Selection indexes such as Net Merit $ (NM$) are important

components of any genetic selection strategies to provide

a path for dairy producers to rank and select animals

for comprehensive genetic improvement across a host

of traits. Once traits are chosen and weighted based on

economic importance in an index, producers can rank

animals according to the index value and make specific

management and breeding decisions that impact future

herd health and performance and profitability.

CLARIFIDE Plus is the first genomic test in the U.S. that

delivers information on six cow wellness traits—mastitis,

lameness, metritis, retained placenta, displaced abomasum

and ketosis—and three calf wellness traits — calf livability,

respiratory disease and scours — previously unavailable

to dairy producers in one comprehensive offering. Zoetis

developed the Wellness Trait Index (WT$), Calf Wellness

Index (CW$) and Dairy Wellness Profit Index (DWP$) to

provide the appropriate weighting and economic relevance

to these trait predictions while helping dairy producers

utilize these new wellness traits in effective genomic herd

strategies.

INSIDE WT$, CW$ AND DWP$

WT$ is made up of the six cow wellness traits while CW$ is

made up of three new calf wellness traits, each respectively

incorporating the economic impact of each trait on

expected profitability outcomes. Charts 1 and 2 depict

the traits included in WT$ and CW$, respectively, and the

associated relative value.

Chart 1: WT$ Relative Value (%)

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• CLARIFIDE® Plus is the first genetic test to deliver genomic cow and calf wellness

trait information in one comprehensive package.

• Wellness Trait Index® (WT$®) places economic weights on cow wellness traits,

directly estimating potential profit contribution of these traits for an individual

animal.

• Calf Wellness Index™ (CW$™) places economic weights on calf wellness traits

directly estimating potential genetic profit contributions of calf livability,

respiratory disease and scours for an individual animal.

• Dairy Wellness Profit Index® (DWP$®) includes information provided from WT$,

CW$ and other core trait information.

• Selection for DWP$ can result in a difference in lifetime profitability of more than

$1,300 between top 10th percentile and bottom 10th percentile of ranked animals.1

CLARIFIDE® PLUS INDEXES PROVIDE POWERFUL SELECTION TOOLS

CLARIFIDE® PLUS

Lameness25%

Mastitis47%

Metritis15%

RP5%

DA7%

Ketosis1%

Chart 2: CW$ Relative Value (%)

Like WT$® and CW$™ includes cow and calf wellness traits

respectively, DWP$® (Chart 3) includes all these wellness

traits plus also incorporates other important productivity

and performance traits impacting profitability outcomes

such as reproduction, longevity and calving ability. The use

of DWP$ offers selection emphasis comparable to other

well-known selection indexes such as Net Merit (NM$) and

Total Performance Index® (TPI) on core traits, but applies

additional selection emphasis and improvement on cow

and calf wellness. This similarity makes DWP$ a practical

consideration for producers who have historically used

either index, but would like to achieve faster progress

towards an overall profitability goal.

An extensive review of peer-reviewed publications

informed the development of all indexes, the weights and

economic inputs. In addition, a team of dairy industry

experts reviewed the DWP$ outcomes and foundational

components. The final product reflects their invaluable

input and knowledge regarding animal breeding and

producer application of genetic technology.

The following chart depicts the general categories included

in DWP$ and the weights included within the index.

Chart 3: DWP$ Relative Value (%)

This index also considers the economic benefits associated

with polled cattle which are added to the index with a fixed

economic value for each additional copy of the polled

genotype derived from published literature.

