There is no denying that breeding advisors from the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Producers do a huge amount of work for breeders, not only by assessing cattle, but above all by sharing their unique knowledge with milk producers. They are also responsible for selecting bull semen for insemination. PHF cows with an excellent assessment are a guarantee of longevity and productivity, which in turn translates into tangible economic benefits from milk production. It is worth having such females in your herds. Judges who score cattle during exhibitions, who assess them in terms of conformation, also contribute to the selection of cattle.
Read more
Show judge: This cow could fight for the European Super Championship
Criteria for evaluating cattle during exhibitions
What do they look for? First of all, the height of the females and their caliber. They assess the nobility of their build. Then they pay special attention to the position of the legs at the side and back. The next element of the build that they assess is the position of the hindquarters. After these observations, they investigate whether the female is in a milking nature, as evidenced by the arching and angulation of the ribs. Then they diagnose the cow's udder – its front and rear suspension. At the very end, they diagnose the teats, separately front and rear, and it is important that they are placed at the bottom of the quarter. Easy? Well, no. That is why breeding work, as well as work with cows, are very, very difficult jobs, requiring a lot of knowledge and patience. It is worth reminding yourself how cattle are assessed.
Read more
Animal transport regulations need a smart compromise
Excellent females
In the Regulations for the Assessment of Type and Conformation of Dairy Cattle, in the general assessment, given on a scale of 50 to 100 points, the score obtained is a reference to the breed standard. It consists of four or five (depending on the utility type) main functional parts of the cow, defined by descriptive features. The assessment of each of the descriptive features is expressed on a scale of 50-100. The sum of the descriptive features, after taking into account their weights given in percentages, is the overall assessment of the cow. When the sum of the descriptive feature points reaches at least 90 points, we talk about an excellent assessment (abbreviated from the English Excellent – EX).
The excellent mark is reserved for adult cows, i.e. those in their second or higher lactations. According to the WHFF recommendations of the World Holstein-Friesian Federation, the higher the lactation of a cow with excellent conformation, which takes into account its physical development, the more points the classifying specialist can award it. Thus, a cow in its second lactation can receive 90 to 92 points; a cow in its third lactation can receive a maximum of 95 points, while cows from the fourth lactation upwards can receive a maximum of 97 points in the overall assessment. The higher the score of a cow assessed as excellent according to its lactation number, the closer this cow is to the standard of a given breed, defined and recorded in the breeding program for that breed, in terms of conformation.
Read more
Super Champions of 2024 Polish Dairy Cattle Exhibitions
The very fact that the range of the last ten points of the scale, i.e. from 90 to 100, intended for the general assessment Excellent, is in practice impossible to achieve in its maximum value, shows how high the requirements are for assessing the conformation of the most beautifully built cows and indicates the great possibilities of selection in this direction. Having cows with excellent conformation in the herd is not only a great prestige for the breeder, indicating persistent breeding work lasting for many years, but also speaks about the economic potential of this herd. In our domestic breeding history, we already have many examples of how good old age EX cows live and how high life production they achieve, which is undoubtedly proof that excellent conformation is a great added value and an important element of the breeding goal.
Read more
The first exhibition after the break and immediately the super championship
