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https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-barc/beltsville-agricultural-research-center/agil/aip/about/topical-summary-of-usda-dhia-evaluation-changes-1989-2013/

Topical summary of changes implemented in USDA-DHIA evaluations (1989–2013)


Genomics || U.S. yield traits || Foreign yield traits || Other traits || Delivery/base || Identification/inbreeding || Edits/corrections || Earlier history

Changes can also be listed chronologically
Topic Evaluation date Changes

Genomics August 2013
  • Version 2 of GeneSeek Genomic Profiler chip
  • Foreign and genomic information in parent averages
May 2013
  • Additional variables added to XML files
  • Information on GP2 chip
April 2013
  • Distribution and access to genomic evaluations
  • Use of a new chip with 76,867 markers
  • Ayrshire genomic evaluations
  • Weights used in genomic evaluations
December 2012
  • Correction and adjustment of health trait evaluations and reliabilities
  • Changes in HH1, HH3, and JH1 status
  • Automated processing of genotypes
August 2012
  • Additional Brown Swiss genotypes from Interbull
  • Updated chromosomal PTA query
December 2011
  • Adjustments to genomic evaluations and reliabilities
April 2012
  • Genomic evaluations using 6,909 markers
August 2011
  • Inclusion of British and Italian Holstein genotypes
  • Changes in marker edits
April 2011
  • Improved imputation
  • Genomic Reliability Discount
December 2010
  • Evaluations using 2,900 markers
August 2010
  • Improvements to imputed dam genotypes
  • Preliminary evaluations using 3,000 markers
  • Validation of genomic evaluations
April 2010
  • Cow adjustments in genomic evaluation of yield traits
  • Haplotypes used for imputing genotypes
  • Genotypes from Switzerland
  • Improved reliability for genomic evaluations
January 2010
  • Revised genomic evaluation methods
  • Web query to track genotypes
August 2009
  • Brown Swiss genomic evaluations
  • Revised marker set used in genomic predictions
  • Blending of genomic and current Interbull evaluations
April 2009
  • Revisions to genomic calculations
January 2009
  • Genomic evaluations become official
April 2008
  • Genomic prediction
 

U.S. yield traits April 2011
  • Adjustment of yield evaluations for all cows
April 2010
  • Cow adjustments in genomic evaluation of yield traits
January 2010
  • Net merit revision
January 2009
  • Multitrait best prediction
May 2007
  • All-breed animal model
  • Revisions to herd variance adjustment
August 2006
  • Lifetime net merit revised
May 2005
  • Herd-by-sire interaction variance
November 2000
  • Heritability increase for Jersey and Brown Swiss
August 2000
  • True protein replaced crude protein
February 1999
  • Lactation records computed from test-day data by best prediction
  • Factors to adjust for 3 milkings per day updated
November 1998
  • Cows in owner-sampler plans received predictied transmitting abilities (PTA's)
February 1998
  • Reliabilities of milk, fat, and protein combined into yield reliability
August 1997
  • Heritability increased to 30%, herd-sire interaction decreased to 10%, and permanent environment decreased to 15%
  • Deviations from management group mean limited to 4 standard deviations
  • Five Netherlands bulls received U.S. PTA's
February 1997
  • Owner-sampler and other records with type-of-test 40 to 77 used
  • Future milk prices forecast with a relative protein:fat ratio of 2:1
July 1996
  • Lactation weights computed from record standards variables instead of days in milk
January 1995
  • New adjustment factors for age, parity, season, and previous days open
  • Residual age-parity effects included in model
July 1994
  • Percentiles changed from milk-fat-protein dollars (MFP$) to net merit (bulls only)
January 1993
  • Animal model computations moved from Cornell to AIPL
July 1991
  • Heterogeneous variance adjustment began
January 1991
  • New lactation weights and expansion of partial records began (RIP dip adjustment)
January 1990
  • Records from later herds included in animal model
July 1989
  • Animal model implemented
  • Missing protein PTA's estimated
  • Percentiles changed from milk-fat dollars (MF$) to MFP$

