Can Investment in Genetics Boost My Dairy Farm's Profitability?

Jun 08, 2026

Farm management is a key principle for success in farming operations. A farmer's ability to efficiently use their resources allows them to get more bang for their buck, which is increasingly important in the current economic landscape. There are several areas within a farm that can benefit from effective management, and this article will dive into the management strategy of genetic selection on dairy operations.

History on Availability of Genetic Information

Land Grant Universities have been the catalyst for advancing genetics for plants and row crops, performing field trials through their experiment stations and sharing data and practical results with producers. However, this methodology is not effective for dairy production as there are several constraints, including the timeline of the biological process, such that a single institution would not be able to provide all the necessary information for genetic production decisions. Therefore, the National Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Program (NCDHIP) was developed. The NCDHIP is a partnership between dairy farmers, genetic companies, and USDA to collect genetic and production data and provide this data for management decisions. The result of the NCDHIP was the formation of a catalog of data on genetic information, which included identifying milk production and performance metrics tied to a cow's genetic composition (Hutchins and Hueth, 2022).

Using Genetic Selection as a Farm Management Strategy

The availability of genetic information and the introduction of artificial insemination, which enabled the widespread transportation of semen, gave producers options and opportunities to shape their herd's genetic composition. Farmers are able to select genetics for their herd from bulls across the nation and can select for specific characteristics or traits. We measure genetic potential with the net merit index, which is the expected lifetime profitability of a dairy cow, measured in dollars. The index is a weighted average of several economically relevant traits which include milk yield, milk components, productive life and others. The traits included in the index vary by breed, and Holstein cattle had 39 traits included in the index.

Source : psu.edu

Video: What Really Drives Meat Quality in Pork? - Dr. Yan Huang

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Yan Huang from University of Arkansas explores how genetics, nutrition, and stress management shape pork quality. He explains how molecular pathways influence fat deposition, muscle growth, and meat flavor while balancing production efficiency. Listen now on all major platforms!

"The most important driver of pork quality. Feed plays a very important role in the meat quality."

Meet the guest: Dr. Yan Huang / yan-huang-77829421 is an Associate Professor in Nutritional Skeletal Muscle Biology at the University of Arkansas. With academic experience across China, South Korea, and the United States, his work focuses on the genetic and molecular regulation of muscle growth and fat deposition in swine. His research connects genetics, nutrition, and pork quality to improve production efficiency and consumer satisfaction.