BENCHMARKS AND GOALS FOR NeDHIA DATA
LAWRENCE R. JONES PhD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Introduction
DHI records are an important component of herd management.
They are critical for evaluating performance and for making
management decisions. The first step to making a decision is to
collect data. The next step is to put the data into a form where it
becomes information. The final step is to combine the information
with knowledge to make the decision. The purpose of this document
is to provide a reference to help convert DHI data into
information.
This document contains several tables that summarize the
current value of several DHI variables. These values are not
intended to be recommendations, but benchmarks representing the
current state of the dairy industry in the Northeast.
These data generally represent the yearly averages for
Holstein herds participating in NeDHIA as of February, 1993. Only
herds that have been on test for more than a year have been
included.
Distribution of herds by Rolling Herd Average
Figure 1;(small version, large version) contains the distribution of
Holstein farms in the Northeast. Most farms have a rolling herd average
between 17,000 and 20,000 pounds; however, there are farms with a rolling
herd average below 8,000 and others with a rolling herd average above
30,000 pounds. This diversity in productivity is a challenge to the
Northeast dairy industry.
Fig. 1. Dist. of Holstein Farms by RHA
The following two tables provide an overview of average values
sorted by both productivity level and herd size.
Herd averages by rolling herd average class
Rolling Herd Average Class (x 1000)
Variable < 16 16-18 18-20 20-22 22-24 > 24
Rolling Herd Average 14545 17108 19019 20902 22828 25162
Milk Cow Average 46.7 54.3 59.9 65.4 71.1 77.9
% DIM 85.4 86.3 86.9 87.6 88.0 88.6
Average DIM 172 166 164 163 165 167
% Fat 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.6
% Protein 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1
Project CI 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.3 13.3
Previous Cl 13.1 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.1 13.1
Days to First Service 90 87 86 86 86 88
Services/conception 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9
First Service CR 64 58 55 53 52 52
Minimum Days Open 134 125 122 121 123 122
Likely Pregnant Days Open 119 120 120 122 123 126
96 New Infections 12.3 10.5 9.2 8.6 8.2 7.7
% Chronic Infections 19.0 13.9 11.2 10.2 8.9 7.8
Age First Calving 29.8 28.5 27.6 26.6 26.1 25.8
Age 57.0 53.1 50.7 48.5 47.4 46.1
Linear Score 3.6 3.2 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.6
Days Dry 65 63 61 60 59 57
First Parity Days Dry 58 56 56 55 55 54
Second + Parity Days Dry 67 65 64 63 62 60
> 80 d not bred (%) 58 55 54 55 56 59
> 140 d not conf preg (%) 48 41 38 35 34 29
% New cows 27.7 30.9 33.9 36.2 37.0 38.2
Death Rate 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.9
Non Dairy Cull Rate 30.3 32.9 33.4 34.0 34.5 32.8
Herd averages by herd size class.
Herd Size
Variable 20-30 30-50 50-75 75-100 100-175 175-350 >350
Rolling Herd Avg 17411 17920 18570 18993 19315 20054 21340
Milk Cow Average 55.2 56.7 58.5 59.8 60.8 62.8 67.1
96 DIM 86.3 86.5 86.8 86.9 86.9 87.4 87.1
Average DIM 172 165 165 166 167 169 170
% Fat 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.6
% Protein 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1
Project CI 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.3 13.2
Previous CI 13.1 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.1 13.1
Days to 1st Service 88 88 87 87 86 85 82
Services/conception 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.1
First Service CR 57 58 57 58 54 50 47
Minimum Days Open 125 122 124 125 126 128 123
Likely Preg. Days 120 119 121 122 122 125 122
Open
% New Infections 8.4 9.8 9.7 9.7 9.6 9.6 8.8
% Chronic Infect. 11.6 13.3 13.6 12.1 11.1 8.6 8.1
Age First Calving 27.7 27.8 28.1 27.8 27.4 26.2 24.7
Age 51.5 52.8 52.5 51.3 49.5 46.1 43.8
Linear Score 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.8
Days Dry 65 63 62 62 62 61 61
1st Parity Days Dry 58 57 56 56 56 55 56
2nd+ Parity Days Dry65 65 64 64 64 64 65
>80 d not bred (%) 56 56 56 55 54 52 46
>14 d not
conf preg(%) 47 40 39 40 39 36 27
% New cows 34.0 30.8 32.3 32.9 35.5 39.0 38.1
Death Rate 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.6 3.8
Non Dairy Cull Rate 31.6 32.0 32.6 32.8 34.5 34.9 34.7
Percent Days in Milk
The percent days in milk directly impacts the productivity of
a herd. The most common value for percent days in milk is 86-88%;
11% of the herds have %DIM less that 84% and 8% of the herds have
%DIM greater than 90%. The following table shows the average
percent days in milk for different calving intervals and days dry.
