cow fertility. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):132 (abstr. 522). Lawlor, T. J., S. Tsuruta, L. Klei and I. Misztal. 2002. Use of a random regression model to investigate changes in genetic parameters over time. Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Monteplier, France. CD-ROM communication 17:06. Legarra, A., I. Misztal, and J. Jamrozik. 2003. Plotting covariance functions from random regression models. J. Dairy Sci (Suppl. 1) 86: 114. Legarra, A., T. Strabel, J. K. Bertrand, and I. Misztal. 2003. Setting up the Gelbvieh Multiple Breed Evaluation. J. Anim. Sci. (Suppl.) 81:198. Luimes, P. H., E. H. Beaupre, J. H. White, W. J. Weber, H. Chester-Jones, L. B. Hansen, B. A. Crooker, and J. R. Knapp. 2003. The effect of phenotypic selection for milk production on hepatic expression of prolactin receptor. J. Dairy Sci. 81(Suppl. 1):118. Marx, G. D, and L. B. Hansen. 2003. Dairy research on large and small cows changes industry standards. Minnesota Holstein News, March 2003: 26-27. Meier, B. J., M. Hutjens, H. M. Dann, and R. D. Shanks. 2003. Manure evaluation field study. Illinois Dairy Day Report. p. 24-25. Miller, R.H., Norman, H.D., Wiggans, G.R., and Wright, J.R. 2003. Test-day milk loss associated with elevated test-day somatic cell score. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):195 (abstr. M65). Misztal I., and O. Ravagnolo. 2002. Studies on genetics of heat tolerance in Holsteins. Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Monteplier, France. CD-ROM communication 18:05. Misztal, I., S. Oseni, and S. Tsuruta. 2003. Analyses of heat tolerance for milk in Holsteins using different sources of heat-stress information. J. Dairy Sci (Suppl. 1) 86: 39. Misztal, I., S. Tsuruta,T. Strabel, B. Auvray, T. Druet, and D. H. Lee. 2002. BLUPF90 and related programs (BGF90). Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Monteplier, France. CD-ROM communication 28:07. Montaldo, H., J.F. Keown, L.D. Van Vleck, and C.P. Van Tassell. 2003. Economic evaluation of Holstein sires selection strategies for herds in Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands and the United States using stochastic stimulation. Revista Veterinaria Mexico 34(2):179-201. Series # 13429. Munthala, M. B., A. P. Schinckel, M. M. Schutz, and T. S. Stewart. 2003. Response to selection for growth traits in purebred and crossbred pigs selected on a maternal line index. Midwest Dairy and Animal Science Meetings, Des Moines, IA. JAS (Abstr.) Nash, D. L., G. W. Rogers, W. M. Sischo, J. B. Cooper, G. L. Hargrove, and J. F. Keown. 2003. Heritability of intramammary infections at first parturition and relationships with sire transmitting abilities for somatic cell score, udder type traits, productive life, and protein yield. J. Dairy Sci. 86:2648-2242. Nash, D.L., G.W. Rogers, J.B. Cooper, G.L. Hargrove, and J.F. Keown. 2003. Heritability of intramammal infections at first parturition and relationships with sire transmitting abilities for somatic cell score, udder type traits, productive life, and protein yield. J. Dairy Sci. 86:2684-2695. J. Series # 13225. Nobre P. R. C., I. Misztal, S. Tsuruta, J. K. Bertrand, L. O. C. Silva, and P. S. Lopez. 2002. Genetic evaluation of growth in beef cattle with a random regression model. Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Monteplier, France. CD-ROM communication 20:10. Nobre, P. R. C. , I. Misztal , S. Tsuruta, J. K. Bertrand, L. O. C. Silva, and P. S. Lopes. 2003. Analyses of Growth Curves of Nelore Cattle by Multiple Trait and Random Regression Models. J Anim. Sci. 81:918-926. Nobre, P. R. C. , I. Misztal , S. Tsuruta, J. K. Bertrand, L. O. C. Silva, and P. S. Lopes. 2003. Genetic evaluation of growth in Nellore cattle by multiple trait and random regression models. J Anim. Sci. 81:927-932. Norman, H.D., Wright, J.R., and Powell, R.L. 2003. Performance of Holsteins that originated from embryo transfer or multiparous births. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):317 (abstr. W89). Norman, H.D., Wright, J.R., VanRaden, P.M., and Kuhn, M.T. 2003. Characteristics of genetic evaluations for daughter fertility in relation to other fitness traits. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):131 (abstr. 519). Oseni, S., and I. Misztal. 2002. Seasonality of days open in US Holsteins. J. Dairy Sci (Suppl. 1) 86: 131. Oseni, S., I. Misztal, S. Tsuruta, and R. Rekaya. 2003. Seasonality of Days Open in US Holsteins. J. Dairy Sci. 86:3718-3725. Pettersson G.K., P.A. Oltenacu, D.O. Maizon, E.C. Svensson, P.G.A. Liberg. 2002. Effects of dam-related factors on heart girth at birth and morbidity, and of dam, environment, and management-related factors on growth rate from birth to 90 days of age in Swedish dairy calves. Prev. Vet. Med. (Accepted, In press). Powell, R.L. and P.M. VanRaden. 2003. Correlation of longevity evaluation with other trait evaluations from 14 countries. Interbull Bulletin 30: 15-19. Dept. Anim. Breeding and Genet., SLU, Uppsala, Sweden. Powell, R.L., Sanders, A.H., and Norman, H.D. 2003. Accuracy of foreign dairy bull evaluations in predicting US evaluations for yield. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):38 (abstr. 153). Raeth-Knight, M. L., J. G. Linn, D. G. Johnson, L. B. Hansen, A. J. Seykora, B. J. Heins, and R. M Templeton. 2003. Performance of Holstein and Holstein-Jersey crossbred heifer calves from birth to 84 days of age. J. Dairy Sci. 81(Suppl. 1):22. Raffrenato, E., R. W. Blake, P. A. Oltenacu, J. Carvalheira, and G. Licitra. 2003. Genotype by environment interaction for yield and somatic cell score with alternative environmental definitions. J. Dairy Sci. 86:2470-2479. Reynoso-Campos, O., D. G. Fox, R. W. Blake, M. C. Barry, L. O. Tedeschi, C. F. Nicholson, H. M. Kaiser, and P. A. Oltenacu. 2003. Predicting nutritional requirements and lactation performance of dual-purpose cows using a dynamic model. Agric. Syst. (in press) Rogers, G. W. 2003. How dangerous is inbreeding? The Dairy Mail. March. 10:75-76. Rogers, G. W. 2003. Longevity or Survival. The Dairy Mail. May. 10:83-85. Rogers, G. W. 2003. Reduced clinical mastitis breed for lower SCCs. The Dairy Mail. January. 10:85-87. Rogers, G. W. 2003. Semen quality lowers risk. The Dairy Mail. July. 10:103-105. Rueda, B., R. W. Blake, C. F. Nicholson, D. G. Fox, L. O. Tedeschi, A. N. Pell, E. C. M. Fernandes, J. F. Valentim, and J. da Costa. 