{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Moos Room™","title":"Episode 310 -Faster Cows, Faster Parlors: New Genetic Evaluations for Milking Speed - UMN Extension's The Moos Room","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":562,"description":"In this Labor Day episode, Brad highlights the history of the holiday in the U.S. and Canada before diving into a brand-new genetic evaluation for Holstein dairy cattle: milking speed. Released in August 2025, this trait provides an objective way to measure how quickly cows milk—expressed in pounds of milk per minute—with the Holstein breed average set at 7 lbs/min.\nBrad explains how this evaluation was developed using parlor sensor data (not robot milking systems) from over 165 herds and 43,000 cows, making it more accurate than traditional subjective scoring methods used in other breeds. With heritability at 42%, milking speed is a promising selection tool for improving parlor efficiency and labor use.\nThe episode also covers:\nHow milking speed correlates with traits like somatic cell score and mastitis.\nThe range of variation in bulls and what that means for selection decisions.\nWhy milking speed isn’t yet included in the lifetime merit index.\nPractical implications for farmers considering faster vs. slower milking cows.\nBrad wraps up by reflecting on how this new tool could impact herd management at the Morris research herd and encourages producers to watch for milking speed in future bull proofs.\n\nQuestions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!\nLinkedin -> The Moos Room\nTwitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafety\nFacebook -> @UMNDairy\nYouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and Health\nInstagram -> @UMNWCROCDairy\nExtension Website\nAgriAmerica Podcast Directory ","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/EIqekZJUCM-mbRXSkEsLe4I4Erj3AsT3id_xoW-dk6k/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzE0MTkwLzE2OTc0/ODIyODEtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}