IFI, the IdeasFarm Index One number for every animal. And the explanation behind it.
The IFI (IdeasFarm Index) is the 0 to 100 score that IdeasFarm calculates for each animal and for the whole farm, using its own records. It shows which areas support or limit that score.
Open an animal's IFI
Each area has a score and a weight. The score times the weight gives its contribution, and the contributions added together make up the IFI. Switch the animal or the reference and see what moves.
Her strength is production (78) and what limits her most is fertility (41).
Illustrative animals and values. They do not correspond to a real farm.
What it evaluates
More than 50 indicators per female, across 8 areas. 18 per male, across 4.
Milk yield and cow efficiency, based on lactation data and milk weighings.
Each indicator's percentage is its weight within the area. Females and males have different models because they play different roles in the herd.
How it is calculated
A Relative Multiple Evaluation: each indicator is compared with a reference, brought to a common scale and weighted.
From data to score. The animal's value for an indicator is placed within the distribution of its group. The further above the average it is, in the favorable direction, the higher its score.
For indicators where less is better, such as days open, the direction is reversed.
From the animal to the farm
The farm's overall IFI is built from the animals with data fidelity of 80% or higher, and it is saved every 21 days to compare progress over time. Because the areas do not carry the same weight, it is not the simple average of their scores.
What limits and what sustains each score
Within each area you see the actual value of each indicator, its technical reference and a status: limiting, watch or sustaining.
Data fidelity
How much of the index was calculated from actual records.
When a data point is missing, its weight is not redistributed among the other indicators: that contribution stays empty. This is what happens to cow 2131 in the demo above.
That 49.6 does not describe an average animal, but a good animal with missing information. That is why the IFI and data fidelity are always read together.
Who it is compared against
Every score depends on the reference: the group of animals against which each data point is measured.
Your farm. Each animal is compared with the average of its own herd.
A group of farms. All animals are evaluated against the average of the whole group, so an animal from one farm is comparable with one from another.
Broader references. The same method applies to a sector or a region when there is enough comparable data.
Two IFI values are only comparable if they were calculated against the same reference. When the reference is broadened, the same animal's IFI can change, as the demo shows: it answers a different question.
The IFI compared with other evaluations
It measures performance, not genes. The two readings complement each other.
The IFI is a phenotypic evaluation: it scores the performance the animal has already expressed, which results from its genetics, environment and management, without separating them. A genetic evaluation estimates only the part the animal passes on to its offspring. A genomic test reaches that estimate by reading the DNA.
| IFI | Genetic evaluation | Genomic test | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it estimates | The animal's actual performance in its system | The genetic merit it passes on | Genetic merit, from the DNA |
| With what data | Records from the farm or the group | Pedigree and records of relatives across many herds | A DNA sample and a reference population |
| What it compares against | The average of the farm or the group | A population base for the breed or the country | A population base for the breed or the country |
| When it is available | As soon as there are records; every 21 days | With enough records of its own or from relatives | From birth |
| What decision it supports | Management, monitoring, culling and replacements | Sire selection and matings | Early selection of heifer calves and young bulls |
A high IFI says the cow performs well today and under her conditions, but it does not guarantee her daughters will, especially in low-heritability traits such as fertility. Genetics guides what to breed; the IFI shows what is working.
Indexes with the same architecture
Standardizing each trait against a population, weighting it and adding it up is the method behind the total merit indexes of the global dairy industry. They weight genetic values; the IFI weights performance records.
How to use it to decide
With technical judgment. The IFI organizes the information; it does not replace the producer, the veterinarian or the animal scientist. They are the ones who check the score against what they see in the animal and make the decision.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IFI?
It is the IdeasFarm Index: a technical score from 0 to 100 that summarizes the performance of an animal or a farm. It compares each indicator with the average of a reference group, converts it into points and weights it by areas such as production, fertility, milk quality and health.
Is the IFI a genetic evaluation?
No. It is a phenotypic evaluation: it scores the animal's recorded performance, which depends on its genetics, the environment and management. It complements a genetic evaluation or a genomic test, but does not replace them.
Why did an animal's IFI change when I didn't do anything?
Because it is relative. If the reference average changes or new records come in during the 21-day cycle, the animal's score can move too.
What do I do with an animal that has a high IFI and low data fidelity?
Treat it as a positive but incomplete signal. The first step is to complete its records to confirm the reading.
What do I need to get the IFI on my farm?
Keep your records in IdeasFarm. The index is calculated from what you already log: calvings, services, milk weighings, health events and evaluations.
Continue with the days open guide, the cattle record-keeping guide or the Biological Monitor.