Turning off the milk pump one last time creates deafening silence. A parlor without the familiar hum was not a decision made lightly for the business. Let’s highlight that word: business.

Selling things is easy if you have what people want. It is no different for excess heifers. If you overshot your target number of replacement heifers, marketing extra heifers at a premium is pending value relativity. How well do they fit the bill for today’s buyers?

Genetics is the behind-the-scenes controller determining why two cows existing within the same environment produce milk differently. Two cows standing side by side at the feedbunk will each have a different genetic potential for milk production. Genetics create variation in performance between herdmates.

In modern society’s regulatory climate, the public increasingly influences day-to-day management procedures. Your “Big Brother” managers have hardline opinions. Their operating guidelines come in the form of propositions, government-led regulations and processor demands.