During this webinar, Cole, Peñagaricano and Middleton will explore the advancements in genomic applications that are transforming dairy cattle fertility traits. They will discuss how genomic tools can improve reproductive traits, enhance herd fertility rates and contribute to overall herd productivity.
Prior to joining CDCB, Cole spent three years as the senior vice president, research and development for PEAK Genetics, where he oversaw genetics and reproductive biology research. Previously, he spent 17 years as a research geneticist and acting research leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory. Cole has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed research articles, mentored many postdoctoral scientists and graduate students, and is a frequent speaker at industry and scientific meetings. His research has been recognized with the Jay L. Lush Award in Breeding and Genetics from the American Dairy Science Association, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Dairy Herd Information Association and the National Association of Animal Breeders Peer Research Award.
Originally from Uruguay, Peñagaricano earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and biochemistry, and master’s degree in animal science from Universidad de la República. Also, he earned a master’s degree in statistics and PhD in animal science from UW. Before joining UW faculty, Peñagaricano was a faculty member in the department of animal sciences at the University of Florida. His research interests revolve around quantitative genomics and computational biology. Peñagaricano’s research program focuses on the development and application of methods to dissect the genetic architecture of economically relevant traits in livestock. His research involves gene mapping, gene-set analysis, genomic prediction, methylome and transcriptome analysis, multi-omics data integration and network modeling.
Middleton is from Mayville, Mich., where she grew up on a small cow-calf beef farm. She became involved in the dairy industry during college as a part-time artificial insemination technician. She graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and agriculture education. In 2019, she completed a master’s degree in animal science at MSU in Richard Pursley’s lab with research relating to the high fertility cycle, resynchronization protocols and time to conceptus attachment in lactating dairy cows. After graduation, she worked as a dairy nutrition and management consultant with Nobis Agri Science for 1.5 years before joining CentralStar in 2020. In her current role, Middleton performs records analysis and consults with Indiana and Michigan dairy farms regarding reproduction, inventory and genetics.
Veterinarians may earn one Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) credit for attending this DCHA webinar. To learn more about this opportunity, contact JoDee Sattler at: jodee@calfandheifer.org.
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