Chocolate Cow":1oxzukjh said:
I was told it's "the quality of her milk not the quantity". The milk EPD doesn't take that into consideration.
You can have a cow with a +32 milk and if it's thin and watery with little butterfat, her calf won't gain quickly.
If she's a +5 but has high butterfat--
Over 30 yrs ago a small dairy farmer with a 50 cow herd showed me his DHIA records to prove his belief that milk
solids, butterfat and protein were genetically fixed, while volume produced was feed and management.
His main point was his herd of Holsteins consistently produced 650 lbs of butterfat per year while the pounds of milk
would vary based on his feed ration.
At the time his production from a corn silage based ration was...
18,000 milk 3.60% bf = 648 lbs butterfat per year
previous year pushing a heavy shell corn ration
21,000 milk 3.10% bf = 650 butterfat
prior to that he was feeding a heavy alfalfa, haylage ration and he noticed the more corn added the more milk
production increased but % bf dropped and his butterfat rolling herd average always held within a few lbs of 650.
16,500 milk 3.90% = 645 butterfat
His production over feed cost was highest feeding the corn silage based ration.
I found it all very interesting.