When it comes to herd improvement, it’s easy to focus on high heritability traits like milk production and liveweight - where the gains are faster and more visible. But what about the traits that take time?
In this episode of Talking Dairy, Jac McGowan and Dr Rhiannon Hancock, a scientist at NZ Animal Evaluation, talk about why low heritability traits deserve a place in your breeding strategy – especially if you’re playing the long game.
Rhiannon explains how even small genetic gains in these areas can build over time, leading to big wins for herd productivity and long-term profitability.
Find out:
- Why heritability matters
- Why slow progress is still real progress
- Practical tips for long-term herd improvement
Listen for the full story behind the science.
This episode was inspired by the myth-busting story in the Feb-April edition of Inside Dairy – available at dairynz.co.nz/inside-dairy
Resources for more information on this topic:
Is focusing on low-heritability traits valuable when making breeding decisions? | DairyNZ
Animal - Breeding Decisions | DairyNZ
Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at talkingdairy@dairynz.co.nz
Follow DairyNZ on socials for the latest updates:
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.