Foreign yield traits
August 2012
  • Specific cow adjustments by country of evaluation for Holsteins
April 2012
  • Sire-dam multitrait across-country evaluation (MACE)
August 2010
  • Mexican cow records
January 2008
  • Interbull evaluations on Milking Shorthorn base
August 2007
  • Parent averages for young bulls
May 2001
  • Officiality rules changed
November 2000
  • Effective number of daughters used in Interbull reliabilities
February 2000
  • Foreign evaluations requested for more cow dams
November 1999
  • Foreign evaluations of parents included in cow evaluations
May 1999
  • Foreign evaluations of bull dams from more countries used in parent averages
February 1999
  • Use of Canadian dam data extended to other nations
May 1998
  • Interbull evaluations official for a larger number of bulls
February 1997
  • National and international evaluations released together
  • Interbull evaluations preferred when reliability is 5% higher than U.S. reliability except when U.S. reliability reaches 80%
January 1996
  • Reliabilities for foreign bulls account for imperfect genetic correlation
July 1995
  • For bulls with Canadian dams, converted Canadian data used for parent averages
January 1995
  • Conversions for European bulls replaced with Interbull multitrait across-country evaluations (MACE)
July 1993
  • Converted Canadian data provided on same day and in same format as U.S. data
January 1993
  • Canadian evaluations converted and combined with U.S. PTA's

Other traits April 2013
  • Calving-ease format change
December 2012
  • Correction and adjustment of health trait evaluations and reliabilities
  • PTA for days from calving to first insemination
  • New reproductive status and culling annual reports
August 2012
  • Revisions to heifer and cow conception rates
  • Mobility for Brown Swiss and additional traits for Milking Shorthorns
April 2012
  • Data cutoff date for sire conception rate
  • Sire-dam multitrait across-country evaluation (MACE)
April 2011
  • Multitrait heifer and cow conception rates
December 2010
  • Data sources for sire conception rate evaluations
August 2010
  • Conception rate evaluations for males and females
April 2010
  • Fertility data
January 2010
  • Net merit revision
  • Heifer and cow conception rates
January 2009
  • Cow and heifer conception rates
August 2008
  • Service sire conception rate
  • More traits of foreign sires used in cow evaluations
January 2008
  • Interbull fertility evaluations for breeds other than Holstein
  • Interbull evaluations on Milking Shorthorn base
  • Jersey, Brown Swiss, and Guernsey conformation composites
May 2007
  • All-breed animal model
  • Genetic trend for daughter pregnancy rate
  • Genetic trends for calving ease and stillbirth
  • Revisions to herd variance adjustment
August 2006
  • Lifetime net merit revised
February 2007
  • Fertility evaluations from Interbull
November 2006
  • Holstein stillbirth and Brown Swiss calving-ease (CE) evaluations from Interbull
August 2006
  • Productive life (PL) credits revised
  • Stillbirth and calving ability
  • Lifetime net merit revised
  • CE edits
May 2006
  • Bull fertility evaluation transferred to AIPL
  • Milking speed evaluations for Brown Swiss
  • Rear legs/rear view evaluations for Brown Swiss and Guernseys
February 2006
  • Daughter pregnancy rate (DPR) for foreign bulls
May 2005
  • CE edits
  • Interbull daughter CE
November 2004
  • Interbull longevity evaluations
May 2004
  • New variances for Jersey and and Brown Swiss type
  • Jersey Interbull type evaluations
February 2004
  • Pregnancy rate excludes embryo donors
  • Release of Interbull type evaluations for Ayrshire bulls
November 2003
  • Earlier evaluation of DPR
  • Fertility and CE in prediction of PL
August 2003
  • Fertility and calving ease in net merit
  • New variances for Ayrshire type traits
May 2003
  • New variances for type traits
  • Parent averages for net merit and DPR
February 2003
  • DPR evaluations introduced
  • Changes in type evaluations for non-Holstein breeds
November 2002
  • Release of Interbull type evaluations for Guernsey and Brown Swiss bulls
August 2002
  • Sire-maternal grandsire threshold model for CE
  • Adjustment for heterogeneous variance in genetic evaluation of type traits
February 2002
  • PL for embryo donors
November 2001
  • PL in discontinued herds
August 2001
  • Release of Interbull type evaluations for Jersey bulls
May 2001
  • Interbull SCS evaluations
  • Variance adjustments for Jersey type traits
  • Interbull conformation evaluations
November 2000
  • Revised correlations in multitrait PL
August 2000
  • Multitrait PL
  • Lifetime net merit
August 1999
  • Net merit calculated from Interbull evaluations that include SCS and PL evaluations based on 1 to 9 daughters; parent average previously used for those bulls
May 1999
  • Fluid and chees merit indexes and expected inbreeding available for cows
February 1999
  • Fluid and cheese merit indexes introduced
February 1998
  • Type data for breeds other than Holstein evaluated using a multitrait animal model
January 1996
  • Missing PL and SCS added to make net merit available for all cows
July 1995
  • Net merit, PL, and SCS provided for cows with records
January 1995
  • New multiplicative SCS age adjustment factors
July 1994
  • Direct and indirect measures of PL combined by Holstein Association
  • Missing PL and SCS added to provide net merit for all bulls
  • Reliability of net merit added
January 1994
  • PL, SCS, and net merit introduced