In general, as calving interval increases, %DIM increases. As days
dry increases, %DIM decreases.
Average percent days in milk for different calving intervals and
days dry.
Previous Average Days Dry
Calving
Interval < 50 50-55 55-60 60-65 65-70 70-80 > 80
% DIM
< 12 89.2 88.6 86.9 85.7 84.4 83.0 81.3
12.0-12.5 89.5 88.3 87.3 86.3 84.9 83.9 81.6
12.5-13.0 90.0 88.8 87.8 86.7 85.5 84.1 81.8
13.0-13.5 90.0 88.9 87.9 87.1 86.0 84.5 81.1
13.5-14.0 90.9 89.2 88.4 87.4 86.2 85.1 82.3
> 14.0 90.8 89.6 88.6 87.7 86.8 85.4 82.4
Distribution of Days Dry
To optimize productivity, cows need a dry period between
lactations. Generally, first lactation animals are thought to need
a longer dry period than mature cows. A common recommendation is 60
days dry for all animals. The following two graphs demonstrates the
variability among herds for average days dry. The average first
lactation dry period is 55 days while the average second lactation
dry period is 65 days.
Figure 2;(small version, large version) Dist. of days dry - 1st lact.
Figure 3;(small version, large version) Dist. of days dry - 2nd+ lact
The following tables provide the average milk production and
persistency for each month of lactation. The tables are sorted by
parity group and by production level within parity. The persistency
is defined as the average change from the previous sample, adjusted
to a 30 day interval.
First Lactation Milk Production Reference Curves
Rolling Month of Lactation
Herd
Average 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
pounds per day
< 13000 42.6 42.9 41.1 38.8 36.9 34.8 33.3 31.4 29.3 29.7
13000 46.5 47.8 45.8 42.9 41.6 40.0 37.3 35.6 35.3 32.6
14000 48.8 51.2 49.2 47.3 44.8 43.0 41.4 39.6 38.1 37.0
15000 50.5 53.5 52.3 49.7 47.9 46.0 44.5 41.5 40.1 38.1
16000 52.8 56.5 54.7 53.0 51.1 49.3 47.2 45.3 43.2 41.8
17000 54.9 59.5 58.4 56.6 54.5 52.6 50.5 48.2 46.2 44.5
18000 56.8 62.0 61.2 59.3 57.4 55.5 53.2 50.5 48.3 45.7
19000 58.3 64.2 63.5 61.8 59.7 57.5 55.7 53.0 50.7 48.8
20000 59.9 66.3 65.9 64.7 62.6 60.4 58.2 55.9 53.1 50.7
21000 61.9 69.2 68.7 67.4 65.3 63.3 61.4 58.5 55.6 53.3
22000 63.4 71.5 71.7 70.7 68.3 65.9 63.8 61.0 58.4 56.4
23000 65.9 74.7 75.3 73.7 72.2 69.9 68.1 65.5 62.3 60.7
24000 68.2 77.4 77.4 76.9 74.4 72.4 70.8 66.8 64.5 63.8
25000 70.2 80.5 81.1 80.7 77.7 75.2 73.5 69.9 66.5 64.5
First Lactation Reference Persistency Values
Rolling Month of Lactation
Herd
Average 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Percent of Previous Production
< 13000 104.2 97.4 95.5 95.4 94.8 97.6 93.3 92.0 100
