Quantifying the value of genetically specific organic lines within dairy breeding

In animal breeding, breeding goals are defined to give relative importance to certain traits, usually based on economic weights (Groen et al., 1997). In Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, the Nordic Total Merit index (NTM), based on common economic weights, is used as the breeding selection tool in dairy production (Kargo et al., 2014). Breeding goals are defined for specific production systems and circumstances. To develop a breeding goal that farmers want to use, it is important to take the objectives of farmers into account. Setting up a breeding goal that does not correspond to the preferences of farmers will make little sense (Nielsen et al., 2014). These preferences can be defined by using farmer choice experiments, for example using conjoint analysis (Tano et al., 2003), a partial profile design (Nielsen and Amer, 2007; Martin-Collado et al., 2015), or pairwise rankings using preference-based tools like 1000Minds (Byrne et al., 2012). Several studies have shown heterogeneity in farmers’ preferences for breeding goal traits (Duguma et al., 2011; Ragkos and Abas, 2015), and this may be linked to different cattle production systems (Sy et al., 1997; Ouma et al., 2007). If farmer preferences are heterogeneous, due to differences in production system, or in farm or farmer characteristics, it might be necessary to create multiple breeding goals within a population (Nielsen and Amer, 2007)

Tuning up sustainable organic animal production

In this report, within the track “Tuning up sustainable organic production”, we highlight sustainability assessments and the choice of breeding goals as opportunities for improvement. We also discuss goal conflicts and small-scale effects of organic production

Norwegian dairy farmer's preferences for breeding goal traits and associations with herd and farm characteristics

The aims of this study were to investigate variation and clustering in breeding goal trait preferences among Norwegian dairy farmers and to identify factors with a systematic influence on their preferences. An internet-based questionnaire was sent out to dairy farmers connected to the Norwegian co-operative breeding organization Geno (N = 8222), of which 10.8% answered (N = 888). Of the 15 suggested traits fertility had the highest overall ranking, while parasite resistance and methane emission had the lowest. Four distinct preference clusters were identified by the means of cluster analysis, of which two had a high preference for milk production. Differences in terms of farm and herd characteristics between clusters suggests a mixture of systematic and intrinsic effects on breeding goal trait priorities. This study shows that Norwegian dairy farmers’ preferences for breeding goal traits fall into four distinct clusters, both affected by herd and farm characteristics along with intrinsic value

Organic dairy breeding lines? – Possibilities and Requirements

Genomic breeding schemes with large cow reference populations will give room for more line division within dairy cattle breeding and therefore also for organic breeding lines. The reason is that different economic values between organic and conventional production systems are expected in the future and the existence of genotype by environment interaction will presumably be even more recognized. Therefore, correlations between organic and conventional breeding goals are expected to be significantly lower than one. This in combination with increased future “break even” correlations opens up for specific organic breeding lines

Breeding Goals for Organic Dairy Farming in Denmark Based on the Principles of Organic Agriculture

Organic dairy farming (ODF) is different from conventional dairy farming in management practices, but so far the same breeding goal (BG) is used, based on the same economic models (EM). However, ODF is based on the principles of organic agriculture defined by the IFOAM, which are not easily interpreted in economic terms and it may be uestionable to use a BG for ODF based on EM. In this study we set up three BGs for ODF in Denmark, one based on the principles of organic agriculture, one focusing on roughage consumption and feed efficiency, and one focusing on disease resistance. A questionnaire and desired gains index were used to set up the BGs. Correlations between these BGs and BGs based on EM were low. Which BG would be best suitable to use for ODF in Denmark depends on preferences of stakeholders

Short- and long-term consequences of collaboration between Northern European Red dairy and dual-purpose cattle

