NTM

NAV Evaluation

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The second NAV routine evaluation this year took place as scheduled. The NAV Bull Search has been updated with the new EBV’s and GEBV’s. NAV Beef Search is also updated with new beef x dairy breeding values.

In this evaluation, the weight of saved feed in NTM was adjusted for all breeds. In the February 2025 evaluation, a new Saved feed index was introduced. Saved feed is based on dry matter intake (DMI), production (ECM) and weight change over the lactation. Due to changes in the saved feed evaluation, its economic value was also updated. Based on this revised economic value, the weight of saved feed in NTM also needed adjustments. For all breeds, the weight of saved feed has increased, as well as the correlation between NTM and saved feed. The correlations between old and new NTM are still very high, meaning that only minor reranking in a year group is seen.

In the May 2025 evaluation, NAV published the methane index for Holstein AI-bulls. Now it is time to publish methane index for Holstein females, as well as for both bulls and females in RDC and Jersey. Methane index is also included in NAV Bull search.

Read more about the changes:

NTM Revision Webinar – presentations and recording

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NAV organized NTM Revision Webinar  on 21 April. The webinar attracted over 70 participants from all three countries. The discussion was very active and it continued in the country-specific groups.

Links to the presentations are below and the recording is here: NTM Revision webinar

NTM revision 2028 – Current status – Haifa Splittorff

Updating of NTM – Future production circumstances – the next step – Ida Hansson

Biological assumptions – current status – Kevin Byskov

Categories NTM

NAV Dairy Cattle Workshop 2026

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The NAV Dairy Cattle Workshop was held on 20 January in Copenhagen, bringing together stakeholders for discussions on NAV’s strategy 2026–2028, the upcoming NTM revision, and current Nordic research in methane emissions and climate-smart breeding. The workshop also included updates from EBE and breed-group discussions on proposed weights of Saved Feed in NTM. Workshop presentations are available via the link below.

NAV Dairy Cattle Workshop 2026 – Presentations

More weight for Saved feed in NTM for Holstein

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Saved feed was included in the Nordic Total Merit (NTM) in 2020 for all breeds. With the introduction of new saved feed index in February 2025, its weighting in the NTM for Holstein has been adjusted. The new weight for saved feed is 0.18, more than double the previous value of 0.08. For NTM, 10 index units in saved feed will change NTM by one unit. A bull with 110 in saved feed will increase NTM by one unit according to the changed weight for saved feed.

The introduction of the new saved feed index has also changed the correlation between NTM and saved feed, not only for Holstein but for all breeds. The updated NTM correlations can be found on NAV homepage.

NAV Evaluation

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The first NAV routine evaluation this year took place as scheduled. The NAV Bull Search has been updated with the new EBV’s and GEBV’s. NAV Beef Search is also updated with new beef x dairy breeding values.

In the dairy cattle evaluation new saved feed index was introduced. While the name and the interpretation of the index remain unchanged —higher values still indicate lower feed consumption—the index has undergone significant changes. These changes have affected the correlation between NTM and the saved feed index across all breeds. Additionally, the weight of saved feed in NTM has been adjusted for Holstein.

Read more about the changes: