Investigations on the economical value of type traits on the basis of auction sales of first lactation Brown Swiss and Simmental cows

The present study analyses the influence of type traits on the prices of first lactating cows sold on auctions for breeding stock carried out by breeder associations. Overall 1440 Simmental and 1362 Brown Swiss first lactating cows were linearly classified by professional classifiers. In both breeds effect of market place, date of market within market place, daily milk yield, milking speed, live-weight and chest width, respectively, distance from calving, announcement of price reducing deficiencies and fitting and horn status of the cow had a significant effect on market price. The effect of sire and dam parentage was not significant in Brown Swiss. In Simmental cows breeding value for milk of dams and sire parentage did significantly influence market prices, whereas “father unknown” and “Red Holstein sire” had the biggest impact on prices. In both breeds significant price differences between scores for overall udder, overall feet and legs and muscling were obvious, but scores for stature had no effect on market price. In most of the linear traits highest prices were observed at or nearby the breeding optima for these traits determined in breeding goals. Marginal profits for daily milk yield and milking speed and for type traits overall udder, overall feet and legs, stature and muscling were derived. The marginal profit for daily milk yield – € 120,7 in Brown Swiss and € 127,0 in Simmental cattle- and for milking speed – € 18,7 and € 22,5, respectively – are very similar in both breeds. An improvement by one genetic standard deviation of all “overall type traits” led to an increase in marginal profit by 49,2 Euro in Brown Swiss and by 25,2 Euro in Simmental. Highest increase in marginal profit was observed in overall udder conformation. The use of marginal profits in derivating economical weights for type traits used in total merit index is discussed. To derive economical weights frequency, and probability of realising the profit must be known and must be related to the unit “producing cow”. Limiting the advantage of good conformation to farms selling breeding stock is not satisfying. On the contrary one has to assume an additional profit caused by good conformation for all farms, which is higher than the profit of conformation already taken into account by other functional traits that are part of total merit index. The study shows that realistic economical weights for type traits should be lower than the actual weights in total merit index in some cattle breeds.

Vollversion deutsch