Completing the puzzle

Something everyone can relate to at the moment- it’s become the new normal of society to be trapped inside these days due to Covid-19, and to pass the time many of us have been turning to jigsaw puzzle..."What do puzzles have to do with cows?" you ask, well imagine trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle, getting down to the final pieces only to discover there were sections missing completely preventing you from finishing your masterpiece...

The same applies to semen companies when printing those lovely catalogues that flood our mailboxes 2 times a year.

Under every bull printed in the catalogue you'll find a little section called "Workability", this simple 11-letter word can't simply be measured by analysing potential traits of a cows via DNA, this 11-letter words comes straight from the farmers mouth.

Every year a simple form is sent out to farmers to fill-out, while some farmers take one look and throw it in the trash or place on top of the ever-growing "to-do" pile, they don't take into account how a simple little form can hold so much value.

All it asks you to do is rate each of the individual cows traits; on her milking speed, her temperament and her likability, giving a simple letter grade for the 3-catergories with 'A' being the highest grade and 'E' being the lowest grade- much like in school.

Now yes, every farmer is different in what they look for in a cow- on whether she's likeable or not- but what farmers fail to see in this easy & simple task is that we aren't asking you to judge her appearance or type defects (we leave that for the dairy consultants), this isn’t based on looks, we're not that shallow, this form is about her personality, we want farmers to get to know the cow- like on a first date and get to be on a first name basis with her- to see whether she's one of those drama dairy-queens that causes more trouble then she's worth (kicking cups off, jumping about, etc) and does anything to gain attention within the dairy, or whether she’s a simple-sally, walks in, eats her ration and moves-on, stands still when you puts cups on, just the average girl who'd you'd easily over-look, the kind of cow you want in your herd that doesn’t create much fuss- does her bit and moves on.

These easy letter grades, help shape the genetic picture for the personality type of the sire, and are based on their likeability in the cowshed, where it counts for a dairy cow. And help finish the puzzle to form the sires’ picture. Even though this aspect is often over-looked by farmers, and ridden off as another mundane task, it is an essential part to help complete the puzzle. The more response we get from farmers, the more accurate the puzzle is completed, with the information then used to shape the future of genetic selections.

What is the point of having a cow that has good litres, great solids, the perfect build but her personality is atrocious, and tries to kick your head off at any chance she gets? Who can’t even keep the cups on for an entire milking? Just a time bomb in the dairy shed.