Project Number: 1265-31000-085-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Jul 24, 2002
End Date: Jul 23, 2007

Objective:
These funds will be used to maintain and enhance the national database for genetic research on milk yield, composition, and fitness traits. Research will be conducted to develop procedures that will enhance genetic improvement in the efficiency of the nation's dairy population for health and fitness traits, including reproductive health. Continued improvement of methods to compare genetic evaluations across countries will also be investigated.

Approach:
As dairy producers continue to face low farm milk prices and increased international competition, efforts to improve efficiency and maintain low costs of production become increasingly important. One way to achieve this improvement is to select animals with superior genetics for economically important traits.