By Tim Hammerich with the Ag Information Network

Dairy health is of the utmost importance to the long term profitability of producers like Simon Vander Woude of Vander Woude Dairy in Merced.

Vander Woude… “I’m a huge believer in DWP, I mean, we were one of the early adopters of that.”

The Dairy Wellness Profit Index® (DWP) is based on traits that affect health, performance and profit in both cows and calves to achieve more of their full potential. Vander Woude uses genomic testing to ensure the healthiest herd possible.

Vander Woude… “It makes a big difference in the bottom line. We’re not producing for trophies. I’m not producing to have the highest producing herd. The overall health of the herd is what really feeds into bottom line profitability when the day is over. A healthier herd is going to be more profitable. A low that low somatics, it goes through the entire value of that cow from breeding to conversions to her milking longevity and all those sorts of things. They all kind of tie together.”

Vander Woude and other dairy producers are excited about the future of producing more milk with healthier cows through genomic testing.