The program selects bulls with the highest possible average for one of four highly important production traits while insuring that all other herd breeding goals are met. It runs on the large campus computer at Virginia Tech. A copy of this program is also used by the Michigan Cooperative Extension Service. The program then surveys the active AI bulls with published semen prices to locate a group of sires whose average merit meets the dairy farmer's specified minimums.
Most dairy farmers recognize the importance of sire selection to good long term herd management.
Doing the best job possible with sire selection is important. The problem for most dairy farmers is making sure that the best bulls possible are being used. This is a more complex and critical problem than it was even five years ago. Genetic change in sire merit is now well over 100 pounds of PD milk per year. Sire summaries are available on more traits than ever.