The primary focus of our research program is the improvement of dairy cow health and well-being as we continue to breed for higher levels of milk yield and milk production efficiency. We have demonstrated that genetic selection for stable body weight and body condition can help maintain high levels of cow health in high yielding and efficient dairy cows; however, our research also suggests that adopting more efficient farm management systems in order to facilitate the economic survival of dairy farms has not benefited cow health. We have researched the use of dairy farm records as a potential source of health records for direct selection for disease resistance, and continue to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of crossbreeding programs in regard to cow performance. We are also continuing to develop evaluation methods that estimate and demonstrate genetic trends for individual dairy farms.
I teach all or part of the following courses:
Principles of Animal Breeding
Dairy Problem Solving
Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Selection
Dairy Farm Management Systems
Introduction to Dairy Science at Penn State
