News

Holstein Association brings genomics discussion to convention

Holstein Association USA Vice President Corey Geiger tells Brownfield many farmers really want to know and understand the potential of their cows and calves, and they’re using genomic testing to do that. “People on our panel today have already run 10,000 tests on animals on their farms, and so it’s really picking up pace quite a bit throughout the United States.”

Geiger says there has been a lot of progress made on the genomics of the Holstein cow in the last century, but he has a concern. “Genomics is changing who has the genetics, who controls the genetics, and we’re going a little bit from a grassroots level here to a little bit more of company-based, and I think we need to talk about how that’s evolving and where our future lies.”

Geiger says the Junior Holstein members are also learning more about genomics at the convention, with veterinarian-guided hands-on work mixing ovum and sperm, then examining the embryos under a microscope.