13000 107.5 97.5 95.0 96.9 97.6 94.3 96.4 97.4 91.6
14000 107.7 98.2 96.1 95.6 96.7 95.6 95.5 94.4 95.6
15000 108.3 98.4 96.5 97.0 96.2 97.4 94.2 94.9 91.9
16000 109.3 97.6 97.2 96.7 96.9 96.0 95.8 94.4 93.5
17000 111.1 98.5 97.5 97.2 96.6 96.1 96.0 95.2 94.0
18000 111.7 98.8 97.3 97.1 97.0 96.3 95.6 95.2 92.7
19000 112.8 99.5 97.5 97.2 97.2 96.8 95.5 94.6 93.9
20000 113.9 100.0 98.1 97.2 96.9 96.5 95.8 94.9 93.5
21000 114.3 100.1 98.1 97.3 97.1 96.5 95.5 94.5 93.5
22000 115.4 100.5 98.4 96.9 97.0 96.3 96.0 95.0 92.6
23000 115.9 101.0 98.0 98.6 97.1 97.7 96.6 95.0 95.6
24000 116.9 100.9 98.4 97.5 96.6 97.7 95.3 96.2 96.4
25000 118.0 101.3 98.3 96.6 96.5 98.1 94.7 94.9 94.5
Second Lactation Milk Production Reference Curves
Rolling Month of Lactation
Herd
Average 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
pounds per day
< 13000 52.8 50.6 47.0 44.4 41.9 39.2 36.3 33.3 31.2 30.5
13000 60.0 60.6 55.1 51.8 49.0 46.4 42.3 38.1 35.8 35.3
14000 61.6 62.1 59.0 55.6 51.9 49.2 45.5 42.3 39.7 37.4
15000 65.5 67.0 63.0 58.9 55.2 51.2 47.5 42.8 39.1 36.7
16000 68.3 70.3 66.3 62.3 58.5 54.6 51.0 46.4 42.2 39.5
17000 71.6 74.2 70.3 66.7 62.4 58.2 54.4 49.7 45.3 42.3
18000 75.1 78.6 74.8 71.0 66.6 62.2 57.8 52.7 48.1 44.8
19000 78.1 82.1 778.1 73.8 69.5 65.0 60.4 55.7 559.4 47.9
20000 81.3 86.1 82.0 77.7 73.4 68.9 63.7 58.0 52.8 49.6
21000 83.8 89.2 85.2 80.6 76.0 72.0 66.5 60.9 55.6 51.7
22000 86.2 92.1 88.5 84.6 79.7 74.9 70.4 64.9 58.7 55.1
23000 90.1 96.5 92.8 88.9 84.5 79.4 74.5 69.1 63.4 59.2
24000 93.6 100.7 97.1 93.2 87.8 83.3 79.0 72.7 67.4 63.6
25000 96.5 102.7 98.7 93.6 90.0 85.3 79.7 73.9 68.4 66.2
Second Lactation Reference Persistency Values
Rolling Month of Lactation
Herd
Average 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Percent of Previous Production
< 13000 100.3 93.1 95.6 96.1 94.0 91.9 90.0 91.0 86.4
13000 107.5 97.5 95.1 96.9 97.6 94.3 96.4 97.4 91.6
14000 102.7 95.6 93.1 94.3 94.7 91.2 90.9 91.8 88.3
15000 103.7 95.3 94.1 94.0 92.5 92.6 91.1 88.6 88.4
16000 105.1 95.2 93.9 94.4 93.4 93.1 90.4 88.1 88.0
17000 105.8 94.9 94.4 94.0 93.6 93.2 91.4 89.3 88.2
18000 106.9 95.7 94.8 94.2 93.5 92.8 90.8 89.4 88.1
19000 107.4 95.7 94.5 94.7 93.3 92.8 91.5 88.5 88.6
20000 108.0 95.7 94.7 94.3 94.0 92.7 90.9 89.1 88.6
21000 109.0 95.9 94.4 94.0 94.5 92.6 91.4 89.6 87.9
22000 108.3 96.3 95.2 94.5 93.7 93.5 91.5 89.1 88.6
23000 109.5 96.8 95.2 95.3 94.2 93.3 92.2 91.4 89.8
24000 110.3 96.3 94.9 94.7 94.4 93.8 92.2 91.5 89.4
