CDCB In The News
CDCB services are often covered in dairy trade publications and at industry events.
Striking a Balance: Genetic Superiority vs. Age
August 29, 2025
The days of just making dairy replacement females as fast and furious as possible have taken a back seat to making just enough of the “right” replacement heifers to minimize rising raising costs and maintaining the proper heifer inventories for replacing milking cows that leave the herd.
Selecting for Greater Parlor Efficiency is Possible
August 7, 2025
Dairy farmers now have a more powerful, long-term tool to affect the milking time of their herds with a new trait developed by the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB): milking speed, which became available for Holsteins in the August triannual genetic evaluations.
FFAR Grant Develops Solutions to Prevalent & Costly Dairy Cow Lameness
August 4, 2025
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, CattleEye LTD, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, Kinder Ground, and CATTLEytics are investing $2 million in a FFAR Seeding Solutions grant to support innovative strategies for early lameness detection and prevention that improve long-term outcomes on U.S. dairy farms.
Changes Slated for August Genetic Evaluations
July 24, 2025
When genetic evaluations are released on August 12, 2025, Holstein breeders will have a new selection trait to use and predicted transmitting abilities (PTAs) for calving traits will look a little bit different due to a base change.
Novel Milking Speed Trait is Highly Heritable
June 23, 2025
Soon, a new tool will be available to help make the milking process even more efficient and uniform: genetic selection for milking speed in Holsteins.
National Dairy Shrine Names 2025 Pioneer Award Honorees
May 5, 2025
Dr. Paul VanRaden and Dr. George Wiggans are honored together for their unparalleled impact on dairy cattle genetics and genomic evaluation. This duo developed and implemented much of the U.S. system for genetic evaluation, enabling more accurate and efficient selection of elite dairy animals.
National DHI Test-Day Somatic Cell Count Unchanged at 181,000
April 9, 2025
Nationally, the average 2024 DHI test-day herd SCC was 181,000 cells per milliliter, unchanged from 2023, according to a summary report from the Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) and compared to previous reports from CDCB and the USDA’s Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory.
Genetic Evaluations: Change is in the Air
March 31, 2025
The genetic bases to which (most) dairy traits are expressed in the U.S. have been updated every five years since 1980. This adjustment schedule allows PTAs to reflect genetic improvement over time while still maintaining stability in evaluations.
CDCB Connection
A monthly newsletter, details genetic evaluation updates and industry news.
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