Rely on lactation persistency to achieve higher efficiency.

Did you know that flat lactation curves are believed to be associated with fewer health and reproduction problems in your dairy cows?

Would you like to become a more attractive partner for the milk company and offer a more stable milk supply through the year?

Later peak yield and a flatter lactation curve result in higher persistency.

Utilize dairy resources more efficiently.

Knowing the current lactation curve in your dairy herd you can use the Persistency index as a tool to shift your business in the right direction.

Include persistency into your breeding strategy - investment in genetics will definitely pay off. With persistency as a tool, you are able to feed your dairy cows more accurately according to their genetic potential.

Build a more profitable and sustainable dairy business.

Watch the recorded webinar and learn about lactation persistency Watch now

Higher persistency = less stress on cows

A flat lactation curve puts less stress on the cow, and that reduces the risk of problems caused by negative energy balance.

Here you can see the traits that are favorably associated with persistency:

yield
longevity
udder health
fertility

If you choose to focus on improving persistency, you benefit from an easier to manage herd and fewer health and fertility issues. You utilize resources in the most efficient way.

High persistency bulls will produce daughters that have a flatter lactation curve with lower yield than expected in the first part of the lactation, and a higher yield than expected in the last part of the lactation.

When looking for the bulls to improve persistency, pick the sires that have the breeding value (EBV) for Persistency above 100. The higher value means better persistency.

The breeding value for Persistency is available for all VikingGenetics bulls.

Optimal choice for pasture-based production

If you adopt pasture-based production in your dairy herd, your choice of sires depends on the calving pattern.

Spring calving
If you have a spring-calving dairy herd, you will benefit from using the bulls that breed daughters with lower persistency.

That way you utilize pastures at the correct stage of production and can feed the cows as cheaply as possible replacing concentrates with roughage around peak yield.

The bulls with a breeding value for Persistency below 100 producing daughters with earlier peak yield are the suitable choice for your spring-calving herd.

Autumn calving
If your cows calve in autumn, select the bulls with higher persistency, select the sires that have the breeding value (EBV) for Persistency above 100.

That way you can feed cows more accurately according to their genetic potential and achieve higher efficiency in your dairy herd.

Achieve your goals

Have a look at these bulls that will breed cows with a flatter lactation curve - suitable for year-round calving and autumn-calving herds:

VikingHolstein	VikingRed	VikingJersey
VH Bahrain	VR Froerup	VJ Highlan
VH Laurids	VR Facit P	VJ Jojo
VH Heat PP	VR Faabeli	VJ Gislev

See the bulls suitable for your spring-calving herd:

VikingHolstein	VikingRed	VikingJersey
VH Romello	V Foske	VJ Quintana
VH Sparky	VR Ferrero	VJ Mandix P

Read more about this trending management tool among dairy farmers from a scientific point of view.

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