DairyTalk 493: No Data, No Genetic Progress: Why Top Dairy Farms Measure Instead of Guess - by Helmut Demmelhuber

This podcast episode is based on a technical article exploring
how precise data collection drives genetic progress in modern
dairy herds. The key question is how milk testing, genomic
analysis, and health records can support more objective and
profitable breeding decisions. Using the example of a dairy farm
in Idaho, the article demonstrates how continuous data evaluation
can improve both productivity and animal health. It also
highlights the broader value of contributing farm data to
national databases, strengthening the accuracy of genetic
evaluations across the industry. The discussion shows why
long-term breeding success increasingly depends on reliable
performance data rather than assumptions or genetic rankings
alone. With comments on a "Journal of Dairy Science"-article
(6/2026) by Katie Schmitt: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org