Economic evaluation of genomic breeding values: Development of an economic production index for German Holstein cattle

In German Holstein, breeding values are estimated for a large number of traits which can be used for selection and mating decisions. At the same time, selection of animals might be complicated for farmers due to this vast amount of information. The aim of this study was to describe the development and implementation of a new production index, which combines all essential breeding traits according to their economic relevance. For this purpose, phenotypic and economic data of 47 KuhVision farms from Schleswig-Holstein were analysed in order to assess the monetary significance of traits. The present paper focused on the economic evaluation of direct health traits in dairy cattle. Total costs caused by diseases ranged from 72.67 (sic) for ovary cycle disturbances to 314.70 (sic) for displaced abomasum. The relative emphasis in the overall production index was highest for production (36%), longevity (28%) and direct health (14%). Furthermore, relative economic importance of fertility, calving traits and calf mortality was 10%, 7% and 5%, respectively. The production index developed allows farmers to select animals based on phenotypic and economic information from dairy farms in Schleswig-Holstein.