Culture Magazine

I N N OVAT I O N 202 3 culturecheesemag.com 41 BREEDING BY THE NUMBERS Limousin, heat-adapted Senepol, and even Holstein and Friesian to ensure sufficient volume. "After 30 years, my parents have figured out that the cow that works in our system in South Georgia is never going to win any beauty contests," Little says, "but they're going to live really long lives, give really high-quality milk, and have a higher breed back rate." That last detail is important. For the past seven years, the Wehners have chosen to forgo artificial insemination, which often relies on artificial hormones to put cows in heat and can take a toll on workers' bodies. Instead, they breed their animals naturally, keeping young genomic bulls that are easier to handle on the property for a few years before selling them to other farms. They save by purchasing sires that fit their needs but cost much less than prizewinning studs. And while AI insemination rates can average between 50 and 70 percent, the Wehners have been able to breed back as many as 90 percent of their cows during their ideal calving window—meaning fewer culls, healthier calves, and a long list of dairies waiting to purchase their robust, regionally adapted animals. All this has translated into better profitability and quality of life—for the farms, the animals, the family, and the cheese business, too. "I want the highest-quality milk that they can produce, that they feel happy with, and that is sustainable in the long run," Little says. "My brother's going to be happy, the cows are going to be happy, the land is going to be healthy, and then we're going to have great milk to make great cheese." c 1973: A Hereford-Friesian calf named Frostie is the first calf born of a frozen and thawed embryo implanted into a surrogate cow as part of research conducted by British biologist Ian Wilmut. Wilmut's research also helped the development of techniques to aid the storage and implantation of embryos in humans. 1996: Dolly the sheep is the first mammal to be cloned from an adult. The sources of Dolly's genetic material were an udder cell from a male Dorset sheep and an egg from a female Scottish Mountain sheep, who also served as her surrogate mother. 2009: The Hereford cattle breed becomes the first livestock animal to have its genome mapped by scientists. 2 1,000+ 45,000+ 90 8.3 The number of unique Y chromosomes found in more than 99 percent of the nearly 9 million dairy cows in the US. These chromosomes, which originated two Holstein bulls named Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief and Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation, date back to the 1960s. Estimated percent of the US dairy herd that are registered Jerseys, the most populous breed af- ter Holsteins, in 2014. The number of cattle breeds recognized worldwide. Pounds of sheep cheese imported into the US from countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain in 2007. Percent of all cows in the US that are Holsteins. Number of Saanen goats whose genetics and performance data have been incorporated into the breed's genomic key. 73

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