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Title: Net merit as a measure of lifetime profit: 2010 revision

Author
item Cole, John
item Vanraden, Paul

Submitted to: AIPL Research Reports
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/8/2009
Publication Date: 12/10/2009
Citation: Cole, J.B., Van Raden, P.M. 2009. Net merit as a measure of lifetime profit: 2010 revision. AIPL Research Reports. NM$4 (12-09).

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The 2010 revision of net merit (NM$) updates a number of key economic values as well as milk utilization statistics. Members of Project S-1040, Genetic Selection and Crossbreeding To Enhance Reproduction and Survival of Dairy Cattle, provided updated incomes and expenses used to estimate lifetime profit. Feed costs have dramatically risen since the 2006 revision, which affects a number of traits in the index. Different somatic cell score (SCS) premiums are now applied to NM$, cheese merit (CM$), and fluid merit (FM$). Compared with the 2006 formulation of NM$, less weight is placed on fat and protein yields and calving ability (CA$, an index that includes sire calving ease, daughter calving ease, sire stillbirth, and daughter stillbirth), and more emphasis is placed on productive life (PL), SCS, udder composite, feet/legs composite, body size (favoring smaller cows), and daughter pregnancy rate (DPR).