Are dairy cows second only to humans in terms of the amount of genetic testing they’ve received? Join in on the debate—and get an infusion of vibrant ADSA Annual Meeting energy—in episode six with Filippo Miglior, senior advisor of genetic strategic initiatives with Lactanet, dairy geneticist at the University of Guelph, and member of the 2023 Journal of Dairy Science Club 100. Filippo and Matt chat about the explosion of genetics data in dairy and how researchers are working with artificial intelligence to understand these metrics, then standardize and share them in order to help dairies become more profitable, efficient, and sustainable. Filippo unpacks an example of his team’s work on a genetic evaluation for milk-predicted methane in dairy cows. Using milk spectral data and an artificial neural network, they were able to isolate a trait to reduce methane without impacting fat, protein, and milk yield. This staggering scientific breakthrough, combined with nutrition strategies, could lead to a 50% reduction in dairy methane emissions by 2050—and save dairy producers millions of dollars in energy losses along the way. A prolific and decorated writer, Filippo also takes the time to give his best advice for getting a tough review and explains how essential reviewers are to the scientific process.

Episode Six Show Notes

Learn more about Dr. Filippo Miglior and connect with him on LinkedIn. 

Check out the ADSA Annual Meeting session mentioned in the episode and save the date for the 2024 Annual Meeting:

Joint CSAS (Canadian Society of Animal Science) and ADSA Production, Management, and the Environment Symposium: Mitigation Strategies to Achieve Dairy Net Zero

Come for the dairy nutritionist banter—stay for the fascinating advancements in rumen microbiome science. In episode five, Matt sits down with Jeff Firkins, a dairy microbiologist and nutritionist at The Ohio State University and senior editor at the Journal of Dairy Science at the 2023 ADSA Annual Meeting. The two friends and colleagues reflect on lessons learned from the ruminant nutrition symposium on rumen microbiota—reviewing the forward leap dairy science has taken in understanding the thousands of microbial species in the rumen. Jeff explains his work on rumen fermentation and nutrient–rumen microbiota interactions, along with how he works directly with dairy farmers to think through nutrition challenges in their herds. Matt and Jeff dive into the state of dairy in Ohio and share their mutual respect for the incredible work dairymen perform in the field. Finally—just for you, listeners!—Jeff peers into his crystal ball and shares what he sees as the most promising approaches to improving cow efficiency and reducing methane production—from soil amendments like biochar to feed additives, improvements to forage quality, and more.

Check out the ADSA Annual Meeting sessions mentioned in the episode and save the date for the 2024 Annual Meeting:

Ruminant Nutrition Symposium: Improving Rumen Fermentation Through Altering Rumen Microbiota

Ruminant Nutrition Symposium: Dairy Nutrition to Improve Feed Utilization—Recognizing the Contributions of ADSA Fellow Dr. Bill Weiss

How is dairy technology similar to Star Trek? Beam in to find out as Matt interviews fellow reproductive physiologist and extension specialist Paul Fricke, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an editor at the Journal of Dairy Science. Paul chats through his lauded career to improve the reproductive efficiency of dairy cattle through research-driven, practical management strategies and new reproductive technologies applied on the farm. The two repro experts explain how getting cows pregnant is a hugely important piece of the profitability and productivity puzzle for dairy farmers, and benefits the health

Episode Four Show Notes

Learn more about Dr. Paul Fricke and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Meet Dr. Julio Giordano, head of the Giordano lab at Cornell, whose students presented posters during the ADSA Annual Meeting sessions mentioned in the episode and save the date for the 2024 Annual Meeting

For those interested in the reproduction discussion, Dr. Fricke and Dr. Lucy will be presenting on reproductive decision making at ADSA’s 45th Discover Conference taking place on October 23–26, 2023.