25000 108.7 97.5 95.5 96.3 94.8 92.7 93.0 91.9 91.4
Third Lactation Milk Production Reference Curves
Rolling Month of Lactation
Herd
Average 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
pounds per day
< 13000 58.1 57.8 52.3 48.6 45.2 42.0 38.9 34.7 32.3 30.6
13000 62.5 62.9 58.5 55.7 52.6 49.4 46.2 41.9 39.6 37.1
14000 66.3 68.3 64.0 60.0 55.3 50.9 47.5 43.5 40.1 37.1
15000 69.4 72.0 67.9 63.3 58.9 54.6 51.1 46.2 42.7 39.9
16000 72.6 75.9 71.8 67.4 62.8 58.4 54.0 49.1 45.0 42.1
17000 75.4 79.9 75.8 71.7 66.8 61.9 58.0 52.7 47.3 44.9
18000 78.7 83.9 80.2 75.6 70.5 65.5 61.1 55.3 49.7 46.7
19000 81.5 87.5 84.0 79.4 74.1 69.3 64.2 58.4 52.7 48.7
20000 84.5 91.5 88.1 83.5 78.1 72.9 67.8 61.9 55.7 51.8
21000 86.9 94.3 91.3 87.1 81.9 76.7 71.7 65.5 59.4 55.1
22000 89.5 98.4 95.3 90.9 85.3 79.5 74.0 67.8 61.6 55.8
23000 92.3 102.6 99.2 94.7 88.6 83.2 77.9 71.2 65.4 60.4
24000 95.4 105.7 102.1 98.5 92.2 86.3 80.7 74.4 68.0 64.4
25000 97.7 108.0 104.9100.5 94.6 89.5 84.7 78.2 71.3 65.5
Third Lactation Reference Persistency Values
Rolling Month of Lactation
Herd
Average 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Percent of Previous Production
< 13000 102.6 92.5 93.3 94.0 92.8 92.7 87.6 91.5 90.3
13000 103.8 95.7 95.6 93.6 94.1 91.5 90.9 90.5 88.1
14000 104.8 95.2 94.1 93.1 92.9 92.8 91.0 89.5 86.2
15000 105.7 95.8 94.0 94.0 93.4 92.8 90.6 90.2 87.9
16000 106.8 95.8 93.7 94.0 93.5 92.3 91.7 89.8 88.9
17000 108.6 96.1 94.3 93.8 93.1 93.2 90.9 88.4 89.3
18000 109.2 96.1 94.6 93.8 93.5 92.6 90.3 88.9 88.5
19000 110.4 96.9 94.5 93.9 93.5 92.5 91.0 88.9 87.7
20000 111.2 96.9 94.6 93.8 93.7 92.4 91.1 89.2 87.9
21000 112.0 97.5 95.1 94.1 93.3 93.4 91.1 89.8 88.5
22000 112.8 97.6 95.1 93.9 93.2 92.8 91.6 89.8 87.5
23000 114.8 97.2 95.1 94.0 94.0 93.2 91.9 90.2 88.6
24000 114.7 97.7 95.5 94.1 93.3 93.2 92.4 90.9 89.6
25000 114.2 97.8 95.6 94.7 93.9 95.0 91.6 90.1 88.3
The following table provides the average ME305 day values by parity
group for different productivity levels.
ME 305 Values by Rolling Herd Average and Lactation
Rolling Herd Average (x 1000)
Lactation < 16 6-18 18-20 20-22 22-24 > 24
Number
ME305 d values
1 16287 19273 21248 22828 23728 24104
2 16360 19150 21206 22936 23903 24515
3 16329 18940 20805 22462 23353 23939
4+ 15980 18572 20360 21940 22866 23391
This table provides the average fat percentage for different months
of lactation for 3 herd levels of fat production and for three
parity groups. The subsequent table provides the average protein
percent for the three different parity groups.