In Northern European countries, a great variety of Red cattle populations exists which can be broadly categorized in two groups: specialized dairy and dual-purpose breeds. Collaboration between these breeds (i.e. the exchange of sires across breeds) can be beneficial but is limited so far. The aim of this study was to demonstrate and evaluate consequences of collaboration between Red breeds using stochastic simulations. Two breeding lines (dairy type and dual purpose) were simulated. As a special aspect of this study, differences in genetic levels of breeding traits (milk production, beef production, mastitis resistance, fertility, feed efficiency) have been taken into account. Various scenarios were investigated where across-breed selection was either restricted or allowed and with different correlations between breeding goals in the two lines. The results of this study were influenced by the different genetic levels in breeding traits only in the first years of simulation. In the long run, the breed differences did not affect the degree of collaboration between lines. When the correlation between breeding goals was close to unity, the selection of external bulls was highly beneficial in terms of genetic gain and total monetary gain. Additionally, the lowest rate of inbreeding was found in that case. With decreasing correlations between environments, degree of cooperation between lines rapidly terminated and lines operated individually. In last years of simulation, cooperation was only found when the correlation between breeding goals was close to unity. From a long-term perspective, the exchange of breeding sires across lines also caused negative effects. In the dual-purpose line, deterioration of genetic gain in mastitis resistance and fertility was observed. Additionally, breeding lines genetically converged, which decreased genetic diversity

Herd characteristics influence farmers’ preferences for trait improvements in Danish Red and Danish Jersey cows

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to characterize preferences of farmers for breeding goal traits with Danish Red (DR) or Danish Jersey (DJ) cows. A breed-specific survey was established to characterize farmers’ preferences for improvements in 10 traits, by means of pairwise rankings using the online software 1000Minds. These pairwise rankings were based on equal economic worth of trait improvements. The DR survey was filled in by 87 farmers and the DJ survey by 76 farmers. Both DR and DJ farmers gave the highest preference to improvements in mastitis, and the lowest to calving difficulty. By means of a cluster analysis, three distinct clusters of farmers were identified per breed. Comparisons of herd characteristics between clusters suggest that farmers choose to improve traits that are problematic in their herds. This study shows that heterogeneity exists in farmers’ preferences for trait improvements and that herd characteristics influence these preferences in DR and DJ

Organic dairy farmers put more emphasis on production traits than conventional farmers

The overall aim of this research was to characterize the preferences of Danish dairy farmers for improvements in breeding goal traits. The specific aims were (1) to investigate the presence of heterogeneity in farmers’ preferences by means of cluster analysis, and (2) to associate these clusters with herd characteristics and production systems (organic or conventional). We established a web-based survey to characterize the preferences of farmers for improvements in 10 traits, by means of pairwise rankings. We also collected a considerable number of herd characteristics. Overall, 106 organic farmers and 290 conventional farmers answered the survey, all with Holstein cows. The most preferred trait improvement was cow fertility, and the least preferred was calving difficulty. By means of cluster analysis, we identified 4 distinct clusters of farmers and named them according to the trait improvements that were most preferred: Health and Fertility, Production and Udder Health, Survival, and Fertility and Production. Some herd characteristics differed between clusters; for example, farmers in the Survival cluster had twice the percentage of dead cows in their herds compared with the other clusters, and farmers that gave the highest ranking to cow and heifer fertility had the lowest conception rate in their herds. This finding suggests that farmers prefer to improve traits that are more problematic in their herd. The proportion of organic and conventional farmers also differed between clusters; we found a higher proportion of organic farmers in the production-based clusters. When we analyzed organic and conventional data separately, we found that organic farmers ranked production traits higher than conventional farmers. The herds of organic farmers had lower milk yields and lower disease incidences, which might explain the high ranking of milk production and the low ranking of disease traits. This study shows that heterogeneity exists in farmers’ preferences for improvements in breeding goal traits, that organic and conventional farmers differ in their preferences, and that herd characteristics can be linked to different farmer clusters. The results of this study could be used for the future development of breeding goals in Danish Holstein cows and for the development of customized total merit indices based on farmer preferences

Possibilities for a specific breeding program for organic dairy production

Presentation on breeding programs for organic dairy production at the 70th Annual EAAP Meetin

Heterogeneity in farmer preferences for breeding goal traits - effects of herd characteristics and production system

The aim of this study is to quantify preferences of Danish dairy farmers for breeding goal traits and associations to herd characteristics and production system (organic versus conventional farming). The main conclusions are that: 1) heterogeneity exists within farmers’ preferences and clear groups of farmers are found for all breeds, 2) some herd characteristics can be linked to farmer groups, and 3) production system can be linked to farmer groups