August 2000 Base Change - Holstein Association USA

August 2000 Base Changes

In order to be better prepared for August 2000, we are listing the anticipated base change values. The values reflected in the base change indicate that Holstein breeders have made substantial progress in improving their cow’s genetic ability to produce more milk, have better udders and feet & legs, and remain in the herd longer.

The base change is defined as the difference between average PTA of cows born in 1990 and the average PTA of cows born in 1995. A negative value indicates the genetic evaluation of an animal for that trait will decrease by that amount due to the base change, whereas a positive value indicates the genetic evaluation for that trait will increase by that amount due to the base change.

Trait	Base Change
Milk	-668
Fat	-20
Protein	-21
Productive Life	-0.5
Somatic Cell Score	0.00*

Final Score	-0.54
Udder Comp.	-0.50
Feet & Legs Comp.	-0.44

Stature	-0.37
Strength	-0.15
Body Depth	-0.18
Dairy Form	-0.43
Rump Angle	-0.01
Rump Width	-0.27
R Legs-Side View	+0.16
R Legs-Rear View	-0.63
Foot Angle	-0.43
Feet & Legs Score	-0.43
Fore Attachment	-0.51
Rear Udder Height	-0.57
Rear Udder Width	-0.59
Udder Cleft	-0.47
Udder Depth	-0.40
F Teat Placement	-0.48
Teat Length	+0.02
*Breed average will change from 3.20 to 3.10 in August.