The Balanced Performance Index (BPI) is rapidly becoming the preferred index of genetic merit used by Australian dairy farmers and the herd improvement industry.
Michelle Axford, from DataGene, said the BPI, released in 2015, included the main traits that influence a dairy cow's contribution to the farm business ù production, fertility, cell count, feed efficiency, functional type, longevity and workability.
"Dairy farmers may have different breeding priorities, but they all run a business, so they do consider the traits that affect the bottom line," she said.
"Many farmers set a minimum BPI cut off for bulls they buy. There are so many high BPI bulls available, that this approach leaves plenty of choice for priority traits, budget and company preferences."
An easy way to select for BPI is to always breed replacements from bulls that carry the Good Bulls logo. The Good Bulls logo means the animal meets DataGene's minimum criteria for BPI and reliability and is available for purchase.
DataGene has announced the dates of its 2019 ABV releases: April 8, August 19 and December 9.
Contact: Datagene website www.datagene.com.au, phone (03) 9032 7191.
