So What Does It Take to Be the Best?
Having the highest Transition Cow Index® (TCITM) score, lowest somatic cell count or largest rolling herd average within AgSource herds doesn't just happen. It takes a great deal of management skill to be the best of the best. The data from all herds in the AgSource database is compiled each year for comparisons to be made. To make these comparisons, AgSource staff looked at the top 25 highest Cheese Yield (CY) herds in the database and analyzed herd data for trends across these elite herds.
Within this group the Cheese Yield averaged 3,200 pounds per cow, ranging from 3,511 to 3,090 pounds. The highest Rolling Herd Average within the group was 35,605, while the average was 31,129 pounds per cow. To put these numbers into comparison, the average AgSource tested Holstein herd produced 21,364 pounds per cow, and the average Wisconsin cow not on DHI produced 15,525 pounds. An easily recognizable trend within the group was outstanding transition cow management. AgSource's average TCI is -42 while, these herds averaged 1,156 pounds with a high TCI of 2,129. Only one herd in this group had a TCI below 500 pounds.
Other than exceptionally high TCIs, these elite producers achieve high production with different management practices. Herd sizes ranged from 2,651 to 38 cows and averaged 431 cows per herd. This compares to AgSource's average Holstein herd size of 126 cows. Nineteen herds milked three times per day, yet six herds milked twice per day were in the group. Calving intervals ranged from 13 to 17.8 months and averag! ed 14.4 months, virtually identical to the 14.3 month AgSource Holstein breed average. Turnover ranged from a high of 64 percent to a low of only 20 percent. This group's average turnover rate of 38 percent is also close to AgSource's average Holstein turnover rate of 36 percent.
Although there is a wide variation in the 25 high Cheese Yield herds, the average herd NetMerit$ of the milking cows is $218 which is dramatically above the AgSource Holstein average of $127. The group's SCC herd average of 228,000 is also much lower than the average 290,000.
AgSource members can use the Transition Cow Index for an unbiased comparison of their dry and fresh cow management to the rest of the industry, to measure if their transition cow management is improving over time while identifying past months where problems occurred and to measure quantitatively whether a management change worked or not.
