Full course description
Dairy cattle selection programs have systematically evolved to improve the profitability and sustainability of the dairy industry. In the Genetics course, we will address the basics of genetic selection, understand dairy cattle genetic improvement programs, recognize technologies that have helped to accelerate the genetic gain in dairy cattle, and learn how to make genetic-driven management, selection and breeding decisions. We will consider the many different traits that are evaluated by farmers and breeders during genetic selection, emphasizing the value of selection indexes on the selection process. We will discuss how genomics has revolutionized dairy cattle breeding programs and learn about the effective use of genomics for selection in commercial herds. Focusing on the future, we will reflect about the opportunities to incorporate new traits into genetic selection programs and the potential of new genomic tools to increase the rate of genetic progress in dairy herds.
Instructor: Dr. Fernanda Rezende
For more information about our program and other course offerings, visit our website at https://animal.ifas.ufl.edu/fida/.
Please contact us through the following email if you have any questions or concerns: FIDA@ifas.ufl.edu.