Canadian implementation of genomic evaluations

Abstract

Effective August 2009, official genetic evaluations in Canada for the Holstein breed include genomic information in combination with traditional pedigree and progeny performance data. This follows the release by Canadian Dairy Network (CDN) of unofficial, research genomic evaluations on a monthly basis since April 2009. The main purpose of this paper is to summarize several elements of the official implementation of genomic evaluations in Canada.