meta Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council collaborates with CDCB for October 2 webinar :: The Bullvine - The Dairy Information You Want To Know When You Need It

Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council collaborates with CDCB for October 2 webinar


Join the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) for its next webinar – “Genetic impacts on calving, feed efficiency” – on Oct. 2, starting at 2 p.m. Central time. Ezequiel Nicolazzi and Kristen Parker Gaddis, both with the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), will co-present during this free, one-hour webinar.

The strides of the U.S. dairy herd in productivity, cow health and overall performance have been fueled by progress in herd management and the rapid pace of genetic improvement. In the past decade, the genomic revolution has forever changed genetic evaluations, dairy cow performance and herd management.

Calving traits and feed efficiency are the emphasis in 2020 for CDCB, which delivers the U.S. dairy genetic evaluations and manages the world’s largest animal database.

Calving traits that previously were problematic in many U.S. dairy herds have been successfully improved through better genetics and management practices. In this webinar, Nicolazzi will describe the genetic trends of dystocia and stillbirth and how CDCB re-scaled the evaluations for Sire Calving Ease and other calving traits in August 2020 to match the observed on-farm incidence rates.

In December 2020, a revolutionary new trait, Feed Saved, will become available in dairy’s genetic toolkit and Parker Gaddis will share how producers can incorporate this trait into their breeding programs. Genetic selection for feed efficiency has been a long-time goal of geneticists and producers alike, with the promise of improving farm profitability and lowering the carbon footprint of milk production.

To register for this webinar, go HERE and follow the prompts. As the webinar time approaches, you will receive an e-mail with information on how to log in to participate. If you are a DCRC member and cannot attend the live program, you may access the webinar HERE after Oct. 12.

Nicolazzi is CDCB’s technical director and leads the delivery of the U.S. national genetic evaluations and genomic predictions, as well as summaries of dairy management information for the U.S. dairy industry. Previously, Nicolazzi worked with various dairy and genetic research organizations in his native country of Italy. Nicolazzi earned his doctorate degree in animal breeding and genetics, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

Parker Gaddis, a CDCB geneticist, studied at North Carolina State University, where she received her bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in animal science and quantitative genetics. Her doctorate research focused on the use of producer-recorded cow health information to improve understanding of the genetics behind disease resistance, analysis of the health data, and estimation of traditional and genomic breeding values of dairy animals for common health traits.

For more information about DCRC’s webinars, e-mail Paula Basso, DCRC Education Committee chair, at: paula.basso@zoetis.com or e-mail DCRC at: kellie@dcrcouncil.org.

The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council is focused on bringing together all sectors of the dairy industry – producers, consultants, academia and allied industry professionals – for improved reproductive performance. DCRC provides an unprecedented opportunity for all groups to work together to take dairy cattle reproduction to the next level.


Send this to a friend