2003. Production and economic potentials of cattle in pasture-based systems of the western Amazon region of Brazil. J. Anim. Sci. (in press) Rueda, B., R. W. Blake, E. Fernandes, C. F. Nicholson, and J. F. Valentim. 2003. Soil, plant and cattle nutrient dynamics on pastures of the western Amazon of Brazil. Agric. Ecosys. Environ. (submitted) Sanders, A.H., Ross, F.A., and Norman, H.D. 2003. Using the internet for distribution of dairy genetic evaluations and research information to the dairy industry. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):162 (abstr. 642). Sapp, R. L., R. Rekaya, J. K. Bertrand, I. Misztal, and K. A. Donoghue. 2002. Genetic parameter estimates of udder scores in Gelbvieh cattle. J. Anim. Sci. (Suppl.) 81:88. Schlesser, H., R.D. Shanks, P.J. Berger, M.H. Healey. 2003. Graphical approach to evaluate genetic estimates of calf survival. J. Dairy Sci. 86(Suppl. 1): 196 (Abstr). Seykora, T. and VanRaden, P.M. 2003. Changes to Net Merit ushered in with August proofs. Hoard‘s Dairyman 148(14):531. Shanks, R. D. 2003. A new genetic evaluation for fertility. Illinois Dairy Day Report. p. 36-37. Spike, P. L., R. R. Benson, R. L. Fernando, J. C. M. Dekkers, P. J. Berger, and B. R. Skarr. 2003. A simulation program using finite loci with infinite possibilities. J. Dairy Sci. 86(Suppl. 1): 113. Tsuruta S., I. Misztal, T. J. Lawlor, and L. Klei. 2002. Estimation of genetic parameters over time for final score in holsteins using a random regression model. Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Monteplier, France. CD-ROM communication 17:20. Tsuruta, S., I. Misztal, and T. Druet. 2003. Comparison of estimation methods for heterogeneous residual variances with random regression models. J. Dairy Sci (Suppl. 1) 86: 113. Tsuruta, S., I. Misztal, T. J. Lawlor, and L. Klei. 2003. Estimation of genetic correlations among production, body size, udder, and productive life traits over time in Holsteins. J. Dairy Sci (Suppl. 1) 86: 38. Vallejo, R. L., Y. L. Li, G. W. Rogers, and M. S. Ashwell. 2003. Genetic diversity and background linkage disequilibrium in North American Holstein Cattle population. J. Dairy Sci. 86:(currently in typesetting). Vallimont, J. E., G. W. Rogers, L. A. Holden, M. L. OConnor, J. B. Cooper, C.D. Dechow, and J.S. Clay. 2003. Milk urea nitrogen and conception rate: a population study using test-day records. J. Dairy Sci. 86(Suppl. 1):239. (Abstr.). Van Tassell, C. P., G. R. Wiggans, and I. Misztal. 2003. Implementation of a sire-maternal grandsire model for evaluation of calving ease in the United States. J. Dairy Sci. 86:3366-3373. VanRaden, P. M., A. H. Sanders, M. E. Tooker, R. H. Miller, H. D. Norman, M. T. Kuhn, and G. R. Wiggans. Development of a national genetic evaluation for cow fertility. J. Dairy Sci. (submitted) VanRaden, P.M. 2003. Longevity and fertility trait definitions compared in theory and simulation. Interbull Bulletin 30: 43-46. Dept. Anim. Breeding and Genet., SLU, Uppsala, Sweden. VanRaden, P.M. and A.J. Seykora. 2003. Net merit as a measure of lifetime profit: 2003 revision. http://aipl.arsusda.gov/reference/nmcalc.htm VanRaden, P.M. and Tooker, M.E. 2003. Definition of traits and comparison of models for genetic evaluation of cow fertility. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):131 (abstr. 520). VanRaden, P.M., and A.H. Sanders. 2003. Economic merit of crossbred and purebred US dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 86:1036-1044. VanRaden, P.M., Tooker, M.E., Sanders, A.H., and Wiggans, G.R. 2003. Quality of data included in genetic evaluations for daughter pregnancy rate. J. Dairy Sci.86(Suppl. 1):132 (abstr. 521). VanRaden, Paul, Ashley Sanders, Melvin Tooker, Bob Miller, and Duane Norman. 2002. Daughter pregnancy rate evaluation of cow fertility. http://aipl.arsusda.gov/reference/fertility/DPR_rpt.htm Vasconcelos, J., A. Martins, M. F. Petim-Batista, J. Cola, R. W. Blake, and J. Carvalheira. 2003. Prediction of daily and lactation yields of milk, fat and protein using an auroregressive repeatability test day model. (in preparation) Washburn, S. P., W. J. Silvia, C. H. Brown, B. T. McDaniel, and A. J. McAllister. 2002. Trends in reproductive performance in Southeastern Holstein and Jersey DHI herds. J. Dairy Sci. 85:244-251. Weber, W. J., S. J. Kolath, M. C. Lucy, H. Chester-Jones, L. B. Hansen, and B. A. Crooker. 2003. Effect of genetic potential for milk yield on the onset of reproductive activity and corpus luteum function in Holstein cows. J. Dairy Sci. 81(Suppl. 1):238. Weigel, K. A. 2003. Genetic selection for improved reproduction. J. Dairy Sci. 86 (Suppl. 1):66. Weigel, K. A., and K. A. Barlass. 2002. Results of a producer survey regarding crossbreeding in US dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. (submitted). Weigel, K. and VanRaden, P.M. 2003. Fertility is now a selection trait. Hoard‘s Dairyman 148(5):180. (Also published as "New evaluations offer a genetic approach to improving cow fertility", NAAB Electronic Resource Guide) Weigel, K.A. 2003. Improving the reproductive efficiency of dairy cattle through genetic selection. J. Dairy Sci. (accepted). Wiggans, G. R., C.P. Van Tassell, J.C. Philpot and I. Misztal. 2002. Comparison of dystocia evaluations from sire and sire-maternal grandsire threshold models. Proc. 7th World Congress Gen. Appl. Livest. Prod., Monteplier, France. CD-ROM communication 20:17. Wiggans, G. R., I. Misztal, and C. P. Van Tassell. 2003. Calving Ease (Co)Variance Components for a Sire-Maternal Grandsire Threshold Model. J. Dairy Sci. 86:1845-1848. Wiggans, G.R., Misztal, I., and Van Tassell, C.P. 2003. Calving ease (co)variance components for a sire-maternal grandsire evaluation model. J. Dairy Sci. 86(5):1845-1848. Wilson, R. D., K. A. Weigel, P. M. Fricke, M. L. Leibfried-Rutledge, D. L. Matthews, and V. R. Schutzkus. 2003. Combining in vitro embryo production and sexed semen technologies. J. Dairy Sci. 86 (Suppl. 1):118. Zwald, N. R., and K. A. Weigel. 2003. Identification of environments for AI progeny testing schemes that yield the highest heritability and correlation with second-crop evaluations for yield and type traits. J. Dairy Sci. 86 (Suppl. 1):38. Zwald, N. R., K. A. Weigel, and R. Welper. 2003. Analysis of health and fertility traits for proven and young sires in herds participating in a progeny test program using data from on-farm herd management software. J. Dairy Sci. 86 (Suppl. 1):196.

