Animal Improvement Program

Welcome to the Animal Improvement Program!

In April 2014, the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL) and the Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory (BFGL) were merged to form the Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory (AGIL). The mission of AGIL is to discover and develop improved methods for the genetic and genomic evaluation of economically important traits of dairy animals and small ruminants and to conduct fundamental genomics-based research aimed at improving their health and productive efficiency.

As part of the merger, the main AIPL research project on the discovery and development of improved methods for the genetic and genomic evaluation of economically important traits of dairy animals was renamed the Animal Improvement Program (AIP).

Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB)

USDA Research Partnership

CDCB and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) work closely to research and develop genetic tools that have benefitted dairy herds worldwide.

USDA is the federal department that provides leadership on agriculture, food and related topics based on public policy and the best available science. World-renowned scientists at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory (AGIL) perform rigorous research to develop and test new genetic and genomic methodologies. This research supports top-quality evaluations, data integrity and implementation of technology and new scientific learnings.

Until 2013, USDA also performed the service functions related to the U.S. database and genetic evaluations. A Non-funded Cooperative Agreement first implemented on March 27, 2013, clarified that USDA would focus on world-class research. CDCB assumed full responsibility to maintain the national cooperator database, compute results and distribute genomic and genetic evaluations.

This collaboration is foundational to the success of the U.S. dairy genetic system.