Examples of “heterosis” sires

In “aAa” terms, in which six major qualities relating to all the functions you expect from a cow are analyzed in your cows and in available AI sires, the vast majority of higher Genomic value sires will express these three qualities:

TALL   (aAa #2)    is the physical expression of the “growth” hormone (bovine somatotropin) in which adolescent feed intake goes to bone and internal organ growth, suppressing body energy (“fat”) deposits.   “Tall” quality heifers will mature faster, and achieve mature levels of milk production quicker.    Metabolically, they respond more to corn and oilseeds than forages.

STRONG   (aAa #4)    develops larger chests in which larger, muscled hearts pump more blood volume, building more muscle over a heavier skeletal structure.    “Strong” supports immune function and health from blood circulation of antibodies and leucocytes (infection fighters) to the extremities.    “Strong” quality heifers will become larger as mature cows.   

OPEN   (aAa #3)    The quality of “Open” aids cows to continue milking in volume after they are pregnant, thus supporting lactation persistency.    It affects elasticity of rib and width of pelvis, so supports calving ease in heifers.    It works with “Tall” to suppress diversion of energy dense grains and oilseeds into weight gain so that milk volume is maximized.

When you consider the overriding goals of Genomic indexes, you can see how they focused on these three qualities.    However, as you pursue those into multiple generations, the other half of the qualities-- #1 DAIRY   (higher natural fertility, feminine refinement)   #5 SMOOTH  (a full rumen capability to synthesize energy from forages, more even body condition, sturdier on feet) and #6 STYLE  (better blending of muscles, durability of the bone structure, less hoof trimming) are being suppressed in cows and lost from the breeding population.

These are qualities that would enable you to get a longer natural life from cows, thus get more heifers as replacements, having more cows capable of matured levels of milk yield sustainable over several lactations.   It is hard for two-lactation lifetimes to be profitable at cow prices today

 

Look at  515 HO 402  Siemers Taos PRADA   at  AI Total.    His “aAa” is 6 5 1 4 3 2, so exactly a heterosis “outcross” to the typical Genomic physique.     Now with daughters in production, his PTA values have been climbing above his original Genomic estimates.

He is unique in offering double-digit gains in butterfat % and protein %  while still +1000 milk.
He is unique having both premium Casein markers, A2A2 Beta Casein and BB Kappa Casein.
He is unique in his strong “plus” for DPR in spite of that +1000 milk rating.
He is unique as a sire that can give you longer teats, bucking the general Genomic trends.
He is unique in being +1.25 on Feet and Leg composite, avoiding a “fence post” hind leg.

We offer more “outcross” Holstein sires than anyone.   “Prada” is an example.

Is “Avoiding Inbreeding” just a scam? -- to take over your herd breeding?

Mark Curry     (989) 984- 7027      Route Services and Sales

Sue Palen        (989) 277- 0480      Store/Products manager  (Order desk)

Greg Palen      (989) 277- 6031      “aAa” Breeding Guide/  Certified Seed Specialist

Mich Livestock Service, Inc   ***   “For the Best in Bulls”    “High Energy Forages”
110 N Main St  (PO Box 661)   Ovid,  MI  48866           office phone (989) 834- 2661
          email: greg@michiganlivestock.com          www.michiganlivestock.com 

 

I took a phone call from a Casein researcher in Iowa recently who had discovered a currently promoted high-Genomic-value AI bull already had twenty crosses to “Mogul” in his pedigree!
“Mogul” was still alive as recently as five years ago (passing in his eighth year due to paralysis in his rear end) and at that point had sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons with semen available.

“Mogul” himself was noted to have over 40 crosses to Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation who was born in 1965.    “Elevation” currently represents 13% of the modern Holstein genotype.    “How can we avoid massive inbreeding under intense Genomic selection from so few ancestors?” my new friend asked.    Good question, I thought…

Generations are moving so fast that few already remember that “Delta Lambda”, also deceased at only five years of age, the current leader in AI sons and grandsons, is a grandson of “Mogul”.   “Lambda” has 90 crosses to SWD Valiant and 40 crosses to Walkway Chief Mark, arguably the two greatest sons of Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief, who was born in 1962.    “Arlinda Chief” sits close to “Elevation” representing 12% of the modern Holstein genotype.     Thus in these two great bulls from the beginnings of the “index” era you have 25% of the Holstein breed’s genes.

And it does not stop there.   Genosource Captain, who is the highest living GTPI Holstein sire of AI sons has 30 crosses to Norrielake Cleitus Luke (direct grandson of “Elevation”).   With In Vitro Fertilization added to Embryo Transfer, pre-pubescent heifers can have immature Ovum cells surgically aspirated from their undeveloped ovaries, fertilized with semen massaged from newly pubescent bulls, and have calves on the ground (incubated in and nursed by beef cows in Iowa) by the time they are 15 months old—the age you might have first bred them…  Except surgical exposure of a pre-pubescent uterus generally ruins them for breeding and calving normally, so their sons are generally “blank” in pedigree development.    75% of active Genomic sires do not have milking daughters; their ever-younger sires also have no milking daughters; their dam and both grandams may never have calved and so have no records or classification scores.    All the published “genetic value” is based on imputed trait values assigned to marker genes.