Impact Statements

Analyzes of days open are strongly influenced by editing criteria and regions
Dairy form has a negative effect on fertility
Perinatal survival may be strongly influenced by a major gene
Survival analysis is a useful tool for studies on fertility
Recommendations of this committee are implemented for the industry use.

Date of Annual Report: 12/01/2004

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/18/2004 - 10/19/2004
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2003 - 10/01/2004

Participants

Cheryl Marti, ABS
Paul Van Raden, Beltsville, UDSA-ARS
Mike Schutz, Indiana (Purdue)
Gustavo Gutierrez, Iowa State
Jeff Berger, Iowa State
Ignacy Misztal, Univ. of Georgia
Jack McAllister, Univ. of Kentucky
Brad Heins, Univ. of Minnesota
Les Hansen,Univ. of Minnesota
Tony Seykora, Univ. of Minnesota
Gary Rogers, Univ. of Tennessee
George Shook, Univ. of Wisconsin
Kent Weigel, Univ. Wisconsin
Bennett Casell,Virginia Tech
Ron Pearson, Virginia Tech
Steve Washburn, North Carolina State

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

Attachment

Accomplishments

ANNUAL REPORT OF COOPERATIVE REGIONAL RESEARCH Project: S-1008, Genetic Selection and Crossbreeding to Enhance Reproduction and Survival of Dairy Cattle October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004 PROGRESS OF WORK AND PRINCIPAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Objective 1: Develop selection tools to enhance reproduction and survival using field data. Georgia used a reaction norm approach to estimate the genetic parameters of days from calving to conception (DO) in GA, TN and NC with a model that accounted for heat stress. Heritabilities were highest for spring and lowest for fall calvings. Genetic correlations of spring/summer, and fall/winter were both 0.90. Genetic correlations between spring/summer and fall/winter were around 0.80. The reaction norm model for DO allows inexpensive genetic evaluation of fertility under heat stress. Illinois continued cooperation with IA on perinatal survival, MD on daughter pregnancy rate, and NC on estimated relative conception rate. A more rigorous detection criterion for bimodal inheritance of these traits was implemented this year. Sixteen of 54 bulls with at least 50 sons were identified as having a bimodal pattern of inheritance for perinatal survival. The low groups had reduced survival and high groups had higher survival. Location of descendants tended to follow the PTA for perinatal survival of the maternal grandsire. Bimodal inheritance was not as prevalent for the other traits. Correlations among daughter pregnancy rate, perinatal survival, and estimated relative conception rates were close to zero suggesting that each trait is separate unique. Maryland (USDA-AIPL) revised methodology for estimation of DO to allow pregnancy checks to improve the accuracy of estimates from 130 to 250 days in milk. Genetic evaluations for calving ease were expanded to include Brown Swiss, in addition to the Holstein breed. Joint evaluations with both breeds proved to be acceptable and correlated well with results from within-breed evaluation results for direct and maternal calving ease. Results passed Interbull genetic trend tests, meaning they are acceptable for inclusion in international bull rankings. Additionally, methodology was refined to allow single-trait longevity from foreign countries and multi-trait longevity estimates for US evaluations to be combined to improve estimates of genetic ability of longevity. Genetic correlations for longevity measures in other countries ranged from .67 (with France) to .88 (with Canada). Nebraska developed estimates of genetic parameters for lactations one, two, and three of Holstein cows for individual test-day milk, fat, and protein yields and somatic cell scores (SCS) with a cubic spline model with five knots. Estimates of heritability for lactation one ranged from 0.09 to 0.15, 0.06 to 0.10, 0.08 to 0.15, and 0.02 to 0.06 for test-day one to test-day ten for milk, fat, and protein yields and SCS, respectively. Estimates of heritability were larger in lactations two and three. Estimates of heritability increased over the course of the lactation. Estimates of genetic and phenotypic correlations were smaller for test-days further apart. Further, lactation curves were estimated with a cubic spline model for milk, fat, and protein yields and SCS for lactations one, two, and three of Holstein cows treated with bovine somatotropin (bST). The yield traits showed a response to bST for all lactations. New York evaluated interaction between milk yield and reproductive traits of Holstein cows in Mexico and the United States. Genetic correlation coefficients between ME milk first lactation all US data and age at first calving (AFC) in average and high Mexican environments were different from zero (P < 0.001). The unequal daughter response for AFC between and within countries is evidence of genotype by environment interaction. North Carolina continued studying the relationship of fertility of service sires for breeding virgin heifers versus breeding lactating cows. Holstein sires (n = 200) with a minimum of 300 inseminations in cows and also in heifers were evaluated. Data were for 70-day non-return rates from first inseminations from 1999 through early 2003. The correlation coefficient between non-return rates for cows and heifers within service sire was 0.34 (P < 0.05). Tennessee worked to estimate the heritability of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentration and describe the genetic relationship of MUN with reproductive performance and disease in Holsteins. Heritability estimates were low to moderate. Genetic correlations between wet chemistry MUN and various measures of reproductive performance, including days to first service, first service conception, services per conception, and interval from first service to conception, were very low. Higher WC MUN values were associated with increased DO. Approximate genetic correlations among MUN and diseases identified no important relationships. Wisconsin looked at the effect of synchronization of estrus or ovulation on genetic parameters of reproductive traits. Heritabilities and variance components were estimated for three traits: days to first breeding (DFB), DO, and pregnancy rate at 120 days (PR120). Individual animals were synchronized at first breeding, a later breeding or were never synchronized. Genetic variances and heritabilities varied little among synchronization categories. Heritability estimates were around 0.03 to 0.06 for DFB and DO and around 0.10 to 0.20 for PR120. Wisconsin also analyzed health trait data collected from herd management software. The objective was to examine the possibility for genetic improvement of health and fitness in dairy cattle using data recorded by farmers in their herd management software programs. Mean differences in probability of disease between the 10 best and 10 worst sires were 0.034 for displaced abomasums, 0.069 for ketosis, 0.130 for mastitis, 0.054 for lameness, 0.039 for ovarian cysts, and 0.120 for metabolic disorders. Significant genetic differences seem to exist between sires in daughters' susceptibility to common health disorders. At present, no standard program exists for recording, centralizing, storing, or analyzing disease data in US dairy cattle. However, increased interest in health traits will facilitate development of improvement programs for these traits. Objective 2: Explore the impact of crossbreeding on lifetime performance of cows. Kentucky has had 69 calvings in their joint Holstein-Jersey diallel crossbreeding trial project with VA and NC, which involve Holsteins, Jerseys, and their reciprocal crossbreds. Both males and females have been used to assess immune cell production from birth to six weeks of age. Preliminary data show Jersey with generally higher levels, Holsteins with lower levels and crossbreds with intermediate levels but tending more toward Jersey levels. Serum protein levels were most elevated for crossbreds after three weeks of age. Minnesota is researching crossbreeding of dairy cows at two research herds. Holsteins were mated 50% each to Holstein or Jersey sires. Beginning December 15, 2002, the purebred Holstein heifers were mated to Holstein sires and the crossbred heifers to Montbeliarde sires. For calving-related traits, crossbred calves were born with significantly less dystocia than Holstein calves. Beginning December 15, 2003, a portion of the Holstein cows were mated to Montbeliarde sires. Numerous measures will be made as the calves age. Minnesota is also conducting research into crossbreeding in commercial dairy herds. Data is from seven dairies in California that are crossbreeding with frozen semen from European breeds of dairy cattle, including Normandy, Montbeliarde, and Scandinavian Red. Early results are available for production and SCS during the first 150 days of lactation. In North Carolina, preliminary lactation and fertility data have been collected for Holsteins, Jerseys and their crosses, at the pasture-based dairy research herd. As expected, production data were intermediate for crossbred cows and reproduction was higher than the pure breeds albeit numbers of observations are limited. In cooperation with VA and KY reciprocal crossbred matings were initiated. Females resulting from those matings will be followed for lifetime performance in a pasture-based environment. Tennessee explored crossbreeding with Swedish Red sires. The objectives were to evaluate crosses of Swedish Red sires on Holstein, Jersey and crossbred cows in 10 herds in the Southeast. Holstein, Jersey and some crossbred cows have been serviced with the Swedish Red semen and contemporary Holstein and Jersey semen over the past year. First calves are now on the ground and will be compared over the next few years using data collected through on-farm software and DHIA. In Virginia, with cooperation from KY, initial matings to 4 Holstein or 4 Jersey bulls to create four breed groups, HH, HJ, JH, and JJ, were begun. Approximately 300 females have been bred at Virginia Tech using heterospermic semen from 16 pairs of sires of the same or different breeds. The goal of the project was 20 pregnancies per mix. Distribution of calves by progeny group is not equal and apparently depended on sire and breed. Homospermic inseminations will continue through 2005 to balance progeny group sizes. Virginia also compared breeds for survival, herdlife, and percent days in milk. Herds were identified that included both Holstein and Jersey or Holstein and Brown Swiss cows. In most regions of the country, Jerseys appeared to have an advantage in survival and total days in milk and completed more lactations. Wisconsin compared the male fertility of pure Holstein and crossbred Jersey x Holstein service sires in artificial insemination (AI) matings to pure Holstein cows. Pregnancy status was determined by ultrasound at 28 to 33 d after breeding. Conception rates were 31.5% for matings to pure Holstein sires and 31.2% for matings to crossbred sires. Based on the results of this study, it does not appear that crossbred Jersey x Holstein sires can provide a significant improvement in male fertility. Objective 3: Develop breeding goals and appropriate indexes for optimum improvement of health, survival, reproduction, and production. Indiana is developing divergent selection lines for dairy form. Recent studies have demonstrated that daughters of bulls that transmit lower dairy form produce healthier daughters that survive longer, are more fertile, and produce a greater economic return, despite somewhat lower milk yield. Indiana also examined the effect of heterogeneous variances on the estimation of genetic differences among grazing or conventional dairy herds. Adjustment for heterogeneous variance within herd-year for milk, protein, and fat resulted in lower coefficients of regression with lower standard errors. Thus, accounting for heterogeneous variance made little difference in the ability of genetic evaluations to predict performance of future daughters in grazing herds at low levels of production. Iowa sought to determine if significant enhancements in quantity and quality of milk can be achieved by selecting sires for high or average PTA fat plus protein yield. Selection has been ongoing since 1988. The high line had consistently higher yield for milk, fat and protein than the average line. There was little difference between the high and average lines for milk quality and components. There was, however, a slight tendency for the average line to have a lower fat percentage and SCS than the high line. A higher percentage of daughters survived to complete a first lactation in the average line than in the high line. Maryland (USDA-AIPL) made ongoing progress on genetic evaluation procedures. Plans have been made to account for past and future inbreeding by regressing on inbreeding in the animal model. Following adjustments, genetic evaluations remained highly correlated with previous evaluations; but genetic trends were reduced. With collaboration from IN, MD studied standardizing production records to average rather than mature age. Minnesota continued selection of cows in a 1964 control line. Plans have been to maintain the control line at a new location into the future with approximately 30 lactating cows. Control cows and heifers will be compared to contemporary pure Holstein cows and heifers as well as crossbred cows and heifers. Beginning in 2000, sires were selected using the Body Size Composite of the Holstein Association USA for the body size selection project. Nebraska studied evaluation of different test day models for estimation of genetic parameters for dairy cattle production traits. Models with autoregressive covariance structures for the permanent or residual effects had more resemblance to the multivariate approach than the simple repeatability model with the compound symmetry covariance structure for the TD records of milk, fat and protein yields and SCS data. Nebraska also examined genetic evaluation of dairy cattle with different test-d and 305-d models. More gain may be possible by using TD models to select for animals with higher yield and lower SCS genetic potential than using 305-d lactation model. Tennessee conducted work with objectives to estimate the genetic correlation between mastitis and electrical conductivity (EC). Heritability estimates ranged from about 0.36 in the beginning and at the end of the lactation to about 0.26 in mid lactation. A bivariate analysis was carried out and produced an estimated genetic correlation between EC and mastitis of 0.75. WORK PLANNED FOR NEXT YEAR Work will continue on analyses of reproductive, production and type traits using different models, including longitudinal and survival. Work will include identification of major gene(s) for selected fitness trait. Matings and data collection for the collaborative crossbreeding projects will continue. Further progress will be made in advancing selection lines of cattle for milk production versus controls, for body size, and dairy form. APPLICATION OF FINDINGS Recommendations of this committee are implemented for industry use. Perinatal survival of calves may be influenced by a major gene. MUN is heritable but selection may be limited. EC has a high genetic correlation with mastitis, and has potential for selection. Test-day models would be more accurate than the current genetic evaluation system used in the US if agreement is reached on the patent held by Cornell. Because the heritability of days open is highest under the peak of heat stress, the selection for increased fertility may be more successful under hot conditions. Graziers need to know that genetic evaluations may overestimate genetic ability of daughters in extensively managed grazing herds. Calving ease genetic evaluations for Brown Swiss will be available in February 2005. Adjustments for inbreeding will be included in February 2005 USDA genetic evaluations. Age adjustment to 36 months instead of mature will reduce breed means. The 1964 control line of cows phenotypic and genetic level of milk production is approximately 10,000 lb less than todays Holsteins. Early results suggest that crossbreeding might be helpful to improve reproductive efficiency and survival of dairy cows.

