Adjustment factors were estimated for milk and fat yields for Holstein herds according to age of cow at calving, genetic group (purebred or graded cows) and region of recorded milk yield (nucleus) in Minas Gerais State. Statistical analyses used mixed model methodologies by restricted maximum likelihood using animal model. Herd-year, season of calving, age of cow classes, genetic group, and region of recorded milk records were used as fixed effects, and cows and residuals as random effects. Analyses used 46,971 records of 26,822 cows being 17,354 classified as graded Holstein and 9,468 as purebred. In five regional nuclei, namely 1545, 2585, 5565, 35 and 75, cows were grouped in 21 age classes. The youngest one was formed by cows with less than 24 months and the oldest one by cows with 99 months of age or more. For purebred cows the age adjustment factors for milk and fat yields were lower than the correspondent ones for graded cows; however, the variability were higher for purebred cows compared to those of graded cows in 75, 2585 and 5565 regional nuclei. The age adjustment factors for young cows were higher than the correspondent factors for older cows. The fat yield adjustment factors were higher than milk yield adjustment factors in both purebred and graded cows. It is recommended to use specific factors for milk and fat yields estimated within nucleus and within genetic group.
Cattle; Holstein; milk yield; fat yield; genetic group; age factor; regional nucleus
