# Presentation: 526482

## USDA Dairy Goat Genetic Evaluation Program

## USDA Dairy Goat Evaluations

**Evaluations for milk, fat, protein, and type**
**Yield evaluations in July **
**	****Type evaluations in December **
**Evaluations provided to ADGA, DRPC, and publicly via the Internet**

## Data Flow

**FARM**

**COMPONENT TEST LAB**

**DRPC**

| Center | Data Sent to AIPL |
| --- | --- |
| DRMS – NC | Daily |
| DHI-Provo – UT | Daily |
| Agri-Tech – CA | 2x/week |
| AgSource – WI | Weekly |
| Langston - OK | Monthly |

**AIPL**

**ADGA**

**INTERNET**

**Milk Data collected monthly **

**DHIA**

## Does Contributing Data from Test Day Nearest June 30th, 2003 By Processing Center

| Center | Herds | Does | Percent of Does |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DRMS | 142 | 2529 | 35.0 |
| DHI-Provo | 162 | 2449 | 33.8 |
| Agri-Tech | 21 | 835 | 11.5 |
| AgSource | 26 | 727 | 10.0 |
| Langston | 90 | 694 | 9.6 |
| Total | 441 | 7234 |  |

## Alpine Milk ProductionLactation Curve

## Alpine Fat PercentageLactation Curve

## Alpine Protein PercentageLactation Curve

## Alpine and Nubian Milk Production Second Lactation

**Alpine and Nubian Milk Production ****Second Lactation**

**Alpine**

**Nubian**

## Nubian Fat and Protein PercentageSecond Lactation

**Fat**

**Protein**

## Genetic Improvement Program

**Phenotype = Genotype + Environment**
**Genetic improvement programs only change genotype**
**Heritability is the portion of total variation due to genetics**
**Rate of genetic improvement determined by**
**generation interval**
**selection intensity**
**heritability**

## Factors Affecting Value of Data

**Completeness of ID and parentage reporting**
**Years herd on test**
**Size of herd**
**Frequency of testing and component determination**

## Evaluation Calculation

**Goal**
**predict productivity of progeny**
**Method**
**separate genetic component from other factors influencing evaluated traits**
**All relationships are considered**
**bucks receive evaluations from the records on their female relatives**

## Yield Evaluation Model

**MODEL:****	****y   =   hys + hs + pe + a + e**
**y**** = yield of milk, fat, or protein during a lactation**
**hys ****= herd-year-season**
**-  accounts for environmental effects common to does kidding in the same herd in the same season**
**hs**** = herd-sire**
**-  effect common to daughters of a buck in the same herd**
**pe**** = permanent environment**
**-  effect common to all a doe's lactations that is not genetic**
**a**** = animal genetic effect (breeding value)**
**e ****= unexplained residual**

## Index of Yield Evaluations

**Milk-Fat-Protein Dollars (****MFP$****) combines evaluations into a single number **

## Breeding Value Trend for Milk

## Breeding Value Trend for Fat

## Breeding Value Trend for Protein

## Type Traits

**Measure of similarity to ideal **
**Final Score (overall assessment)**
**	****scored  50-99**
**Linear traits (13 defined traits)**
**	****scored 1-50**

## Linear Traits

**Stature - ****Height at withers**
**Strength - ****Width and depth of chest, width of muzzle**
**Dairyness - ****Sharpness and flatness of bone, etc.**
**Teat diameter - ****Measured at base **
**Rear Legs - ****Angle of the hock, side view**

## Linear Traits

**Rump Angle - ****Angle from hips to pins**
**Rump Width - ****Width of pelvis**
**Fore Udder Attachment - ****Strength of attachment**
**Rear Udder Height - ****Distance from vulva to top of udder**

## Linear Traits

**Rear Udder Arch - ****Width and shape of rear udder attachment**
**Udder Depth - ****Measured relative to hocks**
**Medial Suspensory Ligament - ****Measure of udder cleft**
**Teat Placement - ****Distance between teats**

## Type Evaluation Model

**MODEL:****	****y   =   h + a + p + e**
**y**** = adjusted type record**
**h ****= herd appraisal date**
**a**** = animal genetic effect (breeding value)**
**p**** = permanent environment**
**-  effect common to all a doe's lactations that is not genetic**
**e ****= unexplained residual**
**Multi-trait evaluation allows scores from one trait to affect the evaluation of another trait through the genetic correlations among the traits. **

