A26-Lancsst*r Farming, Saturday, June 24, 2000
From the Department of Dairy and Animal Science
This regular column from Penn State’s Department of Dairy and
Animal Science features the research findings, student opportunities, and
resports on other important topics generated in the Department. The
back issues of the column are archived on Lancaster Farming’s
Internet www.lancasterfarming.com home page. Look for them.
Globalization Of Dairy
Cattle Breeding Programs
Gary W. Rogers
Department of Dairy and
Animal Science
The Pennsylvania State
University
Does it sometimes seem like
the world is getting smaller? Of
course the size of the world is not
changing, but our relationships
with people and businesses from
outside the US have increased
dramatically over the past few
years. An evolving global
business climate, improved
communications and new
technologies have facilitated the
rapid change in the way business
is done in every sector of our
economy. Dairy cattle breeding
companies and genetic
improvement programs have
likewise changed in response to
these factors. One significant
change is the merger of smaller
breeding companies and the
formation of larger organizations
that service many countries At
this time in our history, almost all
US breeding companies and
cooperatives have formed some
type of alliance or partnership
uith companies located in other
major dairy producing countries.
One catalyst for the changes
that we have seen in breeding
programs is the exchange of
semen and embryos across
countries. T his exchange now
occurs with relative ease and at a
moderate cost. Exporting and
importing of cattle, semen, and
embryos is not new, but the
magnitude of the exchange in
genetic material exploded in the
mid 1980 s and continues today
Efficient exchange of genetic
material requires that genetic
Glickman Names Members To Honey Nominations
Committee, National Potato Promotion Board
WASHINGTON, D.C.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan
Glickman recently named 17
members to the National Honey
Nominations Committee, which
nominates individuals for ap
pointment to the Honey Board,
and Glickman appointed 38
members to the National Potato
Promotion Board.
Newly appointed members to
the Honey Committee are
Wayne G. Vandre, Anchorage,
Alaska; John S. Tulloch,
Odessa, Del.; James E. Kellie,
Lamed, Kan.; Stanley F.
Hummer, Bossier City, La.; Don
E. Moore, St. James, Mo.; Les
Wienke, Wolf Point, Mont.;
Glenn Staggs, Oklahoma City,
Okla.; George K. Hansen,
Colton, Ore.; William F. Child
ers, York, S.C.; and Lawrence O.
Kelley, Reston, Va.
Reappointed members are
Troy H. Fore Jr., Jesup, Ga.;
Gus Rouse, Captain Cook,
Hawaii; Oren D. Best; Sunfield,
Mich.; Allen Tuttle, Vandalia,
Ohio; Bret L. Adee, Toronto,
S.D.; William D. Lane, Mem-
evaluations be available across
countries. This need led to the
development of INTERBULL and
the routine publication of
international genetic evaluations.
Although the globalization of
dairy cattle improvement
programs may not be viewed by
everyone as desirable, several
positive things have resulted from
the changes that we have seen.
The first positive change that has
occurred is the increased export
of semen and embryos by US
producers and US based breeding
companies. This has brought new
revenue into our dairy economy
and helped other countries
improve their cattle at an
accelerated pace. The second
positive change is the access by
US producers to bulls progeny
tested m countries outside of the
US. Although the impact of bulls
tested outside the US has been
relatively limited until recently,
semen exchange will eventually
lead to increased genetic
improvement of dairy cattle
within the US. Among the
negative aspects of the
globalization is the increase in
inbreeding in our dairy cattle
populations due to the increased
focus on a small number of
families that provide the bulk of
the genes to future generations of
dairy cattle. Breeding
organizations are now more
actively addressing the issue of
inbreeding by trying to limit the
number of young bulls sampled
from the most popular families
and sires.
Rapid structural changes have
occurred in US based breeding
companies and cooperatives over
phis, Tenn.; and Lee Heine,
Hustisford, Wis.
All members will serve terms
beginning immediately and
ending December 31,2002.
The Honey Board administers
an industry-funded, national re
search, promotion and con
sumer information program to
increase U.S. honey consump
tion and exports.
Newly appointed producer
members National Potato Pro
motion Board are Zane W.
Smith, Hastings, Fla; Ronald W.
Buatte, Glenns Ferry, Idaho;
Boyd S. Foster, Rigby, Idaho;
James P. Hoff, Idaho Falls,
Idaho; Rodney D. Lake, Burley,
Idaho; Daniel D. Moss, Dedo,
Idaho; Paula G. Parks, Black
foot, Idaho; Richard F. Poteet,
Rupert, Idaho; Bart D. Watten
barger, Shelley, Idaho; Jay G.
Savage, Deerfield, Mass; Duane
A. Denniston, Plainwell, Mich.;
Jon G. Haindl, Cooks, Mich.;
William N. Brooks Jr., Elmer,
N.J.; Ray S. Meiggs Jr.,
Camden, N.C.; Donald J. Smith,
West Chester, Ohio; Dennis L.
The blessings of a good growing season are evident across the local countryside. The
beautiful greens and browns of growing corn and ready-to-harvest grain are enough to
make any true farmer feel grateful. The Pennsylvania Ag Statistics Service reports
mostly adequate to a surplus of moisture. Warmer temperature and showers have
helped to advance most field crops. A high percentage of hay cut was rated good to ex
cellent. Pasture conditions were conducive to normal or greater than normal grazing.
