Genomic selection (GS) is the process by which the genetic improvement of plants or animals is accomplished using the genomic prediction (GP) of additive genetic merits [known as genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs)] of selection candidates. Alternative statistical models for GP were first described in 2001 by Meuwissen et al. (1), who used simulation to evaluate the performance of linear ...

Nine measures related to breeding efficiency were used for comparisons among purebred Ayrshires, Brown Swiss, Holsteins, and Jerseys and between purebreds and 32 crossbred groups representing 2-breed, 3-breed, 5/8, and backcrosses by purebred sires and progeny of crossbred sires. There were four herds wi th Holsteins common to all, Brown Swiss and Jerseys in three herds and Ayrshires in one her...

 In US dairy herds, the current national average age at first calving is 25.2 months. Increasing first-lactation milk yield could improve milk’s life-cycle production efficiency and decrease emissions.  The productive life of dairy Holsteins in the United States born in 2000 decreased by 3.95 months compared with Holstein cows born in 1980. This negative trend needs to be halted to achieve en...

An extensive review of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory(WVDL) accessions along with the results of slaughter house surveys indicate that copper is accumulating in the livers of Wisconsin Holsteins of all ages. Two hundred eleven WVDL accessions were reviewed based on breed(Holstein), age and results of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy(ICP-MS) liver element testing. The ove...

OBJECTIVE Holsteins are known as the world's highest-milk producing dairy cattle. The purpose of this study was to identify genetic regions strongly associated with milk traits (milk production, fat, and protein) using Korean Holstein data. METHODS This study was performed using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip data (Illumina BovineSNP50 Beadchip) of 911 Korean Holstein individuals. ...