Lifetime Profitability.
One Goal. Four Paths.

No two dairies operate the same way. Your milk market, cost structure and herd genetics all shape what profitability looks like for you. That’s why the GENEX ICC™ indexes are built as four distinct options. All share the same balanced approach, just with different areas of emphasis.

Lifetime Profitability.
One Goal. Four Paths.

No two dairies operate the same way. Your milk market, cost structure and herd genetics all shape what profitability looks like for you. That’s why the GENEX ICC™ indexes are built as four distinct options. All share the same balanced approach, with different emphasis.

New to the ICC index?

The GENEX ICC indexes are selection tools built specifically for commercial herd profitability. They were designed around one clear question: which genetics will create cows that make you more money – and keep doing it?

Every ICC Holstein index balances five areas that drive real-world herd profitability: production, female fertility, health, feed efficiency and longevity. The index variations enable you to choose where to put more emphasis based on your milk market, herd genetic profile and herd priorities.

For the full story behind the ICC philosophyy, visit the ICC index overview page. Or continue below to see how each index performs in real herds.

ICC Overview

Proven where it matters most.

45,000 cows. Real herds. Real results.

The Holstein ICC indexes are validated using data from 45,000 genomic-tested females in progressive commercial herds tracked from birth through the end of their productive life.

To compare performance, the same 45,000 cows were ranked by each index. The top 25% for each index was then evaluated based on actual lifetime results for production, fertility, health and longevity. Because it’s the same cows, simply sorted differently, the comparisons show how each index actually performs in real herds.

The numbers in the tables below reflect what cows in commercial herds actually achieved over their lifetime – not what they were expected to do. That’s the difference between a promise and proof.

ICC Ultimate

Built for Balanced Genetics

ICC Ultimate

Built for Balanced Genetics

Balance isn't a compromise.
It's a strategy.

The ICC Ultimate index is purpose-built for genetic progress across health, fertility, longevity and efficiency, while driving stronger lifetime energy-corrected milk (ECM) than other leading indexes. That balanced progress shows up in lower somatic cell counts, fewer mastitis and metritis events, fewer breedings needed per conception and more cows reaching fourth lactation on schedule.

The result is profitability from every angle: more lifetime ECM, lower health costs, lower breeding costs and greater longevity. That’s the ICC Ultimate index strategy at work.

Table 1. Lifetime value through balanced genetics
(Top quartile averages*)

This index is the right option if you:

  • Value balanced progress across production, health, fertility, longevity and efficiency
  • Are paid on components and focused on lifetime performance
  • Want cows to reach later lactations on schedule
  • Prefer consistency and reliability over genetic extremes
  • Are building for long-term herd profitability, not short-term sire rankings

With the ICC Ultimate index, you’re building a herd that performs at a higher level day in and day out. You can expect cows to produce more energy-corrected milk over their lifetime, stay healthier, breed back easier and last longer so fewer replacements are needed. And they convert feed into milk more efficiently, giving you more production for every pound of feed you put in the bunk.

ICC Milk

Built to Maximize Lifetime Milk

ICC Milk

Built to Maximize Lifetime Milk

More milk today is good.
More milk over a lifetime is better.

The ICC Milk index outpaces other selection indexes in pounds of milk produced over a cow’s lifetime, making it the index of choice if you operate in a fluid milk market where volume drives revenue.

But more lifetime milk doesn’t mean less of everything else. This index maintains strong performance for the health and fertility traits that keep your herd running smoothly. Cows require fewer breedings, more reach fourth lactation on schedule and fewer leave the herd early. The cows built to produce more are also built to stay in the herd long enough to deliver on that promise.

Table 2. More lifetime milk from cows built to last
(Top quartile averages*)

This index is the right option if you:

  • Sell into a fluid milk market where volume drives revenue
  • Want more lifetime milk, not just a strong start in lactation one
  • Need production that holds up alongside solid fertility and health
  • Expect cows to sustain performance across multiple lactations

When you choose sires using the ICC Milk index, you’re building a herd of cows that put more milk in the tank over their lifetime without sacrificing the traits that keep your herd running smoothly. More lifetime milk. More productive lactations. More revenue from the same footprint.

ICC Health

Built with a Health & Fertility Emphasis

ICC Health

Built with a Health & Fertility Emphasis

Stop managing problems. 

Start building a healthier herd.

The ICC Health index helps you get ahead of the health challenges that quietly erode profitability. Greater emphasis on Somatic Cell Score, mastitis resistance, transition health and longevity results in cows with fewer fresh cow issues, lower SCC and stronger udder health – and the fertility that keeps them moving through lactations on schedule. With fewer health setbacks, cows breed back more efficiently and reach later lactations sooner, where lifetime value is truly built.

Crucially, this health advantage doesn’t come at the cost of production. The ICC Health index leads industry indexes in lifetime milk and ECM. You don’t have to choose between a healthier herd and a productive one.

Table 3. Lifetime health and longevity advantage
(Top quartile averages*)

This index is the right option if you:

  • Deal with ongoing mastitis, SCC or transition issues in your herd
  • Need cows that are easier to manage with less labor
  • Want fewer treatments and less time spent on problem cows
  • Are seeing too many cows leave the herd before they pay for themselves
  • Want to shift your herd toward cows that stay healthy, breed back and last

With the ICC Health index, you’re building a herd of cows that stay healthier, last longer and keep breeding back. Fewer days open. Fewer vet calls. Less time managing problems and more cows in the herd working for you. And they still deliver strong lifetime milk and components, so you aren’t giving up production to get a healthier herd.

ICC Efficiency

Built to Boost Efficiency and Save on Input Costs

ICC Efficiency

Built to Boost Efficiency and Save on Input Costs

When genetics make inputs go further.

The ICC Efficiency index is built for the producer who knows that margins are won in the feed alley as much as in the milk tank. Greater emphasis on Residual Feed Intake (RFI) targets cows that convert feed into milk more efficiently, which reduces feed costs and supports more sustainable use of resources. Choosing efficiency doesn’t mean sacrificing production: ICC Efficiency outpaces industry indexes for lifetime ECM, driven by stronger longevity and livability. Cows that stay in the herd longer and breed back consistently are inherently more efficient.

Table 4. Lifetime efficiency that lowers cost per cow
(Top quartile averages*)

This index is the right option if you:

  • Are managing high feed costs or tight input margins
  • Want cows that do more with less, fewer replacements, more efficiency
  • Are focused on long-term cost structure and environmental sustainability
  • Value longevity and lower replacement rates as economic drivers
  • Want to improve profitability by increasing efficiency, not just output

With the ICC Efficiency index, you’re building cows that make inputs go further. They turn feed into milk more efficiently, stay in the herd longer and require fewer replacements. Their moderate size supports overall efficiency without sacrificing function. More production. Fewer inputs. Fewer replacements. That’s what long-term efficiency looks like.

Ready to find your index?

Talk to your GENEX representative to review your herd’s current genetic profile and identify which ICC index emphasis aligns with your milk market and future goals. Then put it to work cow by cow, generation after generation.

Your herd. Your legacy. Let’s build it together.

Holstein Sires

* These analyses use a validation dataset of 45,000 genomic-tested cows with complete lifetime performance records. For each index, cows were ranked by their genomic index value and the top 25% (top quartile) were identified. The values represent average actual lifetime performance of the top quartile for each index. In the ICC Efficiency table, the expected Residual Feed Intake (RFI) progress and Feed Saved averages are based on the genomic test results for the top quartile.