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Dairy Cattle
The University of Tennessee's East Tennessee Research & Education Center (ETREC) bred and raised two Holstein cows that are currently listed in the Top 50 Holstein cows in the U.S. for productive life in the milking herd. The two cows were ranked 18th and 32nd on the list.
Genetic evaluations for productive life in Holstein cows have been available and published since 1995. During the past 10 years, researchers in the U.S. have become increasingly interested in measuring the genetic ability of a dairy cow to last, or be productive, for a significant length of time in the milking herd. This research has focused on direct analysis of culling information and indirect analysis using traits correlated with a cow's ability to not be culled or eliminated from the herd. Length of productive life is highly correlated with production and with linear type trait scores, particularly for traits related to the conformation and function of the cow's udder (mammary glands).
The East Tennessee Research & Education Center is one of ten centers located across the state, as part of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station. UT dairy herds and progressive dairy research programs are also in place at the Dairy Center in Lewisburg and at the Middle Tennessee Center in Spring Hill. The ETREC maintains a milking herd of approximately 120 Holsteins, with a rolling yearly herd average of 24,513 pounds of milk per cow. The herd has been recognized numerous times for producing highly productive cows and has been an active participant in the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) for many years.
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