Fat Percentage Reference Curves
Lactation Month of Lactation
Number 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Rolling Herd Average s 3.5% Fat
1 4.1 3.7 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.9
2 4.0 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9
3 4.1 3.6 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.9
Rolling Herd Average 3.6-3.7% Fat
1 4.2 3.8 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.0
2 4.2 3.7 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.0
3 4.4 3.9 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9
Rolling Herd Average s 3.8% Fat
1 4.4 4.0 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.2
2 4.4 3.9 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.2
3 4.5 4.0 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.1
Protein Percentage Reference Curves
Lactation Month of Lactation
Number
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
% Protein
1 3.4 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.5
2 3.5 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.7
3 3.4 3.1 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6
Linear Score Reference Values
The following linear score tables were generated for 5 groups
of herds based on their average linear score values. Each table
provides the average linear score, percent of the herd in each
linear score class, and the average linear score by stage of
lactation for each parity group. These data are reprinted from
Animal Science Mimeo 124.
EXCELLENT TOP 20% OF HERDS
LACT AVG LlNEAR SCORE DlSTRlBUTlON BY AVERAGE LS BY
NO LS LACTATlON NUMBER, LAST 12 MO 1%) STAGE OF
LACT.
2- 3 4 5 6 7+ Early Mid Late
1 2.4 57 23 10 4 2 2 2.5 2.2 2.4
2 2.5 51 23 13 5 2 2 2.1 2.2 2.9
3 2.7 42 23 15 7 3 2 2.2 2.4 3.1
4 & OVER 3.1 34 21 17 10 5 5 2.7 2.7 3.4
All 2.8 50 24 14 6 3 3 2.6 2.5 3.0
VERY GOOD 20-40% OF HERDS
LACT AVG LINEAR SCORE DISTRIBUTION BY AVERAGE LS BY
NO LS LACTATlON NUMBER, LAST 12 MO 1%) STAGE OF
LACT.
2- 3 4 5 6 7+ Early Mid Late
1 2.8 51 25 13 6 3 3 2.9 2.6 2.8
2 3.0 43 25 17 8 4 3 2.7 2.7 3.4
3 3.3 35 24 19 11 6 5 2.8 3.0 3.7
4 & OVER 3.8 27 22 20 14 9 9 3.5 3.5 4.1
ALL 3.2 39 24 17 9 5 5 3.1 3.0 3.5
GOOD or AVERAGE 40 - 60% OF HERDS
LACT AVG LINEAR SCORE DISTRIBUTION BY AVERAGE LS BY
NO LS LACTATION NUMBER, LAST 12 MO 1%) STAGE OF LACT.
2- 3 4 5 6 7+ Early Mid Late
1 3.0 44 26 16 7 4 3 3.1 2.8 3.1
2 3.4 34 25 19 11 6 5 2.9 3.1 3.7
3 3.7 27 24 21 14 8 7 3.4 3.4 4.1
4&OVER 4.2 20 19 21 16 11 12 3.8 4.0 4.5
ALL 3.6 32 24 19 12 7 7 3.4 3.3 3.8
FAIR 60-80% OF HERDS
LACT AVG LINEAR SCORE DISTRIBUTION BY AVERAGE 1-5 BY
NO LS LACTATION NUMBER, LAST 12 MO (%) STAGE OF LACT.
2- 3 4 5 6 7+ Early Mid Late
1 3.3 35 28 19 10 5 4 3.2 3.1 3.4
2 3.7 26 24 21 14 8 6 3.1 3.4 4.1
3 4.1 20 21 22 17 10 10 3.4 3.8 4.5
4 & OVER 4.6 14 17 20 19 14 16 4.2 4.4 4.9
ALL 3.9 24 22 20 15 9 9 3.7 3.7 4.2
POOR BOTTOM 80 - 100% OF HERDS
LACT AVG LINEAR SCORE DISTRIBUTION BY AVERAGE LS BY
NO LS LACTATlON NUMBER, LAST 12 MO 1%) STAGE OF LACT.