Fruits and vegetables were promising a much better crop than last year.
In the photo, like for many other farmers, grain harvest is under way in earnest. On
Tuesday afternoon, this photographer found Ken Neff on the combine and Keith Landis
providing grain transportation. To empty the grain bin while on the go takes a little
driver coordination, but it certainly keeps harvest moving. This barley harvest operation
scene was captured near Rohrer’s Mill between Strasburg and Gap in Lancaster
County. Photo by Everett Newswanger, editor
the past decade. Consolidation in
breeding cooperatives has
occurred since the 1960'5, but
large ventures with companies
based outside of the US have been
a recent development. This
partnering with companies from
other countries has blurred
national boundaries and
intermingled progeny testing
programs -We now have progeny
testing programs where original
daughters of progeny test bulls
are strategically located in more
than one country. International
evaluations provided by
INTERBULL are now essential to
our breeding programs. Current
international evaluations are
calculated and published for each
cooperating country, but
discussions have begun on
redefining international genetic
evaluations to focus on
management differences (such as
primary herd feeding strategy.
Slagell, Weatherford, Okla.;
Dee Ann G. Amstad, Hermiston,
Ore.; Michael K. Pixton,
Warden, Wash.; and John W.
Mommsen, Rice Lake, Wis.
The newly appointed im
porter members to the Potato
Board are Richard D. Beck,
Twin Falls, Idaho and Roberto
Meza Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Reappointed producer mem
bers are Robert L. Layton, Gil
bert, Ariz.; Douglas G. Gunnels,
Center, Colo; Frank C. Johns
Jr., Hastings, Fla.; Stanley Lynn
Loosli, Ashton, Idaho; Edward
A. Smith, Pocatello, Idaho; Carl
B. Taylor, Idaho Falls, Idaho;
Larry E. Reynen, HoUandale,
Minn.; Gregory R. Stocker, East
Grand Forks, Minn.; James P.
McCormick, Bliss, N.Y.; David
J. Hankey, Park River, N.D.;
Timothy I. Moomaw, Wooster,
Ohio; H. Bruce Richardson, Jr.,
Capeville, Va.; Brett E. Berge
son, Moses Lake, Wash.; Nelson
Y. Cox, Warden, Wash.; and
Kevin J. O’Rorke, Richland,
Wash.
The reappointed importer
The Blessings Of Harvest Time
herd size and climate) and not on
differences due to country and
political borders. >From a
scientific perspective, the idea of
genetic evaluations focused on
specific management factors is
much more appealing than genetic
evaluations focused on country
differences. However, no matter
what changes do occur, the US
will be one of the most important
sources of data on daughters of
progeny tested bulls in the
foreseeable future. Currently,
more bulls are progeny tested in
the US than any other country,
and this will likely continue
despite more integration of
progeny testing programs across
countries in the near future. In
addition, US dairy herds will
continue to be a major supplier of
young bulls for progeny testing in
the near future. This is due, in
part, to the fact that many other
countries do not have the dairy
Poster Contest Winners
HAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) Franklin County school
students were recently recog
nized by the Franklin County
Conservation District for their
winning posters in the district’s
annual poster contest.
This year’s theme was “On
The Verge Of A New Millen
nium: Today’s Lessons Shap
ing Tomorrow’s World.”
The poster contest is spon
sored yearly by the Franklin
County Conservation District to
county school students. The first
three places in each division
receive certificates and mone
tary awards.
Winners, listed in divisions,
are as follows;
Division Grades 10-12: No en
tries were received in this divi
sion.
Division Grades 7-9: First
members are Randy A.
Bauscher, Rupert, Idaho and
Sanjiv K. Kakkar, Princeton
Junctions, N.J.
Appointees will serve terms
beginning immediately and
ending on February 28,2003.
population size that is available in
the US. The US has over 9
million dairy cows compared with
most other western countries that
have a few million dairy cows or
less. For examples, France has
about 4.5 million cows, the
Netherlands has about 1.6 million
cows, and Canada has about 1.2
million cows. '
Changes in the dairy cattle
improvement industry will
continue to take place. Changes
may be more rapid than in past
decades, but our industry will
continue to adapt and adjust. The
nature of the dairy cattle breeding
industry requires that we think
globally and understand what is
happening on a wider scald" than
in the past. I encourage you to
keep up with changes in the dairy
industry and look at these changes
as new opportunities, not as
roadblocks or hurdles to
overcome.
Place: Hannah Ehrhart, Faust
Junior High School; Second
Place: lan Gefausio, Faust
Junior High School; Third
Place: Misty Bowermaster,
Franklin County Learning
Center.
Division Grades 4-6: First
Place: Maegan Myers, Fannett-
Metal Elementary School;
Second Place: Lance Umbrell,
Fannett-Metal Elementary
School. Third Place: Cassidy
McGee, Fannett-Metal Elemen
tary School.
Division Grades 2-3; No en
tries were received in this divi
sion.
Division Grades K-l: No en
tries were received in this divi
sion.
First place winning posters in
each division will be submitted
to the state competition spon
sored by the Pennsylvania Asso
ciation of Conservation
Districts. Awards in the state
competition will be presented at
King of Prussia at the Pennsyl
vania Association of Conserva
tion Districts Annual
Conference.