Genetic Trends in the National Herd
2 min read
This page tracks genetic trends in the national herd, noting improvements in economically important traits. The genetic merit of the national herd has improved or held steady across a range of economically important traits. The traits covered are Breeding Worth, Production Efficiency, Robustness traits, Farmer Opinion traits, Conformation traits and Additional traits. Breeding Worth (BW) and Production Worth (PW) are valuable tools you can use to make sound decisions about breeding, culling, and buying. BW reflects a cow's potential to breed profitable offspring, while PW focuses on a cow's lifelong profit-making ability.
The genetic merit of the national herd has improved or held steady across a range of economically important traits. These trends reflect the success of targeted breeding programs, better use of genetic evaluation tools, and farmer adoption of high-merit sires. The overall trajectory supports a more profitable and sustainable dairy industry in New Zealand.
The graphs below show how the genetic merit of cows in the national herd is trending for individual traits.
The colours and abbreviations are as follows:
The graphs below are updated annually, typically in December; these were last updated June 2025.
Over the past decade, the national herd has increased its average Breeding Worth by $17 per year. On average, Holstein-Friesians and Holstein-Friesian-Jersey crosses gained $18 annually, followed by Jerseys at $16, and Ayrshires at $9 per year.
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