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.
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.
The GENEX ICC indexes are selection tools built specifically for commercial dairies. 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 option 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 philosophy, visit the ICC index overview page. Or continue below to see how each index performs in real herds.
The numbers in the tables below reflect what cows in commercial herds achieved over their lifetime – not what they were expected to do. That’s the difference between a promise and proof.
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, reduced mastitis and metritis events, fewer breedings needed per conception and more cows reaching fourth lactation on schedule.
More lifetime ECM, lower health costs, lower breeding costs and greater longevity – that’s the ICC Ultimate index strategy at work.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
RFI is a component of Feed Saved. A larger negative RFI indicates genetics are driving animals to need less feed to produce the same amount of milk.
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.
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.
* 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 top quartile’s genomic test results.