May 17, 2022

3 Steps to Create Your Best Future Herd

In April 2025, the US dairy genetic base was updated to reflect the amount of genetic progress made since the last base change five years ago.

3 Steps to Create Your Best Future Herd

In the simplest terms, genetic progress is making better cows, faster. You can create a future herd of better cows, faster, by following these three simple steps:

Step 1. Set the right genetic plan

When making genetic progress, it’s critical to drive that progress in the right direction. To do that, you’ll first need to decide what ‘better cows’ means for your herd. Does it mean a herd with higher production? Does it mean healthier, more efficient cows? Does it mean more fertile cows and heifers? Or maybe it’s a combination of all of these traits to create more productive, healthy, fertile, trouble-free cows. 

The genetic decisions you make today become your future herd. So, if your primary focus for better cows is higher production, then put more emphasis on pounds of milk, fat, or protein. If your primary goal is healthier, more efficient cows, the select for traits like Productive Life or Daughter Pregnancy Rate.

A combination of health and production traits is generally your best bet. The same index is not the right fit for every dairy. So, if you prefer to use an industry index like NM$, TPI, or DWP$, work with your Alta advisor to understand what those indexes offer and what type of future herd they will help you create.

Step 2. Choose the best bulls for your genetic plan

Once you’ve set the right genetic plan, use the best bulls to fit that plan. Genetic progress does not happen by accident. When you use bulls that rank highest on your farm’s index, you create females that will deliver results in terms of production, health, and overall profitability.

Just remember that there’s not one single genetic plan that is right for every single dairy. Ensure that you choose the best bulls that fit your own genetic plan so that they match your farm’s future goals.

Whether your genetic strategy includes sexed semen or conventional, genomic or daughter-proven sires, ensure that the group of bulls you use fits the genetic plan you’ve set for your herd.

Alta BLUE LINK is the tool you need to connect the power from your decisions in Steps 1 and 2 to the actual implementation. This technology empowers you to be more strategic about the genetic decisions you make and streamlines your data, providing valuable insights to direct the course for your best future herd.

Because Alta BLUE LINK uses your real-time data directly from DairyComp, it allows you to accurately adapt which type of semen you use on which animals so you right-size your future heifer inventory and drive maximum profitability. 

Work with your trusted Alta advisor today to activate Alta BLUE LINK, so you can follow these three easy steps toward creating your best future herd.

How does this genetic base change compare to previous base changes?

We’ve made more genetic progress in the past five years than during any other five-year span in recent history.

The charts below show the base change numbers for 2025, 2020, 2015, and 2010. As you can see from the charts, the base change in 2025 is significantly more for most traits than it was for previous base changes.

That means we’ve made more progress over the last five years than during any other five-year span in recent history.

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