The USJersey organizations have released two webinars detailing the Council On Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) multi-breed genomic evaluation released in April.
The videos cover the informational policies of both the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and CDCB regarding the updated genomic evaluations for purebred and crossbred animals. They also discuss the changes in breed base representation (BBR), what they mean for individual animals and the reference population.
Cari Wolfe, Director of Research and Genetic Program Development of the AJCA, hosted both webinars. To view the complete videos and others please visit the USJersey YouTube channel at the short link, https://bit.ly/2Vk3FgY.
The webinar titled “Jersey Genetic Evaluation Update,” released prior to the April genomic evaluations, explained how BBR would be used to determine the type of evaluation (single-breed or multi-breed) each animal would receive going forward. Wolfe also discussed what the AJCA’s action would be in response to the forthcoming changes including GJPI, the new reference population and how the updated data would be interpreted on pedigrees and progeny reports.
In “April 2019 Genetic Evaluations,” the webinar uploaded after the evaluations were released on April 2, Wolfe went into further detail explaining how and why CDCB uses single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to determine BBR and how the evaluation is interpreted. She also gave the statistics on how many Registered Jerseys were impacted by BBR changes and updates. Links to further AJCA and CDCB resources and additional information are also available with this webinar.
Members are encouraged to subscribe to the USJersey YouTube Channel where they can receive notifications whenever new informational videos become available. There, visitors can also find a selection of past webinars covering various topics are available on-demand.
For over 150 years, the American Jersey Cattle Association has maintained identification and performance records for dairy herd owners and delivered services that support genetic improvement and greater profitability through increasing the value of and demand for Registered Jersey™ cattle and genetics, and Jersey milk and milk products. For more information, contact the American Jersey Cattle Association by writing 6486 E. Main Street, Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-2362, visit USJersey.com, or connect at Facebook.com/USJersey.
