THE INCEPTION OF SEXED SEMEN HAS ALLOWED DAIRY PRODUCERS TO GENERATE REPLACEMENT HEIFERS FROM THEIR BEST ANIMALS AND MATE THEIR REMAINING COWS TO BEEF SEMEN TO PRODUCE ADDED-VALUE CROSSBRED CALVES. THOUGH PRE-WEANED CROSSBRED CALVES ARE REALIZING HIGHER PRICES THAN HOLSTEIN BULL CALVES, POST-WEANING EFFICIENCY AND CARCASS PERFORMANCE REPORTS INDICATE THAT BEEF ×DAIRY DO NOT CONSISTENTLY OUTPERFORM PUREBRED HOLSTEIN STEERS. THERE IS A NEED FOR PUBLIC SELECTION CRITERIA FOR BEEF ON DAIRY MATINGS TO PRODUCE CROSSBRED CALVES THAT PERFORM CONSISTENTLY IN THE US BEEF PRODUCTION SYSTEM.WE WILL USE FARM DATA TO INVESTIGATE IF BEEF SERVICE SIRES IMPACT CALVING EASE AND SUBSEQENT LACTATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF HOLSTEIN COWS TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE NOT UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES TO THE DAIRY PRODUCER WHEN MATINGBEEF×DAIRY. WE WILL ALSO DETERMINE IF THE GENETICS THAT BEEF BULLS CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR NATIVE PROGENY'S CARCASS PERFORMANCE INFLUENCE THE CARCASS PERFORMANCE OFBEEF×DAIRY PROGENY DIFFERENTLY. FINALLY, WE WILL DISSEMINATE OUR FINDINGS THROUGH VARIOUS METHODS OF EXTENSION PROGRAMMING AND ENSURE THAT THE NEEDS OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS ARE CONSIDERED WHEN SELECTING SIRES TO UTILIZE IN BEEF×DAIRY MATINGS.THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AND PROGRAMMING WILL DIRECTLY IMPROVE GENETIC SELECTION METHODS FOR BEEF × DAIRY CROSSBREEDING AND SUSTAINABLY INTEGRATE THE BEEF AND DAIRY INDUSTRY. FURTHER, IT WILL HELP PREPARE THE FELLOW FOR AN ACADEMIC CAREER IN RESEARCH AND EXTENSION.

The Pennsylvania State University

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