GEORGE F. W. HAENLEIN
Extension Dairy Specialist
University of Delaware
NEWARK, Del.—Many dairy
fanners are absolutely confident
they know that heifers from that
superior cow sired by that superior
bull most likely will be a heifer
worth raising.
The catch is “most likely.” No
one really knows for sure, despite
all the sire proofs and cow
indexes.
What we know for sure is that
in the process of fertilization, the
chromosomes on the gametes
from each parent combine at ran
dom. Therefore, it is not an impos
sibility that superior parents will
have a "dud” of an offspring.
Is the possibility a chance worth
taking economically when you
won’t know until lactation if
you’ve really got a dud this time?
Years ago, in the mid-19605,
forward-looking dairy breeders in
this region—Dr. Jim Deubler,
Atherton Hobler, Harry Haskell,
and Frank Brown —asked that
same question.
To find the answer they sup
ported a long-range research pro
ject at the University of Delaware
in cooperation with Ohio State
University and Rutgers
University.
The inquiry was threefold.
What “markers” in blood, milk or
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Do You Know Which Heifer To Raise?
other tissues are determinants of
superior performance? Could
markers be used for selection of
different dairy animals of different
milk-producing abilities? And, if
yes, could these differences be
found in heifers and calves to pre
dict differences in milk
production?
In a study of more than 3,000
Guernsey and more than 3,000
Holstein cows, we considered
many blood types, milk types and
production records. What we
found were distinct genetic differ
ences in blood and milk types
between cows and daughters of
different bulls.
These differences were also
related to differences in milk, fat
and protein production of the
cows and daughters of the bulls.
Some of these relationships
were significant, although not
always great
New research in Canada has
now shown that these relation
ships can have economic signifi
cance for selection of cows; some
of these markers are indicative of
significant differences in cheese
making yields and qualities.
Now from Wisconsin (Journal
of Dairy Science 78 (1995)
:291-295) comes an exciting new
research report that follows the
same thinking—using markers for
selection, specifically of heifers.
Wave
The University of Delaware’s
blood-type research had been
aimed at calves; we wanted to be
able to say with relative certainty
which newborn calves were worth
raising, thus saving us two years
of investment.
The new Wisconsin research is
aimed at heifers in mid
pregnancy. Can we save ourselves
six months to a year of raising
heifer investment?
Instead of following blood or
milk types as markers, they used
one milk protein, beta
lactoglobulin, as a marker.
Beta-lactoglobulin is one of the
proteins left in the whey of milk
after cheese making. From our
Delaware research we found that
beta-lactoglobulin has different
genetic forms and that these forms
are related as markers to different
milk-producing abilities of dairy
animals.
The contribution from the Wis
consin research is that beta
lactoglobulin is useful not only as
a genetic marker, but it is also a
more direct physiological marker.
The new theory is based on the
fact that beta-lactoglobulin is not
only a protein in milk, it also can
be found in blood serum in var
ying amounts. This information
caii be used as an index of the milk
secretion activity of a particular
mammary gland of a particular
Lafcktaf' 1 FlWllrtfl, 'SkfoWty M1Wi25,19d5-A2t ‘
dairy animal and, therefore, of its
future lactation milk yield.
This new research has shown
that beta-lactoglobulin in blood
scrum increases during pregnancy
in correlation with the developing
mammary gland of the heifer.
The beta-lactoglobulin contents
were used as an index in correla
tion studies with subsequent
30S-day, first-lactation milk
yields and significant correlations
of 46, 54 and 48 percent, respec
tively, of milk, fat and protein
yields were found.
These correlations indicate that
testing for beta-lactoglobulin con
tent in a single blood sample from
heifers during mid-pregnancy can
predict future milk yield of that
same heifer, potentially saving a
lot of time and money in not rais
ing a “dud” heifer.
In other words, blood serum
beta-lactoglobulin can be used as
a physiological marker to pre
screen heifers for milk production
potential.
How can a milk protein be
found in blood? During pregnancy
the secretory cells of the mam
mary gland develop, including
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synthesis of milk beta
lactoglobulin. Because these sec
retory mammary cells are not held
tightly together until just prior to
parturition, the synthesized pro
teins can flow freely between cells
and spill back into blood serum,
which conveniently provides an
index of the secretory activity and
capactiy of that young new gland.
This new research could prove
valuable. It will give dairy produc
ers a way to save money on heifer
selection, even in cases where
pedigree information holds prom
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It also may be possible to refine
sire proving by providing new
information at a much earlier age,
thus saving at least one year with
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In addition, genetic differences
between beta-lactoglobulin types
can also be used as another tool
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