## Recent Type Appraisal Data

|  | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Alpine | 1293 | 1050 | 1072 | 1341 | 1038 |
| Nubian | 1393 | 1286 | 1319 | 1299 | 1081 |
| Toggenburg | 592 | 587 | 473 | 672 | 474 |
| LaMancha | 875 | 635 | 719 | 667 | 627 |
| Saanen | 426 | 459 | 389 | 659 | 502 |
| Oberhasli | 370 | 216 | 254 | 323 | 301 |
| Experimental | 253 | 198 | 191 | 269 | 210 |

## Type Trait Genetic Correlations 

|  | Final Score | Strength | Dairyness | Fore Udder Attachment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Final Score | 1.00 | .30 | -.15 | .66 |
| Strength | .30 | 1.00 | -.51 | .15 |
| Dairyness | -.15 | -.51 | 1.00 | -.16 |
| F. Udder Att. | .66 | .15 | -.16 | 1.00 |

## Breeding Value Trend for Type

## Accuracy of Evaluations

**Number of does kidding in same hys**
**more records ******** better estimate of hys effect**
**Number of bucks with daughters having records in same hys**
**more direct comparisons ******** better ranking of bucks**
**Number of lactation records**
**Number of daughters**
**Completeness of pedigree data**

## Selection is a Continuous Decision Making Process

**Which does to breed**
**     ****Which bucks to use**
**          ****Which specific matings**
**               ****Avoiding inbreeding**
**                    ****Correction of faults**
**                         ****Which kids to raise**
**                              ****Which kids to breed**
**                                   ****Which does to milk**

## Selection is a Continuous Decision Making Process

***The greatest impact on progress is from selection of bucks***

## Program for Genetic Improvement

**Dairy cattle program based on:  **
**Artificial insemination (****AI****)**
**Allows for many progeny from superior males**
**Allows semen to be used in geographically diverse locations**
**Progeny testing (****PT****)**
**Use young males to get a representative group of daughters**
**Wait until those daughters are milking**
**Based on the evaluations, return the best males to heavy use**

## Dairy Cattle Improvement Program

**About 1 in 10 PT bulls become active**
**Bulls remain active only a few years**
**Young bulls waiting for daughter records are not active**
**Intensive selection program**

## Steps to Increase Rate of Improvement in Goats

**Employ AI to use better bucks in more herds**
**Focus on larger herds to improve accuracy**
**Identify young bucks for PT**

## Alternative to Waiting for PT

**Use young bucks for most breedings**
**Replace bucks quickly **
**Bank semen of young bucks**
**Use frozen semen from superior proven bucks as sires of next generation of young bucks**

## AIPL Web Services

_**[http://aipl.arsusda.gov/query/public/tdb.shtml#GoatsTBL](http://aipl.arsusda.gov/query/public/tdb.shtml#GoatsTBL)**_
**Queries provide display of:**
**pedigree information**
**yield records**
**herd test characteristics **
**genetic evaluations of does & bucks**
**yield**
**Type**
**Access information using:**
**ID number**
**animal name**
**herd code**

## http://aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=shgoat&single

**http://aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=shgoat&single**

## Slide 35

## http://aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=getbuck&single

**http://aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=getbuck&single**

## Slide 37

## http://aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=goatherderr&single

**http****://****aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=goatherderr&single**

## Slide 39

## Slide 40

## http://aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=shgprog&single

**http://aipl.arsusda.gov/cgi-bin/general/Qpublic/do.Q.cgi?qname=shgprog&single**

## Slide 42

## Recent Changes

**New web query for accessing data by animal name**
**Yield data since 1998 extracted from the master file each run**
**incorporates corrections, deletions, and ID changes**
**Standardized yields back to 1974 available**

## Possible Enhancements

**Add evaluations for more traits**
**Productive Life**
**Somatic Cell Score**
**Daughter Pregnancy Rate**
**Switch to test day model**
**Provides better accounting for environment**
**Accounts for genetic differences  in shape of lactation curve**

## Slide 45