SUMMER 2025
Photo: CowManager® installation day at Evergreen Dairy Resort, Antigo, Wis., a 2025 CentralStar ReproStar Award winner.
Why our team recommends HHP$® over NM$ W ith so many genetic indexes out there, it’s no wonder you're asking: Which one should I trust? Which fits my herd best? These are fair questions, especially when each index comes with a promise to improve your herd in slightly different ways.
antibiotic treatments. Using HHP$ means you’re making genetics work harder to keep cows healthy, without you needing to spend hours dissecting genomic data. Our team at CentralStar does that heavy lifting for you.”
At the heart of the confusion is a simple concern: Do these numbers really reflect the traits that matter most on your farm? Fertility, mastitis resistance, feed efficiency, and longevity traits are more than buzz words, they directly impact day-to-day success and longterm profit. That's why our team is sharing their experience with Herd Health Profit Dollars® (HHP$®), so you can better evaluate how it compares to NM$ and determine which index better aligns with your priorities.
Built for moderate stature, lasting strength “HHP$ promotes a smarter kind of efficiency through cows that are moderate in size and strong in dairy form,” says incoming Director of A.I. Services Wes Vomastic. “The index places a slight negative weight on stature to avoid extremes in size, while still selecting for width and strength through the front end. That means it builds cows with the capacity to eat and the durability to stick around. HHP$ takes a more practical approach to improving feed efficiency, without sacrificing the kind of cows that last. Rather than heavily emphasizing residual-feed intake like NM$ does, HHP$ rewards the balance that works in herds, cows that convert forage well without growing too big or too frail to do the job.”
More protection for mastitis-resistance “Mastitis is one of the biggest reasons cows leave herds. HHP$ puts a heavy 13% weighting on mastitis resistance and somatic cell score, compared to only 3% in NM$,” shares Genetic Consultant Carla Stetzer. “This difference matters as we face increasing consumer pressure to move away from
Mastitis Resistance
HHP$
13%
NM$
3%
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Components weightings
HHP$
NM$ FAT
FAT PROTEIN
PROTEIN
28%
MASTITIS RESISTANCE, MILK QUALITY AND UDDER HEALTH REMAIN THE HALLMARK OF HHP$.
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21%
32%
13%
MILK
THE HOLSTEIN HHP$ FORMULA CONTAINS A PROFITABLE BALANCE OF COMPONENTS.
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