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DairyTalk 621: Health or Maximum Production? The Trade-Off Behind Modern Total Merit Indexes - by Helmut Demmelhuber
This podcast episode is based on a technical article from Holstein International examining the evolution of global total merit indexes in 2026. At the center of the discussion is why different countries pursue different breeding objectives despite working with the same Holstein breed, and what those choices mean for dairy profitability. The article explains how breeding priorities have shifted beyond milk yield to include health, longevity, fertility, feed efficiency, and functional conformation. It also explores how the weighting of these traits shapes not only the type of cow being bred but…
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