Publications

Publications Attachment:

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Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 12/22/2005

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/16/2005 - 10/17/2005
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2004 - 10/01/2005

Participants

Participants Attachment:

Attachment

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

Attachment

Accomplishments

SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report ANNUAL REPORT OF COOPERATIVE REGIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT: S-1008, Genetic Selection and Crossbreeding to Enhance Reproduction and Survival of Dairy Cattle Period Covered: 10-2004 to 10-2005 Date of Report: 22-Dec-2005 Annual Meeting Dates: 16-Oct-2005 to 17-Oct-2005 PROGRESS OF WORK AND PRINCIPAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Objective 1: Develop selection tools to enhance reproduction and survival using field data. Wisconsin demonstrated that important genetic variation exists in dairy cattle for Mycobacterium paratuberculosis infection susceptibility from estimates of heritability ranging from 0.081 to 0.141. DHI data, a management survey and maximum daily temperature on the day of insemination from Holstein cows on large commercial dairies revealed that the five most important explanatory variables affecting pregnancy status at 150 days were milk yield, body condition score and number of cows per pen played a significant role in predicting conception rate at first service. A detailed examination of body condition score (BCS) prior to and at different stages postpartum in these herds revealed that the probability of pregnancy by 150 d postpartum was 0.80 in herds with <15% BCS faults (i.e. falling below a predetermined threshold) and 0.53 in herds with >45% BCS faults. Days open data from Spanish Holstein herds were analyzed with standard linear models and with two alternative methodologies that account for censoring and showed strong agreement of sire rankings between models that take censoring into account. The Censored Linear Model predicted daughter fertility more accurately than either of the standard linear models. Producer-recorded clinical mastitis data from 77,791 cows in 418 herds were used to determine the potential for genetic improvement of mastitis resistance using data from on-farm management software programs. It appears that at least two segments need to be recorded each lactation, because mastitis in early lactation is lowly correlated with mastitis in mid or late lactation. Overall, this study shows that farmer-recorded clinical mastitis data can make a valuable contribution to genetic selection programs. Survival analysis in a Weibull proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the impact of somatic cell count (SCC) on the involuntary culling rate of US Holstein and Jersey cows with first calvings from 1990 to 2000. The risk of culling for Holstein and Jersey cows with lactation average SCC >700,000 cells/ml was 3.4 and 4.0, 2.7 and 2.9, or 2.3 and 2.2 times greater, respectively, than that of Holstein and Jersey cows with SCC of 200,000-250,000 cells/ml in herds with low, medium, or high average SCC. Tennessee conducted research to quantify on-farm death rates in cows in the Southeastern US and to identify risk factors for on-farm cow deaths in Southeastern US herds. To date using 2004 and 2005 DHIA data from the DRMS in Raleigh, NC, death rates in Tennessee DHIA herds were found to be approximately 7 to 8% annually and on-farm death is now the leading cause of cows leaving the herds in Southeastern states including Tennessee. Nebraska conducted a study of test-day records to compare test day (TD) models and a compound symmetry (CS) error covariance structure with autoregressive covariance structures (AR) for the estimation of genetic and environmental components of variance for milk, fat and protein yields and somatic cell score (SCS) in Holstein cows. The AR covariance structure among TD residual effects may help to prevent bias in heritability estimates for milk, fat and protein yields and SCS. In another study using the same data set, genetic evaluations from three test day (TD) models with different assumptions about the environmental covariance structure for test day records were compared with genetic evaluations from 305-d lactation records for dairy cows. The largest average estimates of accuracy of predicted breeding values were obtained with the test day ARs model and the smallest were with the 305-d model. More genetic improvement can be achieved by using TD models to select for animals for higher milk, fat and protein yields and lower SCS than by using models with 305-d lactation records. North Carolina is examining dairy cow records via DRMS from several states in the South plus Indiana and Vermont to determine if there are differences in fertility of cow families that may be useful in future selection programs. Contemporary standard deviation (SD) differences from herd means will be used to establish an index for each cow that takes into account relative production and reproduction across multiple lactations and multiple generations within cow families. The Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL) of USDA at Beltsville, MD began publishing calving ease evaluations for Brown Swiss bulls in February 2005 and submitted these to Interbull for their September 2005 test run. Assuming favorable results, Interbull evaluations might be expected for Brown Swiss in Feb. 2006. Studies have been initiated in cooperation with the Holstein Association and the American Jersey Cattle Association to see if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) can be more effective than blood typing and micro-satellites in parentage verification. Research is underway to determine how the 5 million calf livability scores currently in the NAAB calving ease database, most on Holstein calvings, might best be used in a genetic evaluation program to reduce the substantial economic loss associated with stillbirths. Development of a routine genetic evaluation for stillbirth would allow the U.S. to participate in the Interbull evaluation for stillbirth, as well as include it in Net Merit. Iowa reported estimates of genetic parameters obtained for dystocia (DYS), perinatal mortality (PM), birth weight (BW), and gestation length (GL) from calving records from the Iowa State University dairy research farm, Ankeny, IA; 1968 to 2005 (n = 5794). Heritability estimates for direct additive and maternal effects were higher when estimated in a multi-trait model than by using a single-trait model. Illinois continues cooperation with Iowa State on perinatal survival. A bimodal pattern of inheritance for calf survival was identified in sons of Holstein bulls from the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) calving ease database using first parity daughter records. One explanation of this pattern of inheritance is an allele effect for bulls heterozygous for a quantitative trait loci affecting calf survival. Allele effects ranged from .29 percent change in calf survival to .41 with average allele effect of .35 (standard error of .03). Variation is sufficient to allow selection to move the average percent calf survival. Unfortunately, the bimodal bulls are younger than most of the other bulls suggesting that calf survival may be declining. Georgia analyzed insemination records from GA and NY over 2000-2004 to gain insight into reasons for declining fertility in Holsteins. The conception rate was 0.2 at 50 DIM but increased to about 0.5 at 150 DIM. Natural service bulls showed about 0.15 higher conception rate overall, with a bigger difference in summer in GA. Holsteins may have been indirectly selected for longer lactations and for lower fertility shortly after calving. In a study of the genetic effect of heat stress, the 100 most and least heat tolerant Holstein sires were identified. Most heat tolerant sires were much lower in fluid milk and dairy form, lower in fat and protein, higher in udder score, DPR and PL, and were slightly above the average for TPI. Selection for fluid milk decreases heat tolerance, but not TPI. Virginia investigated alternative definitions of productive life to replace the original measure of productive life as it gives credits to only the first 305 d of lactations up to 84 months of age of the cow. The alternatives explored included lactations either with a limit of 12 months per lactation or unlimited in length with no age limit. The majority of the cows were still in milk beyond 305 days, but more than 90 per cent of the lactations were less than 500 days of length. Heritability estimate of lactation curve based productive life (0.07) was higher than those of the 12 month, unlimited, and unlimited with calf credits options (0.069, 0.067, and 0.068, respectively), however, was lower than the original definition (0.073). Genetic properties of productive life improved with the increase in censoring age. Pennsylvania obtained daily body weight measures, body weight change and body condition score (BCS) to describe genetic and phenotypic relationships among them. Electronic body weights were captured on all cows exiting the milking parlor in the Penn State dairy herd with the AfiFarm system. Body weight and BCS change in the first 30 days in milk (DIM) were merged with disease records. The correlation between body weight change and was less than expected (0.17) but the partial correlation was higher after adjustment for lactation number and season of calving (0.34). Weight change was more strongly correlated with all diseases than body condition change with the exception of BCS at calving and dystocia. The frequency of a disease incident during the first 30d was 0.48. A metabolic, ketosis or displaced abomasum incident had the greatest odds of occurring in the first 30 DIM. New York (Cornell), collaborating with Swedish researchers, investigated a population of SLB dairy cows that had an identified sire, a production at peak-test-day of at least 10 kg of milk, an age between 18 and 42 mo at first calving, reproduction information and health status in a collaborative study with Swedish scientists, All diseases occurring before 45 days, except ketosis and ovary dysfunction, had significant lengthening effects on interval from calving to first insemination (CFI). For diseases occurring after 45 days, Metritis, Foot and Leg Problems, and Other Diseases lengthened CFI median with 1-2 days. Cows treated for