Reflecting on Communication and Collaboration

Lindsey Worden was elected Chair of the CDCB Board of Directors in April 2023, representing the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association and Holstein Association USA. Here’s an excerpt of Lindsey’s column from the new CDCB Activity Report. 

This year commemorates a significant milestone –the 10-year anniversary of the non-funded cooperative agreement between USDA-ARS-AGIL and CDCB, signed March 28, 2013. This agreement initiated the transition of genetic and genomic evaluations from the government agency, AGIL to CDCB, which was completed with the December 2013 evaluations.
 
Fast forward to 2023: In August 2023, CDCB released updated genetic evaluations for more than 80 million dairy animals, covering 50 individual traits and four selection indexes.
 
Reflecting on the past 12 months, two recurring themes stand out – “communication” and “collaboration.” In a time when our world is more connected than ever, seeking collaborative opportunities beyond our own boundaries is crucial.
 
Several CDCB initiatives embody these themes:

• Last October, CDCB launched the revamped www.uscdcb.com, featuring WebConnect.
• CDCB has engaged iYOTAH Solutions to renovate the data ingestion system for which U.S. genetic evaluations and performance metrics are based. This project is tracking on schedule.
• CDCB and Dairy Management Inc. are working collaboratively around research and genetic improvement strategies to positively impact environmental sustainability.
• On August 31, eight million genotypes we recorded in the National Cooperator Database.
• Holstein Association USA, National Association of Animal Breeders, USDA AGIL and CDCB personnel have been researching Early Onset Muscle Weakness Syndrome (HMW) in Holstein cattle. A haplotype test is in development.
• CDCB is proactively fostering communication across sectors. The inaugural National Cooperator Dairy Database Workshop in August was attended by more than 100 individuals.

CDCB is in a strong financial position and is continually exploring opportunities and investments in research and service improvements to the U.S. genetic evaluation system, which helps producers and the global dairy community. Ongoing R&D projects are related to mobility and hoof health, feed efficiency and methane reduction, Johne’s disease resistance, milk yield projection factors, a new milking speed trait, and the adoption of single-step genomic methodology.
 
On behalf of the CDCB Board of Directors, I thank the CDCB staff for their dedication and commitment, the many individuals who volunteer time and expertise as members of a CDCB committee, and the hardworking dairy farmers whose contributions sustain the CDCB mission.