Does “inbreeding depression” come directly from shared ancestors?

The last great study of “inbreeding depression” was done in Europe, where after only three generations using North American progeny-ranked Holstein sires on native Friesian origin cows, they were seeing the usual effects:   lower fertility, more stillborn calves, slower growth rates, less will to live, frailty of frame and lower immunity, thus more health costs, and shortened herdlife.    Yet the “threshold” for “inbreeding coefficient” (ibc= 8.25% pedigree relationships) defined from American studies had not been reached.    The obvious conclusion: inbreeding “depression” is caused from SINGLE TRAIT SELECTION  (in Holland Genetics’ case, a total focus on PTA Protein yield for selecting bull dams and mating sires) --  NOT from pedigree.     

While this study was never publicly acknowledged in the USA  (I only learned of it through our Canadian Holstein connections)  it had the effect of changing the simplistic USDA “Net Merit” in favor of adding health (mostly SCS), fertility (DPR) and Productive Life traits to the total index, which reranked the available sires.    AI studs hoped this “Net Merit”change would counteract the trends in favor of dairy crossbreeding that had resulted in more foreign semen importation and less use of AI stud computer mating systems that gave them near-total control of sire use.

At this point, with accelerated generations of Genomic youngsters leading to aggressive levels of ibc% in the bulls and rising efi% (expected future inbreeding) in heifer lots, a few studs still attempt to sell computer pedigree-based linear mating on “avoiding inbreeding”…  BUT if the same stud is breeding donors back to their sons and crossing brothers to full sisters routinely to impute the highest Genomic indexes, why should they tell you to do the opposite?

It is past time to face facts.    Avoiding “inbreeding” through a computer mating based on the sire and maternal grandsire (increasingly, linear trait data on your cows is no longer collected; they just encourage you to buy their genotype testing) is an expensive exercise in futility.   Just as Holland saw in the later 1990s, after totally outcrossing their Friesians to Holstein bulls, it is “single trait selection” – in the case of Genomics, defining an “ideal” genotype and discarding all animals from the breeding population that represent outcross genotypes – or basing all your matings on a single index over multiple generations – these lead to inbreeding “depression”.

But the symptoms this time are different, and thanks to heavy (expensive) use of technologies such as OvSynch (“synthesized”) reproduction added to gender-selected semen and Genomic testing, are more subtly expressed.    This time, inbreeding to an ideal genotype is producing strong, healthy young cows who are fully aged after two lactations—lacking natural fertility, looking more like steers than cows, behaving more like bulls, only willing to milk on “pig feed” rations, and lacking any will to live if they do get sick.    “Throwaway cows” is the expression of inbreeding you will see today.    And (just like with continuous crossbreeding) in the fourth and later generations, they just don’t milk anywhere near as much as all the “genetic value” says.

“aAa” breeding guide is the only mating method that insures against modern inbreeding loss.
It does this by leading you to “heterosis” combinations, avoiding extreme physical expression.

Is DNA testing for genetic “value” the future? Or a fad??

It is clear by now that lots of useful traits can be determined at birth from a DNA test.    It is less clear that selecting on DNA alone insures we will have the future herd that an ever-changing economic and agronomic picture dictates.

Those pursuing “Genomic ranked” breeding animals in both Beef and Dairy breeds are now in many cases three generations beyond ancestors with realized (=actual) performance.    Traits we overlook (as in soundness of feet) can get extreme over that many generations, and surprise us when the calves hit the ground and after.

Phenotypic selection will always have a place for those traits that relate to sorting between “maternal” and “terminal”;  for mating to control costs of production (as well as show and sale ring appeal); and learning to observe epigenetic effects from changing environments.    Observing relative adaptation from behavior as well as data  may be a big part of how we select cattle for future performance.

Mich Livestock Service, Inc        “For the Best in Bulls”   since 1978        ph (989) 834- 2661

How much help do your calves need?

Bos Taurus breeds have been selected over time to be fertile all year long (this is not true of many Bos Indicus and Bos Africanus breeds, where fertility follows the seasons).    The result of this is many of you calve cows in winter, to enhance the salability of those calves later.

For winter calving, we have some aids to calf comfort:
Calf  Ear  Warmers    (from Sullivan Supply)   fleece-lined, waterproof
Calf  Jackets   (lined with 3M Thinsulate)   come in small, medium, large sizes

For respiratory protection, we stock the usual vaccines.   This now includes:
Tri-Shield  First Defense   (from Immucell)   colostrum-derived antibodies
Focuses on K-99+ E-Coli, Bovine Coronavirus, and Bovine Rotavirus—major causes of scours.
Effective when given orally within 12 hours after birth.
Packaged in a box of 12 single-dose syringes.     Refrigerate until ready to use.

