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58 2018 BIF Research Symposium and Convention • Proceeding Papers As technology advances and as computing power increases, businesses including agricultural producers are realizing the importance of managing data as a key part of their future success. Genomic evaluations brought a new appreciation for gathering data on novel traits to be used in generating genetic improvement. Many traits where genetic progress was once thought to be unattainable or not practical are now being considered for use in breeding programs. Experiences of the Dairy Industry We often marvel at the laboratory assays that allow testing 1000’s of genetic markers in a single assay at very reasonable prices. The technology developed along these lines is truly impressive. However, the genetic improvement success stories delivered by genomic evaluations is as much about the power of data as it is about DNA testing technology. Genomic evaluations require individual animal phenotypes across multiple generations for traits that are targeted for selection. The Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) network has provided a systematic way to gather performance records from dairy herds since the early 1900’s. Dairy producers fund the collection and processing of the records to support their daily management decisions. Use of this data for genetic evaluations is a byproduct and was made possible through the establishment of industry standards and the support of USDA to routinely assemble the records in a national database. As technology developed to perform DNA testing, University researchers began encouraging AI companies to create a repository of semen from all marketed dairy bulls. The effort started in the 1990’s and, with funding from USDA, eventually developed into the Cooperative Dairy DNA Repository (CDDR). This collection of DNA on bulls with large half-sib families along with the historical collection of phenotypes enabled quick implementation of genomic evaluations when the bovine SNP-50 chip became available. A summary of the information in the dairy industry’s database is in Table 1 and is quite impressive. The dairy industry is now genomic testing over 50,000 animals each month and over 2.5 million cattle have been genotyped since 2008. Table 1: Status of the CDCB genomic evaluation database. Cows with Progeny-proven Genotyped Females Breed Lactation Records Genotyped Sires with Lactation Records Holstein 30,604,713 40,811 483,991 Jersey 2,240,512 5,937 82,616 CDCB, April 2018 Prior to the implementation of genomic evaluations, the dairy industry genetic evaluations were developed and operated by USDA. Shortly after the implementation of genomic evaluations, it was decided to turn over the operational responsibilities for the evaluations to an industry organization called the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB). This was done for a variety of reasons but one of them was because of the value of the data resources used/built to operate the evaluations. The industry also recognized the need to expand beyond traits associated with the lactation record and this was going to be more feasible through a private organization as opposed to a government agency. Table 2: Traits with genetic evaluations Production Traits Conformation Traits Milk yield Classification Score Fat yield (lbs. and %) Stature Protein yield (lbs. and %) Strength Health and Fitness Traits Dairy Form Productive Life Body Depth Somatic Cell Score Rump Width Daughter Pregnancy Rate Rump Angle Heifer Conception Rate Legs Side View Cow Conception Rate Legs Rear View Livability Foot Angle Calving Traits Feet and Legs Score Gestation Length Fore Udder Attachment Sire Calving Ease Rear Udder Height Daughter Calving Ease Rear Udder Width Sire Stillbirth Rate Udder Cleft Daughter Stillbirth Rate Udder Depth Front Teat Placement Rear Teat Placement Teat Length The CDCB and CDDR are successful examples of organizations formed with a primary purpose of sharing and developing data resources. CDCB members include How Does the Dairy Industry Handle Information? Chuck Sattler, Select Sires, Inc.