Dansk
We are both proud and delighted that the Culling Model has been awarded 3 Agromek Stars — the highest rating possible! We are among just 10 companies to have received this recognition. A three-star award from Agromek Stars means that the product or solution is considered a groundbreaking innovation of the highest international standard.
“The Culling Model enables farms to assess whether it is economically worthwhile to keep a cow or whether it may be time to replace her. The model indicates which cows may be approaching the point where they cost more than they contribute financially, and which have the greatest potential for future profitability,” explains Ruth Davis Kring, SimHerd.
A new tool for assessing the future value of cows
The Agromek Stars have been awarded to our tool for ranking the future value of cows in DMS. The tool was developed through a collaboration between SEGES Innovation, SimHerd and VikingDanmark Ydelsesservice, giving farmers a more nuanced and financially sound basis for making decisions about culling cows.
SimHerd has developed the Culling Model, an economic model that takes into account several of the most important factors in a cow’s life cycle and calculates her current value within the herd. The result is a ranking that supports decisions about which cows are most economically worthwhile to keep and which should be culled.
“the cows future value is a calculation that shows the expected economic value of a cow in your herd, based on factors such as age, stage of lactation, pregnancy status, milk yield and diseases,” explains Ruth Davis Kring, consultant at SimHerd.
For a dairy farm, it is important to have a clear understanding of how each individual cow contributes financially to the herd over time. Understanding the future value of your cows can help you make the right decisions about which cows to cull.
“Previously, the selection of cows for culling has primarily been based on assessments of a cow’s past performance and any history of disease. With the Culling Ranking, each cow’s future economic potential is assessed and ranked using data from DMS, milk recording, current slaughter value and other relevant factors.”
Practical application
In DMS – the Danish Herd Management System, the future value of each cow participating in milk recording is calculated and displayed as an additional column in the culling list. This allows the farm to easily sort cows by future value, making it easier to decide which cows should be culled first.
The values are not displayed in monetary terms but as a ranking that reflects each cow’s relative future value within the herd. However, it is important to emphasise that the model does not account for factors such as conformation, temperament or suitability for robotic milking systems. Therefore, your own assessment will always play an important role when making decisions about which cows to cull.
Strong collaboration ensures successful implementation
Each of the three partners has contributed its own expertise:
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SimHerd was responsible for the technical and scientific development of the calculations behind the Culling Ranking.
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SEGES Innovation was responsible for implementing the tool.
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Viking Data and Milk Recording Services funded the implementation and ongoing operation of the Culling Ranking.
Collaboration through the CFIT project
The Culling Model was developed as part of the CFIT project, a collaboration between VikingGenetics, VikingDanmark, Aarhus University, SimHerd and SEGES Innovation, with support from the Innovation Fund Denmark.
The implementation and continued operation of the Culling Model in DMS are funded by Viking Data and Milk Recording Services. The aim of the Culling Model is to help farmers make the best decisions for the herd’s profitability and long-term sustainability.