Recording in person from the 2023 ADSA Annual Meeting, Matt steps out of his production comfort zone to chat about dairy microbiology with Olivia McAuliffe, a principal food scientist at Teagasc Food Research Center in Ireland, honorary professor at Queen’s University Belfast, and senior editor of the Journal of Dairy Science. Explaining her research in strain discovery, Olivia pulls back the curtains for listeners on the small army of dairy foods professionals working behind the scenes to optimize dairy microbiology, ensuring that dairy products are full of healthy and delicious microorganisms for fermentation and free of pathogens that might harm our health. Olivia outlines how she and the

Episode Three Show Notes

Learn more about Dr. Olivia McAuliffe and connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Check out the ADSA Annual Meeting sessions mentioned in the

Dairy Foods Symposium: Todd R. Klaenhammer Memorial Symposium: Contributions to Our Understanding of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Dairy Foods: Managing the Risks—Lessons from The Infant Formula Crisis

In episode two of Dairy Digressions, Matt sits down with Jan Dijkstra, PhD, associate professor of ruminant nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, to talk about the topic on every dairy professional’s mind: the sustainable future of dairying. While this topic has taken center stage in the Netherlands—with the government’s plan to cut 50% of its current nitrogen emissions by 2030 to meet European Union climate targets—reducing greenhouse gasses is a global goal and a pressing research topic within the dairy science community worldwide. The two discuss the state of farming and the environment, tracing the link between human population growth to the growth of ruminants via a staggering recent analysis of global mammal biomass. Jan dives into the latest research on whether 3-nitrooxypropanol—an emerging feed additive—can effectively reduce methane production in dairy cows. Jan also shares his findings on the most effective strategies to mitigate ruminant methane emissions toward 2030 and 2050 climate goals. Listen in as they unpack the differences between dairy science research in the US versus the Netherlands and find out why Jan advises all students (especially those in science) to have a controversial attitude in their work.

Learn more about Dr. Jan Dijkstra and connect with him on Twitter @CUJanD.

Check out the Progressive Dairy podcast episode mentioned in the discussion. 

Catch up on the papers discussed on the episode:

A meta-analysis of effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol on methane production, yield,

The global biomass of wild mammals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Full adoption of the most effective strategies to mitigate methane emissions by

In the inaugural episode of Dairy Digressions, host Matt Lucy, PhD, sits down with Jennie Pryce, PhD, principal research scientist at Agriculture Victoria and professor at La Trobe University in Australia, to talk all things genetics—connecting the scientific dots behind dairy cow traits to human height to inbreeding within the population of threatened hihi birds on New Zealand’s Tiritiri Mātangi Island. They discuss how Jennie came to be interested in dairy science—from showing calves in the All Britain Calf Show as a child to her trailblazing career in dairy genetics. The two marvel at the past 50 years of advances and investments in genetic sequencing and how they have impacted not just the dairy industry, but all types of plant and animal breeding. They also dig into what a genetics lab looks like and how researchers are working with massive data sets and super computers, including Jennie’s best advice for a career in genomic science.

Season 1, Episode 1 Show Notes

Learn more about Dr. Jennie Pryce and connect with her on Twitter @jenniepryce.

Learn more about the American Dairy Science Association and its journals, JDS Communications and the Journal of Dairy Science.

Catch up on the papers discussed on the episode:

Synchronization of breeding and its impact on genetic parameters and evaluation of female fertility traits, Journal of Dairy Science (2022)

A saturated map of common genetic variance associated with human height, Nature (2022)

Genomic signatures of inbreeding depression for a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand passerine, Molecular Ecology (2023)

Welcome to Dairy Digressions, the podcast from the American Dairy Science Association and the minds behind JDS Communications and the Journal of Dairy Science. Every other month, host and JDS Communications Editor in Chief Matt Lucy, PhD, explores the latest developments, fascinating discoveries, and breaking trends in the world of dairy science.

In the inaugural episode, Matt sits down with Jennie Pryce, PhD, principal research scientist at Agriculture Victoria and professor at La Trobe University in Australia, to talk all things dairy genetics. Tune in for the full episode on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 and subscribe to never miss an episode.