Genetics can be a powerful tool for improving the efficiency of dairy herds, so it is vital that we keep up with the latest advances in genetic trait selection. With that in mind, there are two questions that are key. Firstly, what exactly are the right traits that improve efficiency? And secondly, what has been done so far, and what are the next steps in our selection programs? In this episode, Dr. Kent Weigel discusses what traits we can use to improve efficiency, how we can measure them, and how we are currently dealing with the evaluation of more complex traits – like resilience. Additionally, we talk about the future of our dairy students. How are researchers dealing with the fact that there are less kids who are interested in animal science? How do we keep our dairy scientists engaged in dairy fields?

“We started taking a look at my arrival in this field, as a scientist. It coincided with a time when people said 'let's not just make more milk, let's try to improve the fitness and functionality of the cow through genetic selection.'” – Dr. Kent Weigel

What you’ll learn:

• Highlight (00:00)
• Introduction (01:20)
• The importance of health traits (3:33)
• Genomic impacts on trait selection (13:15)
• How do we measure feed efficiency traits? (15:30)
• Using technologies to measure feed efficiency on commercial farms (27:18)
• The next steps in the selection of feed efficiency traits (31:40)
• The selection of resilience traits (35:05)
• Perspectives on new dairy scientists and students (39:40)
• How do we engage our dairy scientists and students? (43:20)
• Final questions (49:05)

Meet the guest: Dr. Kent Weigel

Experience:

• Current: Professor and Chair of the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at UW-Madison

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

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