Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Selection

Catalog description

The course will focus on understanding the role of records and available information in designing breeding programs. Students will gain an understanding of breeds, conformation and genetic evaluation methods throughout the world. Topics will include type appraisal and linear classification, reading information sources such as sire summaries and pedigrees, and evaluating and integrating data to make herd breeding program decisions and merchandising selections. Industry breeding programs and current issues will be emphasized. A major focus throughout the course will be information management to make informed breeding decisions to maximize genetic progress and herd improvement.