Ketosis, Mastitis, and Ovary Dysfunction had shorter CFI than untreated cows. For ovary dysfunction, this might be due to the favorable effect of the treatment itself. Among diseases occurring after first insemination, only Metritis had a significant lengthening effect on FLI while cows treated for Ketosis, Mastitis, Foot and Leg Problems, and Other Diseases had a shorter FLI. The number of days needed to become pregnant after calving (DO) increased in cows affected by diseases (except Mastitis) in the first 45 d after calving. Cows treated for Metritis and Ovary Dysfunction after 45 d had severely prolonged DO median, by 24 and 16 d, respectively. All diseases occurring either before or after day 45 lowered pregnancy rate at first insemination (PFI). Dystocia, Metritis and Ovary Dysfunction had the largest effects (decreased PFI by 10-14 percentage units). Objective 2: Explore the impact of crossbreeding on lifetime performance of cows Holstein cows in the St. Paul and Morris dairy herds in Minnesota and their daughters were mated over three years to either Holstein, Jersey or Montebeliarde sires with the goal of maintaining one-third of the cows in the two herds as purebred Holstein, and the remaining two-thirds of cows being various crosses of Jersey, Montbeliarde, and Holstein. A full complement of growth, reproduction, production and survival traits will be recorded on all animals. Minnesota is collaborating with seven California commercial dairies that have mated Holstein heifers and cows with imported semen of A.I. sires of Normande and Montbeliarde breeds from France, as well as the Swedish Red (SRB) and Norwegian Red (NRF) breeds, (collectively regarded as Scandinavian Red for this study). Some cows in the seven dairies continued to be pure Holstein. The Scandinavian Red-Holstein crossbreds (-2.2%) were not significantly different from the pure Holsteins for fat (lb) plus protein (lb) (1405 lb vs. 1436 lb); while the Montbeliarde-Holstein crossbreds (-3.8%) and the Normande-Holstein crossbreds (-8.6%) were significantly lower. Pure Holsteins had significantly higher milk (lb) and protein (lb) than all crossbred groups, but were not significantly different than Scandinavian Red-Holstein crossbreds for fat (lb) (763.3 lb vs. 749.6 lb.). Lactation curves were similar for the breed groups during first lactations. Averages of somatic cell score (as an indicator of mastitis) during first lactation were uniformly low compared to the entire USA, and crossbred groups did not differ significantly from pure Holsteins. Calving difficulty and stillbirths were also recorded. Both are traits of the sire as well as the dam. Scandinavian Red sires had significantly less calving difficulty and stillbirth than Holstein sires when dams of calves were first-calf pure Holsteins. Cows calving for the 2nd to 5th time had less calving difficulty and fewer stillbirths than first-calf heifers. Furthermore, significantly more Holstein-sired calves were stillborn than calves sired by bulls of other breeds. All births were analyzed for effect of breed of dam were for crossbred calves. Scandinavian Red-Holstein crossbreds (3.7%) had significantly less calving difficulty than pure Holsteins (17.7%) at first calving. Stillbirth rates tended to follow the averages for calving difficulty respective to breed group of dam, and Scandinavian Red-Holstein and Montbeliarde-Holstein dams had significantly lower stillbirth rates than pure Holstein dams at first calving. First-lactation cows that calved in the seven California dairies were compared for survival to 30 days, 150 days, and 305 days postpartum. Pure Holsteins left these dairies sooner than crossbreds, with 86% surviving to 305 days postpartum compared to 92% to 93% of crossbreds. A lower percentage of pure Holsteins also calved a second time within 20 months of first calving, 66% of pure Holsteins compared to 82% of Normande-Holstein crossbreds. Fertility, measured as actual days open for cows that had a subsequent calving or had pregnancy status confirmed by a veterinarian, indicated 38% of the pure Holsteins had 35 to 99 days open versus 52% of the Normande-Holstein crossbreds, 43% of the Montbeliarde-Holstein crossbreds, and 44% of the Scandinavian Red-Holstein crossbreds. The pure Holsteins had average days open of 150 days during first lactation while all crossbred groups had significantly fewer days open than the pure Holsteins with the Normande-Holstein crossbreds having the least at 123 days open. All three crossbred groups had significantly higher first service conception rates than the pure Holsteins. In Virginia matings to create four breed groups, Holstein x Holstein (HH), Holstein x Jersey (HJ), Jersey x Holstein (JH), and Jersey x Jersey (JJ), continued through 2005 in the joint project at Kentucky and Virginia Tech. Hormonal regulation of the onset of puberty was the first study completed using crossbred project animals. Age at puberty by detection of progesterone in weekly blood samples was 40 weeks for JJ (n=11), 42.5 weeks for JH (n=10), 43.4 weeks for HJ (n=11), and 48.3 weeks for HH (n=18) heifers. Additive effects favoring Jersey were significant but maternal and heterosis effects were not for earlier age at puberty. These data will be merged with similar information currently being collected at the University of Kentucky. Preliminary results on dystocia and stillbirths in over 400 births at the two stations have been obtained. Somewhat surprisingly, maternal effects favored the Holstein dam over Jersey dams for both less dystocia and fewer stillbirths. Analysis of dystocia and stillbirths by logistics analysis showed Holstein genes to be 40 times more likely to cause dystocia through additive gene action, but only 30% as likely to cause dystocia through maternal gene action. For stillbirths, the odds ratios showed Holstein genes were nearly six times as likely to cause stillbirths through additive gene action, but only 30% as likely to cause stillbirths through maternal gene action. Results from the Kentucky part of the joint project with Virginia Tech were available for births, perinatal mortality, birth weight, growth through 8 weeks and various measures of immune function. As expected, the breed groups differed in birth weight with HH being the largest but not significantly larger than HJ and JJ being the smallest. JH birth weights were similar to JJ. A significant additive effect favored Holstein but a significant maternal effect favored Jersey for birth weight. Gain from birth to either 42 d or 56 d favored JJ the least with no significant differences among HH, HJ or JH. Dry matter intake through 8 wk also favored all groups other than JJ. For the growth traits the additive genetic effects favored Holstein over Jersey while the opposite was true for maternal effects. There was significant heterosis for gain to 56 d as percent of birth weight. Various measures of immune function showed differences among the breed groups. HH were the highest and JJ the lowest for peripheral blood granulocytes which represent phagocytic number. JH had the highest antibody producing cells and JJ the highest total T-cells. While serum proteins did not differ among breed groups, the total immune globulin concentration was higher for the HJ and JH groups compared to HH and JJ. Fecal score, done daily from birth through 56 d, were averaged weekly and revealed a possible maternal effect which favored Jersey. A phagocytosis assay was also used to assess immune function of the different breed groups and the underlying genetic effects. Including both adhered and engulfed cells, HJ had the greatest phagocytic activity while the breed groups did not differ in phagocytic + killing activity and hence there was no evidence for any of the genetic effects. However, there was evidence for heterosis for phagocytosis. When only engulfed cells were measured, there were no differences among the breed groups for phagocytic + killing activity but the HJ and JJ groups had the highest phagocytic activity. There was a significant maternal effect favoring Jersey for phagocytic activity. In North Carolina a planned crossbreeding trial using Jersey and Holsteins in a 2-breed criss-cross program has been in progress in a seasonal breeding, pasture-based dairy herd. In preliminary data, crossbred cows are intermediate in production with slight indications of heterosis but fertility of crossbred lactating cows is at least numerically higher than the average of the pure breeds. Dystocia in first parity animals has not been a major problem but numerically, it appears that Holstein heifers delivering pure bred Holstein calves have more difficult calvings than other breed combinations. Considerable progress has been made at Maryland (AIPL) on crossbreeding evaluation issues this year. Many of the genetic evaluation programs have been modified and a multi-breed evaluation has been tested. The objectives of this Tennessee study are to evaluate crosses of Swedish Red sires on Holstein, Jersey and crossbred cows in the Southeastern US. Nine commercial herds in Tennessee have used approximately 750 units of semen from available Swedish Red sires. Holstein, Jersey and some crossbred cows were serviced with the Swedish Red semen and contemporary Holstein and Jersey semen during 2003 and 2004. The oldest heifers from these matings are near breeding age. Approximately 100 female Swedish Red sired calves have been born in this study. Nearly 50% of the dairy farms in Tennessee are using at least some crossbreeding. A Wisconsin project is evaluating birth weight, dystocia, fecal consistency score, respiratory disease score, and serum protein and immunoglobulin G levels in 33 F1 Jersey x Holstein calves and 106 backcross (Jersey x Holstein) x Holstein calves. Aforementioned data were also collected on 341 Holstein calves from the same experimental and commercial farms to serve as a population control to assess the effects of heterosis and calf management on these traits. Least squares means for birth weight of F1 and backcross calves were 5.0 and 1.0 kg lower, respectively, than for Holstein calves. Likewise, the odds ratio probability of requiring calving assistance was 2.26 times more likely for births involving Holstein calves versus F1 or backcross calves. Mean serum protein and immunoglobulin G levels at 0 72 hr of age were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in crossbred calves, relative to their Holstein contemporaries. Mean and maximum fecal scores during the first week of life and from birth to weaning