March 16, 2000
St. Louis, Missouri
ACTION SUMMARY
ANNUAL MEETING
The Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding held its first annual meeting as a nonprofit corporation. Doug Blair, Calvin Covington, Dale Eade, Lloyd Ebersole, Pete Giacomini, Bob Holterman, Steve Kerr, Tom Lawlor and Paul Miller were elected as Directors for the year 2000. Chuck Sattler was elected Chairman and Paul Miller was elected Vice Chairman. Following the annual meeting, a Board of Directors meeting was held.
QCS REPORT
Twenty-five field services, 47 laboratories, 35 meter centers, 61 meter technicians and six processing centers have been certified by QCS for providing data and services to the genetic evaluation program. The Field Service Advisory Committee and Laboratory Advisory Committee are scheduled to meet on June 29-30. The Audit Review Committee will meet in August to consider any changes needed in auditing procedures. The Audit Review Committee will forward any recommendations to the Council for action at the Council's fall Board meeting.
The Council authorized the Audit Review Committee to make minor revisions to the auditing procedure manuals (centering period months, standard clarifications, etc.). The Council also authorized QCS to charge an additional fee for follow-up visits when certification cannot be issued during the first visit. The Council discussed handling of the post-audit surveys to assure the Council has meaningful information to evaluate the auditing process.
ADVANCE NOTICE OF PROPOSALS
Concern was expressed about the opportunity to provide input prior to actions being taken by the Council. The Council developed the procedure whereby all members will be notified of issues being considered by Council committees and allowed time to provide input on these issues prior to when the committee forms its recommendations and forwards them to the Council.
TRUE PROTEIN
A committee of Pete Giacomini, Chairman; Jim Boyer; Calvin Covington; Paul Miller; Roger Neitzel; Ryan Starkenburg; Kevin Steffens; Bill Thompson; Bill VerBoort and Jamie Zimmerman met in February to organize a timely and effective transition to the testing and reporting of true protein. The Council made the following recommendations:
| 1)
|
Beginning with samples collected on May 1, 2000 and thereafter, all protein determinations will be on a true protein basis. | |
| 2) |
All protein determinations for samples collected prior to May 1, 2000 will continue to be on a crude protein basis. | |
| 3) | All DHI protein data will be actual with no conversions. | |
| 4) |
DRPC=s and breed associations are recommended to identify transition records. Transition records are records with at least one crude protein and one true protein record. | |
| 5) |
Breed associations, DHI service providers, AI organizations and others represented through membership in the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding may adjust records to a common protein basis using specific methods approved by the Council. | |
| 6) |
The approved method for adjustment of true protein to crude protein is to add 0.19 to the percent true protein for the test or record period. When crude protein is to be adjusted to true protein, the procedure to do so is to subtract 0.19 from the percent crude protein for the test or record period. Lactation and lifetime totals may also be computed using this method. Any adjustments should be identified. |
TEST DAY MODEL
Duane Norman reviewed the AIPL research in developing the first phase of using test day records in genetic evaluations. AIPL submitted evaluations to Interbull to evaluate the new evaluation model as well as the base change. Interbull found the new procedures acceptable. The new procedures provided a slight improvement on the repeatability of lactation yields and the heritability of genetic merit estimates.
USDA administrators decided they cannot move forward in implementing this new evaluation model because the technology is protected with a patent held by the Cornell Research Foundation. The Council will need to work out an agreement with Cornell for use of test day model technology if USDA is to move forward with the new procedures. The Council recommended that AIPL continue with genetic evaluations using the current animal model. The Council also established a small group of Council members to make inquiries with Cornell to determine the cost of licensing the test day model technology.
NET MERIT
AIPL provided the Council with eleven abstracts of research papers they will be presenting at this summer=s ADSA meetings. AIPL provided updates on the base change, multi-trait productive life computations and the calculation of the relative emphasis of US daughter information in Interbull evaluations.
Paul VanRaden presented an overview of the proposed lifetime Net Merit. It is planned to publish the new Net Merit in August 2000. The Council recommended that AIPL publish only Net Merit and not the subindexes used to derive it.
AMERICAN ID
Updates on developments in the identification area were presented. It was recommended the Council send a letter to APHIS in support of the proposed rule changes regarding official identification published in the Federal Register. The Council also moved to establish a task force to further define American ID standards.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting was tentatively scheduled for October 19, 2000 in St. Louis, Missouri.
