1. Alta Genetics Sire Selection
UW-Madison Dairy Cattle Center
Jacob Brey, Christine McFarland,
Daniel Peterson, Jordan Simonson
2. The AltaAdvantage
AltaAdvantage® marks the most revolutionary
change in progeny testing to date
The dairy industry has changed much faster and
had become more innovative than the AI industry
Five years ago we took the necessary steps to
ensure we could market a product that met the
needs of the growing number of progressive
herds around the world.
The AltaAdvantage® program is perfectly aligned
with our progressive herd focus
3. Features of AltaAdvantage
• DNA verification to ensure accuracy
• Testing exclusively in commercial herds
• Comparison to large contemporary groups allows
estimates of true genetic merit
• Source of unique, highly valued and accurate
evaluations
• On-Farm Data Capture
• Consultant Assigned to Dairy
• National Sampling Program
• Evaluate Daughters through Life Cycle
4. Your Herd
Strengths
Dairy Form: The herd has good open
ribbed cows.
Body Depth: The herd is deep, which
allows to hold the internal organs.
Stature: The herd is tall, but not too
tall.
Rear Udder Width: The herd has good
rear udder width, which promotes milk
production.
Weaknesses
Rear Legs Side View: Sickled legs can
lead to poorer health and is
significantly related to culling.
Strength: Most of the cows have a
narrow chest, which leads to less
ability for the cow to hold her internal
organs.
Udder Depth: This trait is the closest
relation to overall udder composite.
Fore Udder Attachment: The loose fore
udder attachments are important
because it is related to milk production.
7. Breeding Goals
Alta’s goal for the Dairy Cattle
Center is to improve your herd’s
type, while retaining the production
needed to have your herd be
representative of a typical Wisconsin
herd.
8. Sire Selection Criteria
Selected Items Value
Stud Code 11
PTA Milk > 500
PTA PL > 1
Udder Composite > 1.5
Feet and Legs Composite > 1.5
Sire TPI > 1600
•We want a sire that gives
good feet and legs and udder.
•We want a sire that promotes
good milk components.
•We want a sire that promotes
longevity because these
animals are used in research
and need to live long,
productive lives.
•We want a sire that gives a
good total performance.