What if a calf is born adversely, and momma struggles with nursing it?
We stock freeze-dried COLOSTRUM:  “Bovine IgG Just Like Mom” label      (Aspen Vet Resources)
Effective when fed within 2 hours of birth.    If no maternal colostrum is available, a second dose within 8 hours is quite beneficial.    This is a powder that mixes easily in warm water.

What if a calf has had a setback, and needs to catch up?
FASTRACK  Ruminant Gel is pretty hard to beat.    5cc oral doses, restores appetite and speeds up rumen development so that all newly introduced feeds can be digested.

Results of a DNA study at Iowa State on causes of scours

Iowa State vet college received a grant to study calf diseases  (in hopes of developing DNA tests to enable gene therapies, replacing antibiotics being banned from food animals).    After 11,000 DNA samplings on sick calves and their healthy herdmates, they found a marker gene appearing to prevent debilitating scours from Salmonella and E-Coli infections.    Of interest was this gene is linked to the recessive Red hair color gene…    thus suggesting that the feeder market fixation with Black cattle (hoping to ride on the success of “certified Angus beef”)  may begin to change.   Iowa State has licensed this discovery to a company that will test your cattle for the marker.

The big debate that is arising from all the use of DNA testing in both Beef and Dairy cattle, is does DNA testing replace Genetic selection, which is based on trait measurement and behavior observation?     Advocates of DNA tests claim animals can be culled after birth just on genotype characteristics, and faster breeding progress made from a reduced gene pool of animals with an “ideal” genotype.     Critics of DNA selection point out that focusing only on a single genotype is a sure path for accumulating “inbreeding depression”.      They further note that we do not make our livings from the genotype, but from the phenotype (the living result that grows up and has adapted to our individual environment). 

The latest area of genetic exploration is “epigenetics” which documents how any sustained change in the environment alters the functions of genes.    And the environment will always be changing— starting with nutritional choices, and genetic changes in the feed themselves.

We keep learning as we go (ways DNA affects phenotype)

Mark Curry        (989) 984- 7027    Route Services and Sales/       OvSynch AI groups

Sue Palen           (989) 277- 0480    Order desk/  Product program manager

Greg Palen         (989) 277- 6031    Certified Seed Specialist/    AI Refresher training

Mich Livestock Service, Inc    “For the Best in Bulls”   and the forages to feed them
110 N Main St  (PO Box 661)   Ovid,  MI  48866           office phone (989) 834- 2661
www.michiganlivestock.com                              email: greg@michiganlivestock.com

 

There are three major proteins found in milk composition:  Alpha, Beta, and Kappa  caseins.    In the dairy industry, there is a growing consumer demand for milk that is only A2A2 Beta Casein.   This is of benefit to people with auto-immune diseases or the underlying DNA related to them, as having the best digestibility of that protein form.    (A2A2 is the “normal” beta variant for all mammalian species, but sometime in pre-history a mutation occurred in the Bos Taurus species [cattle of European origin] sometime before breed characteristics were segregated.   Mutations are called A1, B, and a few further mutations of the original mutation.    A1 molecule looks like a histamine molecule, and that interferes with digestibility.

Thus you can find the mutated beta caseins in beef breeds as well as their dairy breed cousins.   Some enterprising Angus breeders in Kansas and Nebraska decided to find out if A2A2 offered any benefit to newborn calves nursing their mommas (or surrogates).    They DNA tested all the bred cows for their Beta Casein markers, then tracked their next crop of calves.

What was the result?     Calves born from cows with A1 genes had more scours and digestive issues;  calves born from A2 cows were healthier and weaned slightly heavier.    As big a deal as this has become for specialty milk marketing, it surprises me that no dairy research into effects on calves has been done.    (Maybe big Pharma can’t figure out how to patent it??)

 

Time for an outcross to regain heterozygous vigor

Genetic evaluation has been designed since the 1960s to keep us on a path others thought desirable—the faster maturity of dairy cattle.    A lot of gene variation was lost in the narrowed sire bloodlines resulting from this single-minded pursuit.

We gave up genes for natural fertility, for maternal instinct, for acclimation to the fluctuation of weather (especially sunlight heat), for natural insect resistance, and most importantly, for the stamina to produce into a fully matured longevity .

Hindsight now tells us that focusing genetic selection on data allowed us to forget many basic rules of biology, including the many tradeoffs there are in population behavior.    Faster maturity is now shown to have promoted rapid aging.   Genetics ignored observational evidence in the pursuit of the fantasy that “technology has a solution for all problems”.   One size fits all never really fits what is most needed which is the necessity to keep gene influences in balance when mating cows.

Mich Livestock Service, Inc   “For the Best in Bulls” and the high energy forages to feed cows