Delivery and base May 2013
  • Release rule changes
  • Additional variables added to XML files
April 2013
  • Distribution and access to genomic evaluations
April 2011
  • Chip type and genomic inbreeding in formats 38 and 105
April 2011
  • Chip type and genomic inbreeding in formats 38 and 105
January 2010
  • Base change
  • AIPL e-mail addresses
November 2010
August 2009
  • Proposed genetic base changes for January 2010
January 2008
  • New evaluation schedule
  • Interbull evaluations on Milking Shorthorn base
May 2007
  • All-breed animal model
November 2006
  • Additional release of yield evaluations for dairy goats
February 2005
  • Genetic base changes
August 2003
  • Changes to the Red-and-White elite cow list
August 2002
  • Changes to format-31 and -38 sire evaluation files
August 2001
  • Early release of bull ID information
  • Early release of official Interbull evaluations
February 2001
  • Delayed release of Interbull files
  • Development of comparison tables
  • Development of new e-mail notification list
August 2000
  • Genetic base changed to cows born in 1995
  • Genetic base changes for non-Holstein type traits
August 1999
  • Evaluation start moved 1 week later, allowing an additional week of data to be included
February 1999
  • Bull rankings provided on web and automatically by e-mail
May 1997
  • Frequency of evaluations increased to 4 times per year
February 1997
  • Public access to cow and bull PTA's provided at AIPL web site
January 1995
  • Genetic base changed to cows born in 1990
July 1989
  • Genetic base changed to cows born in 1985

Identification and inbreeding August 2013
  • New fertility and stillbirth haplotypes and changes in haplotype status
  • Six digit cow control numbers
December 2012
  • Changes in HH1, HH3, and JH1 status
  • Automated processing of genotypes
August 2012
  • Genomic and pedigree inbreeding match better
December 2011
  • Maternal grandsire detection and discovery
August 2011
  • Reporting of haplotypes that affect fertility
April 2010
  • Breed-specific markers
August 2008
  • Genetic evaluations for clones
  • Reporting genetic recessive codes
August 2007
  • Breed composition file for crossbreds
  • Adjustments to all-breed model
  • Revised definition of Interbull type-of-proof code
  • Correction of bull (ID) numbers with more than nine digits
May 2007
  • All-breed animal model
February 2007
  • Elimination of duplicate evaluations for Red-and-White bulls and related format-38 changes
November 2006
  • Ayrshire and Red Dairy Cattle breed codes
  • Series-840 animal ID numbers
November 2003
  • Measure of pedigree completeness
November 2001
  • Specification of clones
August 2001
  • Determination of preferred ID
May 2001
  • Inclusion of crossbred cows from upgrading programs
November 2000
  • Canadian and American ID checking
August 2000
  • Foreign bull pedigree added
  • Cross-references generated from cow control number
May 2000
  • Cross-references derived from cow control number
February 2000
  • Inbreeding sample included more complete pedigrees
  • Error detection improved for country codes in ID numbers
November 1999
  • Foreign ID may be preferred over U.S. ID
May 1999
  • Maternal grandsire and birth date supplied for international bulls
February 1999
  • New sampling procedures used for expected inbreeding
November 1998
  • Registry status and recessive codes provided
February 1998
  • Formats displayed international ID numbers and 4-digit years
  • Expected inbreeding of future progeny provided to help identify outcross bulls
January 1994
  • Inbreeding calculated and used in relationship matrix inverse
July 1989
  • Red-and-White breed data combined with Holstein data

Edits and corrections December 2012
  • Correction and adjustment of health trait evaluations and reliabilities
  • Automated processing of genotypes
February 2007
  • Consistency in reporting abortions
  • Designation of breedings with sexed semen
May 2004
  • Detection of abnormally high test-day yields for goats
August 2003
  • Calculation of owner-sampler percentage
  • