Proof Terminology

Productive Life (PL) measures longevity. It is measured in months and allows you to compare how much longer one bull's daughter will las in milk than another. It shows her ability to stay healthy, breed back easily and produce enough mill to avoid cu

Somatic Cell Score (SCS) indicates a higher or lower resistance to mastitis. This is one trait where a lower number is better.

Sire Calving Ease (SCE) is the predicted percentage of estimated difficult births in heifers. It reflects the effect the sire has on the calf’s size. This trait is very important when breeding heifers. When breeding heifers, use of a bull with a SCE evaluation of 7% or below is recommended.

Sire Stillbirth reflects the service sire’s contribution to stillbirths. The lower the percentage the fewer the stillbirths one should expect.

BCS is sourced from the Canadian Dairy Network (CDN). BCS reflects the animal’s energy balance status in which research has clearly shown an association with improved female fertility, longevity and disease resistance. BSC evaluations are expressed as relative breeding values with 100 being average. The scale of expression generally varies from 85 for bulls with daughters that generally have very low scores for body condition to 115 or higher for bulls with daughters that have high scores. Bulls rated over 100 are more desired.

Data points come from the CDN. Milking Speed is evaluated in terms of the percentage of first lactation daughters evaluated as average or fast. Milking Temperament can be defined as milking behavior. Milking Temperament is expressed in terms of the expected percentage of future daughters evaluated as average, calm or very calm during their first lactation. A bull with a score of 100 for both traits indicates average.

Feed Efficiency is the net profit a farmer receives from an increase in production. Feed Efficiency is calculated from the following information:

(Dollar Value of milk produced) - (Feed costs of extra milk) - (Extra maintenance costs)

Dollar Value of milk produced is based upon the 2017 Cheese Merit $ information from USDA-AGIL. Feed costs are the increased cost of feed per lactation that is eaten by higher producing cows. Maintenance costs are associated with body maintenance based upon the National Research Council plus increased housing costs minus income from heavier calf weights. Body weight is predicted from HAUSA classification data. The formula was developed as a part of the USDA multi-state research project on feed efficiency and a cooperative project with researchers at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands.

FE = (-.0187 x Milk) + (1.28 x Fat) + (1.95 x Protein) - (12.4 x BWC)

Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR) is the amount by which daughters of a bull are expected to fall short or exceed the average 21 days to become pregnant. It is essentially a reflection of days open and it is important to understand that 1 point in DPR equals four days open.

The Fertility Index combines several reproductive components into one overall index: ability to conceive as a maiden heifer, ability to conceive as a lactating cow, and a cow's overall ability to start cycling again, show heat, conceive, and maintain a pregnancy. The Fertility Index is derived from the formula:

FI = 18% Heifer Conception Rate (HCR) + 18% Cow Conception Rate (CCR) + 64% Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR)

Daughter Calving Ease (DCE) provides a percentage of difficult births for a heifer’s first calving. It represents the calving ability of a bull’s daughters.

Measures the ability of a particular cow (daughter) to produce live calves. Stillbirth is expressed as percent stillbirths, where stillborn calves are those scored as dead at birth or born alive but died within 48 hours of birth.

MR is sourced from the CDN. MR combines both clinical and sub-clinical mastitis into a single genetic selection index. The MR index puts equal weighting on the three areas of clinical mastitis in first lactation cows, clinical mastitis in later lactations and somatic cell score across the first three lactations. MR is expressed as a relative breeding value where 100 is average.

Sire Conception Rate (SCR) or Sire Fertility is a percentage calculated by the USDA that expresses the difference in conception rate for a given sire.

Cow Conception Rate (CCR) is a percentage calculated by the USDA that expresses the difference in conception rate for a given cow.

Heifer Conception Rate (HCR) is a percentage calculated by the USDA that expresses the difference in conception rate for a given heifer.

Livability (LIV) predicts a cow's transmitting ability to remain alive while in the milking herd.

Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (BLAD) is a recessive genetic disease characterized by a lack of certain proteins on the surface of white blood cells which allow the blood cells to leave the blood stream to fight infection and disease. BLAD cattle have severe and recurrent bacterial infections such as pneumonia, delayed wound healing and stunted growth. Most will die within the first year; those that survive will have low milk and reproductive performance.

Brachyspina (BY) is a lethal recessive disorder that leads to embryonic death and stillbirths. Calves generally have severely reduced body weight. You will notice a shortening of the spine, and limbs that are long and thin.

CVM or Complex vertebral malformation

DUMPS, or Deficiency of the uridine monophosphate synthase

Mule Foot (MF) is a recessive genetic disorder in which the calf is born with fused claws on one or more legs, resembling a mule or horse hoof.

Observered Polled

Teseted Heterozygous Polled

Tested Homozygous Polled

Carrier of Recessive Red Coat Color

Black/Red Coat Color

Tested Heterozygous for Dominant Red

Tested Homozygous for Dominant Red

Tested free of DUMPS

Tested free of BLADS

Tested free of mulefoot

Tested free of CVM

Tested free of brachyspina