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VikingNews Global 1-2019
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i n a well-coordinated and planned
breeding
programme, a large num- ber of sires of sons with different pedigrees used in the
breeding
pro- gramme play an essential role in avoiding
in
breeding
. so, asking which is your top bull? is by no means a sil- ly question. at vikinggenetics we have set a clear goal of the number of sire of sons with different pedigrees to use every year to guarantee genetic di- versity and, at the same time, enable genetic gains and a sustainable breed- ing programme. in countries with a high produc- tion of milk and a vigorous
dairy
in- dustry such as the united states, the very best bull would be the hero of the market. the study ?effects of in-
breeding
on production and survival in jerseys? by j. r. thompson, esti- mates that the level of in
breeding
in the united states
dairy
population is increasing and many factors have con- tributed to this rise. ?the main factor is that the ai (artificial insemination) industry has significantly reduced the effective number of males in the pop- ulation, and relationships between males have increased over time. ? according to this research, by focus- ing on the very best top bulls, the dif- ferent ai companies have compro- mised genetic diversity and increased the level of in
breeding
. peter larson,
breeding
manager for vikingjersey, explains that a high mer- it bull can be sold by many different ai companies where there is ?tough? competition and all of them tend to use the same genetics by using the same bulls or the same high merit dams. ?there are several american based companies running a jersey programme and all of them use the top bulls as sires of sons, to breed the next generation of bulls and cows,? he says. ?the use of sires of sons is not coordinated and the risk of in
breeding
is increasing. money and test capacity could be spent more wisely by focus- ing on
breeding
outcross lines, instead of main stream bulls,? larson adds. to ensure a healthy
breeding
pro- gramme, the only solution would be for ai companies in the us to agree on a voluntary basis to compromise on the use of bulls. the nordic coun- tries, denmark, sweden and finland, have a national
breeding
programme for holstein, jersey and rdc (red
dairy
cattle), managed by vikingge- netics. in the case of vikingjersey, ap-
dairy
strategy plan put genetic diversity at the core to avoid economic loss genetic diversity is something a successful
dairy
cattle breeder really should consider when planning the next generation of
dairy
cows. it is no secret that in
breeding
- the mating of related animals - is an invisible, costly and growing hazard for
dairy
farmers all around the world. minimising in
breeding
in a herd gives less loss of production and greater survivability. by verónica löfgren, marketing department, vikinggenetics 4 vikingnews | may 2019
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