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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #140150

Title: USDA DAIRY GOAT GENETIC EVALUATION PROGRAM - STATUS AND PLANS

Author
item Wiggans, George

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/18/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Evaluations for milk, fat, and protein yields are calculated annually in July and evaluations for type are calculated in December. These evaluations are provided to regional computing centers, the dairy goat association, and the general public through web access. Data flows from the farms through the regional centers to the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory. Type data are collected by the goat association. The two largest regional computing centers each contribute over 33 percent of the data. Data is rejected for various reasons, the most common being a mismatch between the herd and doe date of testing. The genetic evaluations for productive life in dairy cattle are based on months in milk, and include information from correlated yield and type traits. A similar program could be applied to dairy goats. Recent changes in the goat evaluation program include access to evaluations by name of bucks and does and provision for corrections to lactation data. Future implementation of a test day model depends on resolving patent issues.

Technical Abstract: Evaluations for milk, fat, and protein yields are calculated annually in July and evaluations for type are calculated in December. These evaluations are provided to regional computing centers, the dairy goat association, and the general public through web access. Data flows from the farms through the regional centers to the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory. Type data are collected by the goat association. The two largest regional computing centers each contribute over 33 percent of the data. Data is rejected for various reasons, the most common being a mismatch between the herd and doe date of testing. The genetic evaluations for productive life in dairy cattle are based on months in milk, and include information from correlated yield and type traits. A similar program could be applied to dairy goats. Recent changes in the goat evaluation program include access to evaluations by name of bucks and does and provision for corrections to lactation data. Future implementation of a test day model depends on resolving patent issues.