as well as number of days with scours tended to be higher (P < 0.10) in Holstein calves compared with crossbred calves. Results suggest a higher incidence and greater severity of scours in Holstein calves than in crossbred calves. Respiratory disease scores did not differ between Holstein and crossbred calves. Pennsylvania has initiated a project with 11 herds milking Brown Swiss x Holstein cows to compare the performance of Brown Swiss x Holstein cows with purebred Brown Swiss and Holstein cows and estimate heterosis for milk, fat and protein yield. Total milk, fat and protein yields and days in milk (DIM) were obtained for all herds for lactations 1 through 5 and average daily yields were calculated. Daily fat and protein yields were not different among the genetic groups. Daily milk yield was not different among Brown Swiss x Holstein crossbreds and ¾ Holstein or purebred Holstein cows. Purebred Holsteins and the Brown Swiss x Holstein crossbred had significantly greater daily milk yield than the 25% Holstein crossbreds and the purebred Brown Swiss. Objective 3: Develop breeding goals and appropriate indexes for optimum improvement of health, survival, reproduction and production Minnesota reported that cows and heifers in the 1964 control line will be maintained into the future with approximately 30 lactating cows at the Morris station which has a low-input system of dairying, with heavy reliance on grazing, spring calving, and minimum shelter for cows. Control cows and heifers will be compared to pure Holstein cows and heifers as well as crossbred cows and heifers, which have contemporary genetics. Semen was collected in the early 1990s from about 3 sons of each of the original 20 control bulls to perpetuate the control line into the future. The study at Crookston continues with divergent selection for body size of cows. Rolling DHI averages for October 2005 were: Large line 47.6 cows 25,948 3.72% 966F 3.08% 799P Small line 67.3 cows 23,482 3.77% 885F 3.13% 734P Active AI sires are ranked annually from genetic evaluations, and only sires in the top 50% for PTAs of protein plus fat yield and with Reliabilities of 80% or higher are considered. Three sires are then selected for extremely large size and three for extremely small size using the Body Size Composite of the Holstein Association USA. The Swedish Red breed recently revised its Total Merit Index (TMI) eliminating growth rate of young sires, stature, and temperament while increasing the relative emphasis placed on daughter fertility, udder health, and udder conformation. The TMI for Swedish Red has a 34.2% weight on production, which still provides for a substantial positive response for production. The Swedish TMI and U.S. Net Merit have essentially equivalent components, except Sweden has Other Disease, which could be included with longevity. The comparable constituent traits and weights are (U.S. Net Merit followed by Swedish TMI):Production 55%, 34.2%; Daughter Fertility 7%, 14.9%, Sire Calving Ease 2%, 3.5%; Mat. Calving Ease 2%, 4.5%; Udder Health 9%,14.9%; Body Size 3% 0; Udder 7%, 14.3%; Feet & Legs 4%, 6.9% and Productive Life 11%, 7.0%. Maryland (AIPL) has been cooperating with Virginia Tech to redefine Productive Life. Various alternatives have been considered, and the use of standard lactation curves to assign credits for longer lactations may be the preferred option. Virginia conducted a comparison of Holstein with Brown Swissor Jersey cows in the same herd for age at first calving, first calving interval and true herd life up to five years in seven regions of the United States. The study showed that Jerseys calved in younger than Holsteins and had shorter first calving intervals. Brown Swiss calved in older than Holsteins, but with no difference in first calving interval. Geographic effects on Jerseys were less than for Holsteins, suggesting heat stress resistance. When cows of two breeds were housed together, breed differences were less than for cows of different breeds housed separately. Management expectations affected breed differences. A companion study of longevity of these three breeds, examined several survival-related traits using 60-month herdlife opportunity. Breed by region interaction was usually significant, with more consistent results for the southern regions. Jersey started productive life at a younger age than the other two breeds and proceeded to calve more frequently. Data for Brown Swiss were limited and results for that breed were often inconsistent. The breed usually had shorter herd-lives and fewer days in milk to 60 months of age than Jerseys or Holsteins. However, probability to survive to five years of age was greater for Brown Swiss than Holstein or Jersey. Lifetime production data were used to examine the effect of including lactations initiated prior to 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age based either on complete (c) lactations or 305d (305) lactations on Relative Net Income (RNI) and Relative Net Income adjusted for Opportunity Cost (RNIOC). Herd length opportunity defines the maximum time that was included in the measure, while adjusting for opportunity cost account for premature or delayed culling. Regression measures showed that measures of RNIc for years 5-9 underestimate the 10 year value significantly more than for RNIOCc; however, the R2 values for both variables are almost identical. Results of regression analysis relating variables based on 305d showed that for these Holstein cows, Lifetime Profit based on 305d records is much less accurate than using complete lactation data. The change in R2 was proportional for both lifetime measures; however, the maximum R2 for 10 year opportunity was substantially reduced. Simple regression results demonstrated the impact of adjusting for opportunity cost on the relationship between the sires PTA for traits in Net Merit and the alternative measures of lifetime profit. All regressions were reduced in absolute value after correcting for opportunity cost. Iowa examined realized response to sire selection for PTA fat plus protein using mature equivalent protein yield of cows in the long-term sire selection experiment at Iowa State University to determine if perceived enhancements in SAS PROC MIXED could be used in analyses involving repeated records of mature equivalent protein yield in the two selection lines. Users of SAS PROC MIXED should be encouraged to try the Kenward-Rogers method for test-of-significant for fixed effects in complex linear models. The results also confirmed that sire selection for PTA fat plus protein yield can increase protein yield. Indiana (Purdue) has initiated a selection experiment with two divergent selection lines for dairy form. Dairy form, a conformation trait that combines strength, body condition, and body depth, has increased (thinner, deeper cows) over time, likely as a correlated response to selection for yield. Cows were assigned to either a high or low selection line for Dairy Form and will be mated to bulls with low Standardized Transmitting Ability (STA) for Dairy Form or to bulls with high STA for Dairy Form as evaluated by Holstein Association USA. Female offspring subsequently will be mated with other bulls from the same line. An attempt will be made to maintain approximately 60 cows per line in first and subsequent generations. In the first year, three bulls were selected and mated to cows in each group. Bulls in the low dairy form group averaged -1.87 STA for dairy form, compared to +3.80 STA for the high dairy form group in the first year, 1.97 vs. 3.97 for the chosen bulls in the second year, and -1.84 vs. 3.41. For this years bulls, daughters of bulls in the low dairy form group are expected to produce a modest 244 fewer pounds of milk per lactation, but are expected to stay in the herd longer, have less mastitis, and have a higher conception rate than daughters of bulls in the high dairy form group. Blood samples of foundation females have been collected and stored at Iowa State University for future genetic analyses. Wisconsin used data are from the New York Milk Quality Promotion Services to examine the relationship between intramammary infection (IMI) status and somatic cell score. Whole farm samplings conducted from 1992 to 2004 were provided. In total, 79,308 cows were available for statistical analysis; 12.5% were contagious infections, 26.3% were environmental infections, and 61.2% were non-infected. DHI somatic cell scores (SCS) were from the same month as the bacteriological sample. Regrettably pedigree data were not available, so only a phenotypic study was possible. Significant factors in the logistic regression analysis included SCS, year, lactation number, stage of lactation, and production system. Regression lines for the three pathogen categories\ showed that one point increases in SCS were associated with about 5% increases in IMI probabilities for the environmental and contagious pathogens and 10% increase in the combined pathogen groups. The regression of IMI status on somatic cell score could provide information useful in determining selection index weights for SCS. Pennsylvania sought to evaluate the effectiveness of using simple regression techniques to estimate heritabilities for individual herds and determine the effect of adjusting records for herd heritability on the accuracy of genetic evaluations. Mature equivalent yields for milk, fat and protein and SCS from states representing four regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West) were analyzed. Four samples of data were drawn across regions. A subset representing the 10 largest herds from the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest and the15 largest herds from the West was assembled. Heritability was estimated for all samples using daughter-dam regression (h2DD), daughter-sire PTA regression (h2DS) and the average of the two (h2¼). Heritability was also estimated in the large herd subset (h2R) and generated individually for large herds. For yield traits, h2DD, h2DS and h2¼ were moderately correlated with h2R (range 0.43 to 0.67). Correlations for SCS were not as strong (range 0.23 to 0.43). Estimated breeding values generated before and after adjusting data for herd heritability were correlated with PTA from national genetic evaluations (Official PTA). Adjusting yield traits for h2DS, h2R and h2¼ generally increased the correlation with Official PTA while adjusting for h2DD tended to decrease the correlation. Adjusting SCS for h2R and h2¼ increased the correlation with Official PTA.

