Analyze Dam Relative Value

Question: What does the Dam's Relative Value (DRELV) item do? How can I set it up and benefit from it?

Answer: The Dam's Relative Value (DRELV) item in DC305 allows you to evaluate your youngstock more precisely by incorporating the performance of their dams. While genomic testing offers genetic insights and parent averages consider pedigree, DRELV provides a direct measure of the dam's actual performance within your specific herd environment.

The dam contributes half of her offspring's genetics. As a cow progresses through her productive life, she establishes a "relative value" (RELV) which measures her performance compared to the rest of your herd. DRELV transfers this real-world performance data directly to her offspring's records, even before the young animal has its own production data.

Knowing DRELV allows you to:

  • Leverage Proven Performance: DRELV reflects the dam's actual success in your herd, giving you a tangible, performance-based metric for her offspring.

  • Improve Breeding Decisions: Use DRELV to identify heifers from high-performing dams (e.g., a DRELV of 120 means the dam performed 20% above the herd average), making them strong candidates for your breeding program.

  • Optimize Sire Selection: Combine DRELV with sire information to select sires that complement the strengths inherited from the dam, aiming for superior future generations.

  • Make Informed Early Culling: Quickly identify and potentially cull young heifers whose dams consistently show low relative value (RELV), leading to more efficient and profitable management.

Expand the topics below to learn more:

Follow the procedure below to create the DRELV item in DC305.

  1. In the command line, enter ALTER\2 to display the Item Definitions window.

  2. Select Add [Ins} to add a new item to DC305.

  3. In the window that displays, enter the following properties for the new item:

    • Item Name: Enter DRELV.

    • Item Type: Select 91 – Prev Lact (LACT or RELV) from the dropdown list.

    • Sub-Type Selection: Select #2 RELV from the options presented.

    • Value (Which Lact): Enter -1. This setting instructs the system to pull the dam's most recent (last) established relative value.

    • Description: Enter Dam’s Relative Value.

  4. Click OK to save the newly created DRELV item.

Once the DRELV item is created, you can add it to the applicable CowCard(s).

Follow the procedure below to add the DRELV item to a CowCard:

  1. Go to the CowCard for the applicable animal.

  2. On the Items1 or Items2 tab, select an appropriate position for the DRELV item, then right-click and select Add/Change Item on Page from the menu.

    A list of available items displays:

  3. Select DRELV, then click the OK button.

The DRELV item will then display in the chosen location. You can now include the DRELV item in various reports to view this information for groups of animals. It can also be used as a criterion for selecting animals for specific actions. For example, to select heifers whose dam's DRELV is greater than 120 (meaning the dam performed at least 20% above the herd average and the heifer is currently in lactation 0), enter the following at the command line:

SHOW ID AGE SID DID DRELV FOR LACT=0 DRELV>120

For DRELV to remain current, it needs to be updated regularly, especially as dams progress through lactations. To do so, set up an automated update schedule to ensure DRELV on youngstock records reflects the dam's most current performance.

To set up this automated update, follow the general steps to add a new task to your DC305 Task Scheduler as described in Add Tasks to the Task Scheduler. When prompted for the task details, enter the following specific values for the DRELV update task:

  • Next Date: Select the first day of of the next month.

  • Next Time: Select 100 (This corresponds to 1:00 AM, a recommended time for automated tasks when system usage is typically low).

  • Last Date: Leave this field blank (to ensure the task continues to run automatically indefinitely).

  • Interval Unit: Select Months.

  • Interval: Enter 1 (so the task executes every month).

  • Command to Run: Enter EXEC\101Q. This is the specific DC305 command that performs the DRELV update.

Once these values are entered and the task is saved, DC305 will automatically refresh the DRELV for your youngstock on a monthly basis.

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