2- 3 4 5 6 7+ Early Mid Late
1 3.8 23 26 22 14 8 7 3.3 3.5 3.9
2 4.3 14 19 22 19 13 11 3.6 4.1 4.6
3 4.7 10 16 21 21 16 16 3.8 4.5 5.0
4&OVER 5.2 7 11 17 21 19 25 4.6 5.0 5.5
ALL 4.6 13 18 20 19 14 16 4.2 4.4 4.9
ALL HERDS
LINEAR SCORE DISTRIBUTION BY AVERAGE LS BY
NO LS LACTATlON NUMBER, LAST 12 MO 1%) STAGE OF LACT.
2- 3 4 5 6 7+ Early Mid Late
1 3.1 42 25 16 8 4 4 3.0 2.9 3.1
2 3.4 34 23 19 11 7 6 2.9 3.1 3.7
3 3.7 27 22 20 14 8 8 3.1 3.4 4.1
4 & OVER 4.1 20 18 19 16 12 13 3.8 3.9 4.5
ALL 3.6 32 22 18 12 8 8 3.4 3.4 3.9
Reproduction
The following reproduction benchmarks are theoretical values.
They were generated using a simulation model developed by Oltenacu
et al. (Agricultural Systems 5:193; 1980). This model has been most
recently used by Ruiz et al. to evaluate the cost-benefit of
on-farm milk progesterone testing (Journal of Dairy Science
75:1036; 1992).
For these determinations, the average first service conception
rate was 46.6% and the overall conception rate was 44.5%. In this
simulation, all cows are bred up to 5 times which will slightly
inflate the services per conception seen below.
Average days to first service.
Voluntary Wait Heat Detection Rate
Period 35% 55% 75%
(days)
Days to First Service
40 77.4 67.8 60.7
55 95.0 81.5 72.7
70 103.6 94.9 86.2
Percent of cows not bred by 80 days in milk
Voluntary Wait Heat Detection Rate
Period
(days) 35% 55% 75%
Percent of cows
40 34.8 27.3 12.7
55 55.8 41.0 23.6
70 81.7 71.2 67.8
Percent of cows not confirmed pregnant by 140 days in milk
Voluntary Wait Heat Detection Rate
Period 35% 55% 75%
(days)
Percent of cows
40 10.2 5.8 3.2
55 11.4 6.6 2.6
70 11.2 7.2 3.4
Average calving interval
Voluntary Wait Heat Detection Rate
Period 35% 55% 75%
(days)
Months
40 13.1 12.6 12.1
55 13.3 12.8 12.5
70 13.8 13.4 12.9
The following tables provide a break-down of the reported reasons
for culling. The values are expressed as a percent of the average
number of cows in the herd.
Distribution of non-dairy culling by rolling herd average.
Rolling Herd Average
Reported Reason < 16 16-18 18-20 20-22 22-24 < 24
Percent of Cow
Low Production 2.6 2.9 2.7 3.2 3.2 3.4
Reproduction 4.1 4.8 4.9 5.0 4.8 4.9
Mastitis 1.7 2.1 2.2 2.6 2.7 1.9
Feet & Legs 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.9
Udder .8 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.7
Disposition .1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1
Health 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.5
Beef 12.7 13.3 12.9 12.0 12.2 10.9
Abortion .3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6
Injury 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.1
Other 2.7 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9
Distribution of non-dairy culling by herd size class.
Herd Size
Variable 20-30 30-50 50-75 75-100 100-175 175-350 >350
Percent of Cows
Low Production 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.7 3.2 3.6 5.4
Reproduction 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.8 4.9 5.1 4.8
Mastitis 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.5 2.5 3.2
Feet & Legs 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.6 2.1 2.3
Udder 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.8
Disposition 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Health 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.9 3.6 4.0 4.6
Beef 12.8 12.2 13.2 13.2 12.6 10.8 6.6
Abortion 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.8
Injury 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.6
Other 3.1 2.9 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.3
Non-dairy culling includes all cows that left the herd for other
than DAIRY purposes.
%f TITLE;BENCHMARKS AND GOALS FOR NeDHIA DATA
%f COLLECTION;DAIRY HERD IMPROVEMENT
%f ORIGIN;CORNELL UNIVERSITY
%f DATE_INCLUDED;OCTOBER, 1993
%t BENCHMARKS AND GOALS FOR NeDHIA DATA