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New trait data helps dairy producers predict gestation length
Calves resting at Ebert Enterprises during Wisconsin Farm Technology Days
Dairy farmers now have access to data that can more accurately predict when calves will be born. The Council for Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) released a new trait this week which scores bulls on the gestation time of their calves.
The Council says the new data will help farmers manage their dry dates and maternity pen facilities.
The Council’s CEO João Dürr says the introduction of the Gestation Length trait demonstrates the accelerating trend to develop genetic evaluations for additional traits, which is being researched at land grant universities and the USDA now.
Primary research for the GL trait was done by Jan Wright and Paul VanRaden of USDA’s Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory and was recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science.
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