Publications

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Impact Statements

Genetic variation exists to enable selection for decreased Johnes disease susceptibility in dairy cattle.
Genetic variation is sufficient to allow selection for increased calf survival in the progeny of dairy bulls.
Crossbreeding of dairy cattle offers benefits in lower stillborn calf rate, enhanced reproduction and survival, improved immune function of calves, and fat plus protein production of crossbred cows equivalent to Holsteins.

Date of Annual Report: 12/27/2006

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/29/2006 - 11/01/2006
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2005 - 10/01/2006

Participants

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Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

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Accomplishments

Objective 1. Develop selection tools to enhance reproduction and survival using field data. Georgia estimated trends in conception rate (CR) of Holsteins in the Southeast. For AI services, the average CR decreased from 55% in 1985-89 to 46% in 1995-99. Considering the month of service, the smallest decrease was 5% in January and the steepest decrease was 15% in June. High performing cows had CR about 3% lower. Fertility of Holsteins declined over time. Only a fraction of that decline can be attributed to increased milk yield in the first 100 days. The length of declined CR in the summer is increased indicating deterioration of heat tolerance over time. Illinois created a simulation to demonstrate the impact of changes in inbreeding, number of heterozygous loci, and total number of loci on the amount of survival reduction for calves. Increasing the number of loci decreased the amount of total survival reduction for a fixed number of defects per bull. Greatest survival was associated with more loci influencing survival, few heterozygous loci and low inbreeding. Illinois also showed that daughter inbreeding explained the majority of variation in calf survival and was a better predictor if survival than a sires own and expected future inbreeding. Iowa estimated genetic parameters for birth weight, dystocia, gestation length, and perinatal mortality in Holstein cattle using data from the Iowa State University research farm at Ankeny, IA. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.15 (perinatal mortality) to 0.53 (gestation length). Both dystocia and perinatal mortality have larger maternal components of variation than birth weight and gestation length. A negative direct-maternal genetic correlation will decrease the efficiency of phenotypic selection. North Carolina investigated whether dairy cow families could be selected for superior fertility. Cows from various generations were put in maternal family groups using dam identification within herd. Each family was entered into 1 of 4 quartiles based on average deviations in milk production and into 1 of four quartiles for average deviations in pregnancy rate. Analysis was performed on the 5th generation family members to determine if milk production and pregnancy rates in the 5th generation were significantly associated with historical performance of the respective cow families. These initial findings provide evidence that fertility as well as milk production is inherited on the maternal side. Thus, there is potential economic value in examining maternal family histories for fertility for use in planning selection of future bull dams. Nebraska estimated genetic correlations between yield traits of cows treated with bovine somatotropin (bST) and the same yield traits of untreated cows. Lactation records from registered Holstein cows were divided by parity into 3 data sets: 1, 2, and 3 through 5. Approximately 10% of the records in each data set were from cows treated with bST. Estimates of genetic correlations between records of treated and untreated cows were large enough to conclude that records of treated and untreated cows could be considered to be 1 trait with treatment as a fixed effect to account for differences in means. New York estimated the incidence of clinical diseases and survival in Swedish dairy heifers, and relationships between calf-hood and rearing factors and the performance of the heifers. Diseases were recorded by farmers and veterinarians. The total disease incidence rate was 13.8 per 100 animal-yr from 7 mo of age to conception and 4.71 per 100 animal-yr from conception to calving, with great variation between herds. Infectious disease were predominant, and diarrhea, respiratory disease and ringworm were the most common diagnoses. The performance of dairy heifers was highly influenced by herd-level factors such as housing and routines for grazing and breeding. The study did not provide good support for earlier findings that common infectious diseases early in life are associated with delayed maturation and impaired reproductive performance. Pennsylvania and Virginia investigated the relationship between body weight change between calving and 30 days in milk and occurrence of dairy cattle disease. Daily body weights were recorded electronically as cows exited the milking parlor and were available from 623 cows, of which 490 Holstein cows were from the Penn State herd, and 133 Holstein cows were from the Virginia Tech herd. Cows losing more weight had higher odds of developing a displaced abomasum, metabolic disease, infectious disease and all diseases. Cows with reproductive diseases lost less weight. Heritability and repeatability estimates for daily body weight were 0.45 and 0.75, respectively. Pennsylvania also estimated heritability for producer recorded mastitis episodes. Heritability estimates for mastitis treated as a linear or binomial variable were 2% and 8%, respectively. The correlation between EBV from the linear and binomial models was 0.98. After adjusting for reliability, the approximate genetic correlation between clinical mastitis and SCS was 0.75. An initial analysis of records from 3970 dairy herds indicated that cow death is the 3rd most frequently reported reason for a cow exiting a PA dairy herd. Tennessee acquired DHIA data from several states have begun to edit the data and identify approaches to analyze the data to address cow mortality rates. The mortality data is very complex and creates data editing challenges. Virginia investigated applying various models to extended lactation curves in Holsteins. The models were fitted to complete 305-d (>280 days in milk) and 999-d (>800 days in milk) lactations separately, and for first parity and, third and greater parities. All models considered were found to describe the 305-d as well as extended lactations satisfactorily. Less complicated models were sufficient for modeling extended lactations for milk yield. Models were also fit to extended fat and protein lactation curves. Fat and protein models required the inclusion of an additive constant to prevent over predicting the mid lactation and under predicting the lactation beyond 700 days. Virginia also evaluated the relationships of lactation persistency and disease incidence. Two separate investigations were performed to examine phenotypic relationships between health disorders and lactation persistency of Holstein cows estimated to be uncorrelated with yield. In the first study, treatment incidence data of 991 lactations from experimental dairy herds at Virginia Tech and Pennsylvania State University were used. Milk yield persistency was estimated for individual lactations using daily milk weights. In the second study, producer recorded health data of 87,555 lactations from 398 commercial herds were used. Overall, diseases tend to affect persistency of milk, fat, and protein more strongly than the impact of persistency on likelihood of disease. Lameness seems to have no association with lactation persistency. Relationships in these studies are phenotypic. Investigation into genetic relationships may produce different results. Wisconsin estimated genetic variability of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection in U.S. Holsteins. Heritability was estimated with 3 Johnes disease diagnostic tests: 1) fecal culture alone, 2) serum antibody ELISA alone, and 3) both tests (combined) with a positive animal defined as all animals with either a positive fecal culture or ELISA test. Heritability of infection based on the fecal culture test was 0.153. Heritability with the ELISA was 0.159 with a linear model and 0.091 with an ordered threshold model. Heritability of the combined tests was 0.102. This study demonstrates that exploitable genetic variation exists in dairy cattle for M. paratuberculosis infection susceptibility. Wisconsin estimated genetic parameters for production and fertility traits in the Spanish Holstein population. Days open had a larger genetic correlation (ranging from 0.63 to 0.76) with production traits than did days to first service (0.47 to 0.59) or number of inseminations (0.16 to 0.23). Greater antagonism between production and DO may be due to voluntary management decisions for high-yielding cows, resulting in longer lactation lengths. It was concluded that number of inseminations is the trait to be preferred when selecting for female fertility and because the target of attaining a 12- mo calving interval is changing in the dairy industry, routine genetic evaluation of actual total lactation milk yield should be considered. Wisconsin performed a genetic analysis of 21-day pregnancy rate in US Holsteins. The posterior mean of intra-herd-year heritability for number of 21-day opportunity periods required to achieve pregnancy was 0.06, with posterior standard deviation of 0.01. Posterior means for duration of the VWP ranged from 28 to 74 d postpartum among the 116 herd-parity classes represented in the study, whereas farmer-reported survey values for duration of the VWP ranged from 30 to 78 d postpartum. The model for genetic evaluation of female fertility accommodated heterogeneity in duration of the VWP between herds, as well as heterogeneity that may arise within herds due to management practices such as intentional delay of first insemination in high-producing cows or cows with poor body condition, and it can also accommodate censored records for non-pregnant cows. Wisconsin estimated the impact of inbreeding on production in Jersey cows. Yields were unaffected for inbreeding <7%, and depression seemed to stabilize at inbreeding > 20% for fat and protein yield. Effects of inbreeding on performance seem to be more complex than suggested by previous studies based on linear regression. Results should be taken with caution since the data was scarce at high levels of inbreeding. Objective 2. Explore the impact of crossbreeding on the lifetime performance of cows. Minnesota began crossing pure Holstein cows with Jersey sires beginning in 2000 at the St. Paul campus and Morris herds. Beginning December 15, 2003, a portion of the Holstein cows at the St. Paul campus and Morris herds were mated to Montbeliarde sires. The goal is to maintain one-third of the cows in the two herds as purebred Holstein, with two-thirds of cows being various crosses of Jersey, Montbeliarde, and Holstein. Pure Holsteins (n = 74 for 1st lactation, n = 43 for 2nd lactation) had significantly greater milk (+542 kg, +788 kg) and protein (+15 kg, +20 kg) production for both first and second lactations, respectively, than Jersey x Holstein crossbreds (n = 80 for 1st lactation, n = 57 for 2nd