Methodological Proposal for Classifying and Selecting Herds Based on Productivity

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to create a methodological tool based on the use of multiple previous concepts, observation and professional practice that will contribute to estimate, in a comprehensive way, the value of productive female cattle as a tool to strengthen the animal selection processes in order to summarize, in a single indicator, the performance of all variables denoting the cow’s success in interacting with its surroundings. Data generated by animals from 10 farms located in the Departments of Santander and Cesar (Colombia) in the specialized dairy production, dual purpose and breeding systems were used. An indicator of cow efficiency was built and comparison methodologies were produced, making it possible to preliminarily rate cows according to their productive performance. Although the production efficiency of the animals depends on multiple factors, it is likely to be summarized in a single indicator that includes all of them; it is likewise possible to compare, with this indicator, the efficiency of each animal in the herd as an element of the animal breeding processes. The possibility to implement these methodologies at an institutional level for regional use in groups of farms with similar farming systems or racial composition is left open.