Nordic Total Merit NTM – a powerful tool for dairy farmers The Nordic Total Merit (NTM) is a complete breeding goal including both production and functional traits. Its development is the story of our commitment to a more integrated and sustainable cattle breeding. From late 1970’s, the three Nordic cooperatives that eventually merged to form VikingGenetics started to implement methods to ensure the balanced breeding goal. • Increased profit by optimal inclusion of all economically important traits. • Balanced breeding goal for improved health, fertility, production and functional conformation. • Based on valuable and unique registrations by farmers, A.I. technicians, veterinarians, hoof trimmers, milk labs and slaughter houses collected into the same database. The Nordic Total Merit (NTM) is the most complete breeding index around the world; it has more than 90 sub- traits combined into 15 main traits that aim for healthy, fertile, well producing and long-lasting cows with good conformation. The Nordic countries were pioneers of using fertility and health traits in cattle breeding. Making the breeding decisions based on NTM gives progress in all important traits and improves profit. NTM is easy to get for all sires – regardless of origin on the basis of the international comparison of dairy bulls from Interbull. You can also get genomic breeding values for females based on NTM scale by making a genomic test. Before 1980 1982 1987 2005 2011 2015 2020 Production index, calving index, daught- er fertility, body, feet & legs, udder, milkability Mastitis resistance General health Other health, longevity & stillbirth included in calving index Hoof health Young stock survival Saved feed 3
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