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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423621
Research Project: Increasing Accuracy of Genomic Prediction, Developing Algorithms, Selecting Markers, and Evaluating New Traits to Improve Dairy Cattle

Location: Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory

Title: Improving dairy calf health through inclusion of diarrhea and respiratory health information into a US national genetic evaluation

Author
item Neupane, Mahesh
item PARKER GADDIS, KRISTEN - Council On Dairy Cattle Breeding
item Toghiani, Sajjad
item Miles, Asha
item Graham, Jason
item BURCHARD, JAVIER - Council On Dairy Cattle Breeding
item DURR, JOAO - Council On Dairy Cattle Breeding
item COLE, JOHN - Council On Dairy Cattle Breeding
item O'CONNELL, JEFFREY - University Of Maryland School Of Medicine
item Van Tassell, Curtis
item Van Raden, Paul

Submitted to: Journal of Dairy Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/4/2025
Publication Date: 9/26/2025
Citation: Neupane, M., Parker Gaddis, K.L., Toghiani, S., Miles, A.M., Graham, J.R., Burchard, J.F., Durr, J.W., Cole, J.B., O'Connell, J.R., Van Tassell, C.P., Van Raden, P.M. 2025. Improving dairy calf health through inclusion of diarrhea and respiratory health information into a US national genetic evaluation. Journal of Dairy Science. 108(10):11164-11172. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2025-26497.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2025-26497

Interpretive Summary: Current dairy cattle breeding programs place emphasis on improving milk production and reproduction traits, with little to no emphasis to calf health. While indirect methods have helped to identify healthy calves, directly selecting for health traits would provide greater gains more quickly. This research uses extensive genetic and health data for bovine respiratory disease and calf diarrhea from dairy farms throughout the United States to be included in the national genetic evaluation. The results from this research will give dairy farmers better tools to improve calf health through selective breeding, leading to healthier cows and more productive farms.

Technical Abstract: Calf diarrhea (DIAR) and respiratory illnesses (RESP) are leading causes of calf mortality. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive US national genomic evaluation for these important calf health traits using producer-recorded data from the National Cooperator Database. Analyses included 207,602 calf records for DIAR (3 to 60 d of age) and 681,741 records for RESP (3 to 365 d of age) from all breeds (~97% data from Holstein and Jersey calves) born between 2013 and 2024. Both traits were modeled as binary variables (0 = diseased, 100 = healthy) with breeding values expressed as disease resistance in percentage points. The overall incidence of DIAR and RESP was 14.46% and 16.05%, respectively, with higher incidence observed in Jerseys as compared to Holsteins. Heritability estimates from the all-breed model were 0.025 for DIAR and 0.021 for RESP. Reliabilities of genomic predicted transmitting abilities (PTA) were higher than those of traditional PTA, and young sires (born after 2020) had high reliability estimates, highlighting opportunities for genetic improvement in calf health. Holsteins exhibited higher genomic reliabilities for both traits compared to Jerseys, likely due to the larger number of genotyped and phenotyped animals. A moderate genetic correlation (0.22) was observed between DIAR and RESP, while correlations with heifer livability, another calf health trait currently evaluated, were 0.13 for DIAR and 0.35 for RESP. Correlations of these health traits with other traits were low. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of including DIAR and RESP in the US national genetic evaluation system, enabling more effective breeding strategies to improve calf health and survivability.