GREATER CLARITY WITH CLARIFIDE PLUS

With DWP$, producers can make strategic decisions

on animals based on wellness outcomes without

compromising selection for production traits that

impact profitability. By combining cow and calf wellness

traits with traits found in NM$, DWP$ directly estimates the

potential profit contribution that an individual animal will

pass, on average, onto the next generation. The following

charts (4 and 5) are a comparison between DWP$ and NM$

and expected genetic progress when improving each index

by one standard deviation.1

Chart 4: Estimated Genetic Improvement Comparisons

CowWellness

25%

Production32%

Health, Longevityand Calving

19%Reproduction

6%

Type10%

Calf Wellness8%Calf Livability

43%

Calf RespiratoryDisease

29%Calf Scours

28%

Fat Protein CalvingAbility $

20

15

10

5

0

18

16

12

10 9.79.3

NM$

DWP$

0

200

300

Milk

100

250

150

50GPT

A U

nit o

f Mea

sure

350305

259

CLARIFIDE® PLUS

Chart 5: Estimated Genetic Improvement

PL

NM$ DWP$

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0

-0.5

1.94

-0.06

SCS UDC FLC BDC DPR HCR CCR MAST MET RP DA KET

1.96

-0.070.40

0.36

0.250.24

0.51

0.57

0.550.52

0.85

0.89

0.27

1.63 1.58

2.01

0.52

0.86 0.92

1.24

1.822.00

Gen

etic

Uni

t of M

easu

re

-0.06-0.04

LAME

0.07

0.94

LIV

0.67

0.78

C_LIV C_RESP C_SCOUR

0.93

1.53

0.02

0.50

1.36

1.64

Through examining the response of selection between DWP$ and NM$ it was found that DWP$

offers largely the same selection response for production traits, but with greater emphasis in cow and calf wellness traits.

INDEX ACCOUNTS FOR SIGNIFICANT GENETIC VARIATION IN PROFITABILITY, LEADING TO GREATER PROFIT POTENTIAL WITH DWP$

DWP$ describes variation in expected

profitability of dairy animals attributed to

differences in genetic potential for production,

fertility, longevity and risk of disease. The

index differs from other economic indexes by

including direct predictions for health events

that have significant economic implications.

By including more characteristics affecting

profitability, DWP$ describes more genetic

variation in profitability than other indexes.

The more variation present within the

population for an index or trait of interest, the

greater the impact of selection decisions.

10th 30th 50th

Percentile70th 90th

(Top 10th

Percentile)

DWP$ Breeding Value BV = $484

~$272DWP$

~$272DWP$

~$670 DWP$BV di�.

~$670 DWP$BV di�.

$1340 BV di�erence in DWP$

Chart 6 shows the expected difference in lifetime profitability between the top 10th percentile

and bottom 10th percentile animals ranked by DWP$ in a given population is more than $1,340.

For reference, the expected difference in profitability between the top 10th percentile and bottom

10th percentile of animals ranked by NM$ is approximately $1,110.1

Chart 6: Dairy Wellness Profit Index (DWP$) expressed in breeding value

CLARIFIDE® PLUS

Chart 7: Increase in Average Lifetime Profitability* The impact of DWP$®, when used as a primary

ranking tool, has benefits over other ranking

methods that employ NM$. Chart 7 compares the

projected direct increase in lifetime profitability

between female genetic selection based on NM$

genomic predictions and DWP$ when selecting

the top 85% of heifers to keep as replacements,

compared to no selection strategy ($0).

The values in the chart represent direct differences

in selected heifers only. Genetic merit will become

greater with subsequent progeny creating

additional value with each generation.1

The wellness traits delivered through

CLARIFIDE® Plus and the DWP$ index (which

includes CW$™ and WT$®) offer dairy producers

unprecedented opportunities to select heifers

based on predicted future cow and calf health and

lifetime profitability. The economic values placed

on these traits, coupled with the greater level of

variation accounted for, give dairy producers a greater edge to make faster, more significant, profitable genetic progress toward a healthier, more trouble-free herd by using DWP$ in their animal ranking decisions, which is only found in CLARIFIDE Plus.

0

$100.00

$150.00

DWP$ GPTA

NM$ GPTA

$50.00

$85.37

$104.03

*Assumes selection of top 85% of females as replacements as compared to no selection. Does not account for increases in profitability from progeny of selected animals.

1. Data on file, January 2018 Data Package, Zoetis Inc.

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