Interpreting the info

The aim of Animal Evaluation is to provide farmers with the tools they need to make the best breeding decisions for their farm business.

Data that is collected across the country is collated to deliver quality genetic estimations for dairy sires and cows.

View the sections below to learn how to get the most value out of the Animal Evaluation system.

All About BW

Breeding Worth (BW) is the index used to rank cows and bulls based on how efficiently they convert feed into profit.
Breeding Values

Breeding Values (BV) are an estimate of a cow or bull's genetic merit for a trait.
Economic Values

The economic values that drive Breeding Worth (BW) have been updated. Find out more about the changes here.
Genetic Base Cow

Breeding Worth (BW) and Breeding Values (BV) are presented as the difference between an animal’s genetic merit and the ‘genetic base cow’. The genetic base is updated every five years to reflect genetic progress.
Animal and Herd Averages

A quick guide about each of the cow indices. Use the information to benchmark individual cows or your herd.
Reliability

For all traits, reliability is measured on scale of 0 to 100%, and indicates the confidence that an animal’s BW or individual breeding values are a measure of their true merit.
Genetic Improvement FAQs

Find the answers to your questions about genetic improvement here.
AE Publications

This section contains publications relevant to animal evaluation including the NZ Dairy Sire Summary, the second edition of Your Index - Your Animal Evaluation System and a quick reference guide for breeding worth.
International dairy sires

Breeding values for international dairy sires are generated by Interbull, an international genetic evaluation organisation.