Selection Indices in Holstein Cattle of Various Countries

Fifteen countries, based on geographical representation, Interbull membership, and size of progeny testing programs, provided a brief description of national selection index and top bull listings from August 2003. Individual traits included in each selection index were grouped into 3 components as they related to production, durability, and health and reproduction. The relative emphasis for each component within the selection index, as well as the number of common bulls among top listings were compared across countries. Average relative emphasis for production, durability, and health and reproduction, across all countries, was 59.5, 28, and 12.5%, respectively. The main difference between selection indices in…