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Breeding for the long game | Ep. 97
Manage episode 477230532 series 2979744
When it comes to herd improvement, it’s easy to focus on high heritability traits like milk production and liveweight - where the gains are faster and more visible. But what about the traits that take time?
In this episode of Talking Dairy, Jac McGowan and Dr Rhiannon Hancock, a scientist at NZ Animal Evaluation, talk about why low heritability traits deserve a place in your breeding strategy – especially if you’re playing the long game.
Rhiannon explains how even small genetic gains in these areas can build over time, leading to big wins for herd productivity and long-term profitability.
Find out:
- Why heritability matters
- Why slow progress is still real progress
- Practical tips for long-term herd improvement
Listen for the full story behind the science.
This episode was inspired by the myth-busting story in the Feb-April edition of Inside Dairy – available at dairynz.co.nz/inside-dairy
Resources for more information on this topic:
Is focusing on low-heritability traits valuable when making breeding decisions? | DairyNZ
Animal - Breeding Decisions | DairyNZ
Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]
Follow DairyNZ on socials for the latest updates:
Chapters
1. Introduction (00:00:00)
2. Understanding heritability and its impact on breeding (00:02:06)
3. Importance of low heritability traits in breeding programmes (00:03:26)
4. What low heritability traits have an impact on farm performance? (00:05:47)
5. How to improve low heritability traits in herds (00:09:00)
6. Episode summary (00:10:44)
108 episodes
Manage episode 477230532 series 2979744
When it comes to herd improvement, it’s easy to focus on high heritability traits like milk production and liveweight - where the gains are faster and more visible. But what about the traits that take time?
In this episode of Talking Dairy, Jac McGowan and Dr Rhiannon Hancock, a scientist at NZ Animal Evaluation, talk about why low heritability traits deserve a place in your breeding strategy – especially if you’re playing the long game.
Rhiannon explains how even small genetic gains in these areas can build over time, leading to big wins for herd productivity and long-term profitability.
Find out:
- Why heritability matters
- Why slow progress is still real progress
- Practical tips for long-term herd improvement
Listen for the full story behind the science.
This episode was inspired by the myth-busting story in the Feb-April edition of Inside Dairy – available at dairynz.co.nz/inside-dairy
Resources for more information on this topic:
Is focusing on low-heritability traits valuable when making breeding decisions? | DairyNZ
Animal - Breeding Decisions | DairyNZ
Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]
Follow DairyNZ on socials for the latest updates:
Chapters
1. Introduction (00:00:00)
2. Understanding heritability and its impact on breeding (00:02:06)
3. Importance of low heritability traits in breeding programmes (00:03:26)
4. What low heritability traits have an impact on farm performance? (00:05:47)
5. How to improve low heritability traits in herds (00:09:00)
6. Episode summary (00:10:44)
108 episodes
All episodes
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