Optimising herd genetics: Insights from strategic dairy farmers

Farmers across the UK approach herd genetics with diverse goals and strategies, reflecting the unique priorities of their operations. Getting the right genetics into your herd can help you achieve better yields, have healthier cows, reduce vet costs and get the desired level of butterfat and proteins to suit milk contracts.

As part of our Strategic Dairy Farm Programme, six farmers are working with Marco Winters and Dan Pitt from the Genetics team to take actionable steps toward better understanding and improving their herds' genetics.

Dan said:

“Helping the strategic dairy farmers to gain a better understanding of their herds' genetics and work towards their breeding goals is really important to us.

"Genetics play a crucial role in predicting how key traits – such as milk production, improved solids, and health or management characteristics – are passed on to the next generation of cows."

In December 2023, the strategic dairy farmers spent time with our Knowledge Exchange team to look at the topics they wanted to cover as a cohort. One of the key things that was identified was a mutual interest in learning more about their herds’ genetics and creating a plan to help them achieve their breeding goals.

By using our herd genetics report tool and engaging in one-to-one meetings with the farmers, Marco and Dan are providing tailored support to help each farm achieve its specific breeding objectives. This collaborative effort will help the farmers make more informed breeding decisions to achieve their goals.

The participating farms represent a broad spectrum of genetic management approaches. Some already use data to guide their decisions. Others are less familiar with genetic tools and prioritise less objective data over key metrics, like £PLI (Profitable Lifetime Index). This diversity provides farmer-to-farmer learning for the cohort and anyone engaging in the programme.

Over the next three years, this project will provide valuable insights and case studies, allowing us to share best practices from the strategic farmers and inspire others to take actionable steps towards improving their own herd genetics.

In December, Potstown Farm, a 260-cow dairy farm in Lockerbie, Scotland, hosted a Strategic Farm steering group meeting with local farmers to help them make better breeding decisions.

Led by Dan Pitt from our Genetics team, they openly shared and reviewed their herd data to identify areas for improvement.

Doreen Anderson, AHDB Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager, said:

“I invited Dan to lead the meeting to share his expertise and the latest genetic developments.

"I think it is important to work on this as a group so goals can be discussed and everyone can gain a better understanding from each other’s experiences."

The first phase of the project is about understanding where each farm currently stands in its genetics journey and setting realistic, tailored goals for breeding improvements.

Dan used data – on Potstown and the other steering group farms – from our herd genetic reports to provide insights into traits such as milk production, solids, health, and management characteristics.

Dan used this data as a practical example to show how genetics impact herd performance. The group explored how targeted breeding decisions could enhance key traits in future generations of cows.

Gareth Owen, farmer at Potstown Farm, said:

“Working with Dan helped to highlight the work we are already doing with our herd’s genetics, in the top 5% for £PLI in the UK. We are going to be working with Dan to get closer to our goals of pushing components as well as health traits using HealthyCow.”

Working with the steering group offered a collaborative approach. It allowed the group to compare data and consider the benefits of working on their genetics, making this decision-making process an important part of their herd management strategies.

Donald Millar, farmer at Trailflat Farm and steering group member, said:

“Although I have been working on my herd’s genetics already, I found the meeting interesting and felt like I needed to just keep doing what I'm doing because it will offer improved herd genetics and get me closer to my breeding goals.

"I learned that AHDB is constantly improving the reliability of genomic data, which can be useful for choosing bulls in the future.”

The genetics project will continue to support farmers as they gain a deeper understanding of their herds’ genetics.

Each farm will work towards defining clear breeding goals, backed by actionable insights from their herd genetic reports.

Working together ensures farmers can share experiences, challenges and successes, building a stronger network dedicated to advancing dairy genetics on their own farms.

By starting with data and creating a structured plan for progress, Potstown Farm’s experience demonstrates how data and collaboration can help farms work towards their specific goals and improve their herds' performance.