Dr. Nate Zwald on the Future of Livestock: Sexed Semen as the Key to Success
Dr. Zwald, what are the limits of genetics today? Do they exist?
— We are far from reaching those limits today. Potentially, limits do exist. Biologically, only cows can have the perfect genome within them. Today, we can determine if a cow has the genetic profile we need—that is, all the genes we prefer are present in the genome. We could predict how good this cow will be, but we are not there yet.
Once we reach the maximum with a cow that has all the necessary genes for the desirable traits we talk about today, new traits, like feed efficiency, will emerge. We might say, "Well, we’ve created the perfect cow for production, with excellent health and longevity," but then we can start considering other traits that add economic value. For example, are there different genomic profiles that make cows more efficient in feeding? Or even more importantly, are there certain genetic profiles that perform better in specific environments?
But today, with the genetic resources we have, we know that the best animals in terms of net profit are valued at about $1,400. We also know there are still thousands of dollars to be gained before we reach the theoretical maximum in net profit from perfect genes. That’s the exciting side of genetics—just when we think we’ve found the optimal and most profitable solution, new ways emerge to make cows even more profitable.
Could you share ideas on how to improve genetics and, consequently, milk production in Central Asian countries?
— I believe the starting point is to use the best available genetic resources. The first step is to ensure you're using the best bulls because that’s the most critical factor. The second aspect is to generate offspring from the best females. A few years ago, before sexed semen became widespread, it was impossible to get the next generation of animals from the best cows, as most of the herd had to be bred just to maintain numbers.
But today, we can look at a dairy farm with a thousand cows and say, "Well, I have a thousand cows, and I want all offspring from my best 500 cows to be females so that I can replace the next generation with these cows." It’s a straightforward process that requires a bit of genetic planning, but it’s much more efficient than just using the best bulls on all your cows, which could result in your worst cow producing the next generation.
Dr. Nate, thank you for an insightful conversation!
