Along with August 2025 sire evaluations, CDCB released a brand-new milking speed trait. The following FAQs outline everything you need to know about this trait.
Abbreviated as MSPD, the new Milking Speed trait measures pounds of milk per minute.
Milking speed is calculated as the total pounds of milk in an individual milking divided by the total duration of milking, in minutes, for the given milking.
The data for this evaluation comes from in-unit sensors in conventional milking systems from 11 different manufacturers. At this point, there is no data included from automated milking systems.
Milking Speed (MSPD) is correlated at 0.43 with Somatic Cell Score (SCS), which means that faster milking speeds are associated with a higher somatic cell score.
MSPD is also correlated at -0.28 with Mastitis Resistance (MAST), which means that faster milking speeds are correlated with less resistance to mastitis.
If you’re used to looking at Milking Speed data from Alta, then you’ve been seeing the Canadian Milking Speed trait published by Lactanet. That trait will continue to be published based on subjective, producer-reported milking speeds to identify first lactation cows as average or fast.
Find more information about other milking speed evaluations HERE under the Definition of the Milking Speed trait on the CDCB website.
While the data has not been quantified, and will vary from one farm to another, herds using MSPD for genetic selection can expect improved parlor efficiency and potential improvement in herd uniformity for milking times.
Initially, MSPD will not be incorporated into NM$, but it could be added in the future. MSPD is lowly correlated with NM$, which suggests it is not already captured in NM$ through other traits.
Milking duration does not account for the amount of milk produced, making it a less useful metric.
At this time, MSPD does not include milking speed data from robotic milking systems. Data utilized to calculate the trait is collected from in-line sensors in traditional parlor equipment.
According to CDCB, geneticists at CDCB and USDA Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory (AGIL) worked with raw milking parlor data from 304 herds. This data set consisted of milk weights, milking durations, breed, parity, and meter manufacturer (OEM).
After data cleaning, the final dataset used in the research and development of MSPD represented 165 herds, nine milk meter manufacturers, and 47,833 complete lactations of 43,788 Holstein and Jersey cows, including 12,237 genotyped cows. All available phenotype data used in the computation of MSPD lactation records was from complete lactations only. While the initial dataset included automated milking system (AMS) data, it was not included in the final dataset. Inclusion of this data will be investigated as research continues.
Because data for this evaluation was captured from 11 different parlor equipment manufacturers, there was a distinction made within the Milking Speed Format 8 data file to identify what type of system was used to collect the data. Since each manufacturer has a unique way to measure the factors included in MSPD, the data is standardized for use in genetic evaluations.
As more data becomes available, MSPD evaluations may be provided for additional breeds.
Since MSPD does not account for automatic milking systems, CDCB will investigate the data collection and evaluation potential for those systems going forward.
When it comes to new genetic traits, it’s important to consider your farm’s milk payment situation and management system. We invite you to work with a trusted Alta advisor to determine whether a trait like MSPD should fit within your customized genetic plan.