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Title: CHANGES IN USDA-DHIA GENETIC EVALUATIONS (FEBRUARY 1999)

Author
item Vanraden, Paul
item Wiggans, George
item Van Tassell, Curtis - Curt

Submitted to: AIPL Research Reports
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Changes in the USDA genetic evaluation system for dairy cattle were documented for February 1999 evaluations so that industry cooperators would be aware of recent improvements. Those changes included 1) implementation of a best prediction (selection index) method to calculate 305-day records from test-day data, 2) adoption of new factors to standardize records of cows milked three times a day to a twice daily basis, 3) release of two new economic indexes (fluid merit and cheese merit) for bulls, 4) revision of the data editing system to ensure the quality of cow test-day data, 5) use of evaluations of bull dams from countries other than Canada in calculating parent averages of artificial- insemination (AI) bulls, 6) update of reference samples to determine expected future inbreeding, and 7) implementation of two sets of sorted lists of genetic information for AI bulls (bulls with semen available in the United States sorted by net merit, fluid merit, or cheese merit and bulls regardless of U.S. semen availability sorted by net merit, protein evaluation, or milk evaluation). The improvements in methodology will increase accuracy of genetic evaluations released to the dairy industry, and the enhanced distribution system will make access to genetic information more timely and cost effective.