U.S. dairy-producing Holsteins are still considered among the world's best. The heart of the of the problem, it turned out, lay in a need for improved data gathering and analysis, and not in issues of animal quality. As a result of the research, there is greater international confidence in the reliability of the data and U.S. bull rankings have returned to their previous levels. Frozen straws containing their semen are of great value to U.S. and overseas dairy producers who seek to improve their herds. The main focus in genetics is currently on bulls because they are a source of an unlimited number of offspring.
Cows can calve only a limited number of times.
The United States has long been recognized as a world leader in dairy genetics. Furthermore, the U.S. dairy livestock sector's productive and innovative artificial insemination technologies and accurate recordkeeping have catapulted U.S. genetics to the top. Genetic materials are an increasing force in today's international livestock commerce. Thus, the National Association of Animal Breeders and USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service have worked hard to promote U.S. breeding lines overseas. As a result, more than 95 percent of the herds in leading dairying nations can trace their genetic lineage to bulls from the United States.