E604 The 9.99% Holstein Inbreeding Bill: Are You Breeding for Profit or Just Index Points?

Holstein inbreeding just hit 9.99% in Canadian 2024 heifers — the highest of any major breed — and it's costing up to $44 per cow for every 1% rise.

That number lands on every camp at once. The show breeder, the Net Merit devotee, the top-of-the-list herd — all pulling from the same narrowing bull pool. This episode of The Bullvine Podcast breaks down why TPI now weights protein at 24% while Net Merit pushes fat to 31.8%, and how a 72-cow Saskatchewan tie-stall herd bred two World Dairy Expo Grand Champions by ignoring the index list everyone else chases.

What You'll Learn

• Why 9.99% inbreeding quietly bleeds ~$35,000 across a 200-cow herd
• How TPI and Net Merit now pull in opposite directions on fat vs protein
• What HAUSA's new 60-inch stature penalty means for tall, extreme cows
• Why "just use the index" optimizes for someone else's barn, not yours
• The 30-day move: match your index to your actual milk cheque
• How Lovhill bred champions from a broader gene pool, not a genomic list

The Virginia Tech baseline pegged inbreeding at $22–$24 per cow per 1% in 1999 dollars — closer to $44 today. Canadian data shows a 10%-inbred cow, versus 5%, loses ~92 kg milk per lactation, adds days open, and drops ~65 days of productive life. It never shows up on a semen invoice. It hides in open days, mastitis, and dead calves — and CDCB is already discounting for it with Expected Future Inbreeding adjustments.

Full article and sources: https://www.thebullvine.com/genetics-breeding/holstein-inbreeding-999-profit-index/ Subscribe for straight-talking dairy analysis. Share this with a producer who needs it.