lactation). Pure Holsteins and Jersey x Holstein crossbreds did not differ for fat production in either first or second lactation. Least squares means for days open were 88 days for pure Holstein versus 78 days for Jersey x Holstein crossbreds. During first lactation, pure Holsteins (n = 17) consumed significantly more dry matter intake (20.2 kg versus 18.9 kg) than Jersey x Holstein crossbreds (n = 24). Furthermore, pure Holsteins had significantly greater body weight (513 kg versus 458 kg) and significantly lower body condition scores (2.78 versus 2.88). Minnesota collected field data from seven large dairies in California that mated Holstein heifers and cows with imported semen of the Normande and Montbeliarde breeds from France, as well as the Swedish Red (SRB) and Norwegian Red (NRF) breeds. The Swedish Red and Norwegian Red breeds share similar ancestry and exchange sires of sons; therefore, the breeds were collectively regarded as Scandinavian Red for this study. The Scandinavian Red-Holstein crossbreds (-3%), Montbeliarde-Holstein crossbreds (-5%) and the Normande-Holstein crossbreds (-9%) were all significantly lower than the pure Holsteins for fat (lb) plus protein (lb) in first lactation. The difference from pure Holsteins increased from 9% to 12% for the Normande-Holstein crossbreds, from 5% to 7% for the Montbeliarde-Holstein crossbreds, and from 3% to 6% for the Scandinavian Red-Holstein crossbreds in second lactation. The Montbeliarde-Holstein crossbreds returned to a 5% difference from pure Holsteins for fat plus protein production (lb) for third lactation. First-lactation cows in six of the seven California dairies were compared for survival. Pure Holsteins left these dairies sooner than all crossbreds groups, with 86% of pure Holsteins surviving 305 days post-calving compared to 93% to 96% of crossbreds. All of the crossbred groups had significantly fewer days open than the pure Holsteins. The difference from the pure Holsteins ranged from 14 days for Scandinavian Red-Holstein crossbreds to 23 days for Normande-Holstein crossbreds. An initial analysis of data from 3-breed crosses indicates that production levels between 2 and 3 breed crosses are similar. North Carolina reported breed differences in birth weights, calving difficulty, and mortality of Holstein, Jersey, and crossbred calves in a pasture-based dairy system. Mean birth weights were d 75 lbs for all combinations of breed, parity, and gender with the following exceptions: 1) male Holstein calves from Holstein sires and dams in either first parity (82 ± 3 lbs) or 2) second and later parities (83 ± 2 lbs) or in male calves born to 2+ parity crossbred cows mated to Holstein sires (78 ± 2 lbs). The highest calving difficulty scores were for male calves from Holstein sires and first parity dams. The overall mortality rate through 24 hours after birth for 456 calves born was 9.4 %. Calves born to a crossbred dam had significantly lower mortaility than calves born to pure Holstein. North Carolina estimated the effects of stocking rate and breed on milk production and reproduction in a pasture-based dairy system. Jerseys and Crossbreds had higher conception rates at 1st service and over all services as well as having higher pregnancy rate over the entire breeding season than Holsteins at any stocking rate. The Holsteins produced the most pounds of mature-equivalent milk, fat, and protein whereas Jerseys produced the least, and the crossbred cows were intermediate to both pure breeds. At 30d postpartum, 22% of Holsteins, and 43% of Jerseys and Crossbreds were cycling. By 90d postpartum, only 77% of Holsteins had initiated cycles compared to 97% of Jerseys and 100% of crossbred cows. By 90d of breeding, 59% of Holsteins and 84% of Jerseys and Crossbreds were confirmed pregnant. Pennsylvania and Tennessee compared Brown Swiss, Holstein and Brown Swiss x Holstein crosses for production, somatic cell score and days open. Brown Swiss x Holstein crosses had higher least squares means for daily yield of fat (+0.11 lb) and protein (+0.04 lb) than pure Holstein with 12.6 fewer days open. Backcrossing to Brown Swiss resulted in lower milk, fat and protein yield than anticipated due to apparent recombination in Holstein. A joint Holstein x Jersey crossbreeding project was initiated at Kentucky and Virginia Tech. The project consists of pure Holstein, pure Jersey, Holstein sire x Jersey dam and Jersey sire x Holstein dams. Kentucky reported calf immune parameters that differed significantly between breed groups. Virginia reported least squares means for body weight at 18 months of age were 459 kg for Holstein, 414 kg for Holstein sire x Jersey dam, 425 kg for Holstein dam x Jersey sire and 335 kg for Jersey. Preliminary results for production indicated no significant differences between Holstein and crossbreds for milk, protein, summit milk, and peak milk. Furthermore, fat production favored the crossbreeds over the purebreds, indicating over-dominance for fat. A total of 14 Holsteins and 21 crossbreds were scored on the basis of the Holstein Association scorecard. Significant differences that favored the purebred Holstein over the crossbreds were final score, mammary system, strength, stature, and udder depth. Feed intake, body weight, and blood metabolites, including progesterone levels, are currently being collected on the cows. Wisconsin reported changes in conception rate, calving performance, and calf health and survival from the use of crossbred Jersey x Holstein sires as mates for Holstein dams. Holstein sires (N = 74) and crossbred sires (N = 7) did not differ in male fertility. Calves from Holstein sires and multiparous Holstein dams (N = 99) were 1.9 kg heavier than calves from crossbred sires and multiparous Holstein dams (N = 211), leading to greater likelihood (odds ratio of 1.24) of dystocia. Furthermore, calves from crossbred sires and multiparous Holstein dams had higher serum protein and serum IgG levels between 24 and 72 hr of age, as well as lower rates of perinatal and pre-weaning morality than calves from Holstein sires and multiparous or primiparous Holstein dams. The research also demonstrated that body length, body weight, heart girth, and hip height were significantly affected by breed of animal. Variation in body size and growth rate are important for dairy producers and custom heifer growers, because genetic differences in these traits might lead to suboptimal nutrition or reproductive management of certain groups of heifers. A preliminary analysis indicated that pure Holstein had higher production levels than the crossbred cows. Objective 3: Develop breeding goals and appropriate indexes for optimum improvement of health, survival, reproduction, and production. Indiana has generated divergent selection lines for dairy form. Initial second generation matings were initiated in August 2005, and first generation heifers began to calve in June 2006. An attempt will be made to maintain approximately 60 cows per line in first and subsequent generations. Of heifers returning to the Purdue Dairy and calving, three heifers in the high group failed to survive to 150 days in milk, while all low group heifers survive. All high group culled heifers were sold for reasons resulting from difficult calving---uterine adhesions, calving paralysis, and broken median suspensory ligament. Minnesota continues to maintain cows and heifers in the 1964 control line, which were moved from the Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca) to the West Central Research and Outreach Center (Morris) during 2003. Plans are to maintain the control line into the future with approximately 30 lactating cows, which has been the size of the lactating herd during the years it was housed at Waseca. The change of location for the control line provides new opportunities for research. The Morris station has a low-input system of dairying, with heavy reliance on grazing, spring calving, and minimum shelter for cows. Control cows and heifers will be compared to pure Holstein cows and heifers as well as crossbred cows and heifers, which have contemporary genetics. Semen was collected in the early 1990s from about 3 sons of each of the original 20 control bulls to perpetuate the control line into the future. The control line of females has been converted to mostly a spring calving cycle for the low-input production system at Morris. New York investigated genotype by environment interaction between milk yield and reproductive traits in the US and Mexico. An unequal daughter response in age at first calving between countries in response to selection for milk yield may be evidence for genotype by environment interaction. Virginia reported results of augmented relative net income adjusted for opportunity cost (ARNIOC) as a method of deriving economic values for selection index. The Relative Net Income approach calculates net income of each cow from her lifetime performance as the first step, and then uses multiple regression between her net income versus her sire PTAs of all 10 traits so that the partial regression coefficients provide the economic values of traits. ARNIOC resulted in lower weight to productive life than the current $Net Merit. These results suggest the need to give higher weight to yield traits and lower weight to productive life in 2006 NM$ revisions. ARNIOC was also applied to generate weights for JPITM. In contrast to high SCS of the Jersey breed, the weight for PTA SCS was near to zero compared to estimates for Holsteins. In general the antagonism between yield and fitness traits seems to be less than in Holsteins. Wisconsin investigated the relationship of intramammary infection prevalence with somatic cell score in commercial herds. Pathogens were classified as contagious or environmental. The rate of increase with SCS was uniform for contagious pathogens, but differed among production systems (all pathogens) and parities (environmental and all pathogens). Maryland produced a revised $Net Merit index that was implemented in USDA genetic evaluations beginning in August, 2006. The relative weight on protein yield was reduced from 33% to 23%, the relative weight on productive life was increased from 11% to 17%, and a calving ability index was introduced (6% weight), which is a composite of sire and daughter calving difficulty and sire and daughter stillbirth. Work Planned for Next Year: Data from various crossbreeding studies will continue to be collected and at least one new trial to generate a rotational crossbreeding system using Holstein, Swedish Red, and Montbeliarde A.I. sires with careful health and fertility data recording is planned. Data will begin to be available for second generation crossbreds. Collection of health and fertility data from field trials will continue and cow health and fertility data will be accumulated, including data on novel fertility traits. Cow mortality rates and risk factors will begin to be described.

Publications

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Impact Statements

Crossbreeding enhances the health and survival of calves and crossbred cows have superior fertility and survival with varying losses in fat and protein yield when compared to pure Holstein.
Extended lactations can be modeled adequately and lactation persistency generated. Dairy cattle disease increase lactation persistency by reducing peak milk yield and increasing days to peak.
Previous research results have been incorporated in the new Lifetime Net Merit formula for US genetic evaluations.