Combining genetic markers, on-farm information and infrared data for the in-line prediction of blood biomarkers of metabolic disorders in Holstein cattle

Background Various blood metabolites are known to be useful indicators of health status in dairy cattle, but their routine assessment is time‑consuming, expensive, and stressful for the cows at the herd level. Thus, we evaluated the effectiveness of combining in‑line near infrared (NIR) milk spectra with on‑farm (days in milk [DIM] and parity) and genetic markers for predicting blood metabolites in Holstein cattle. Data were obtained from 388 Holstein cows from a farm with an AfiLab system....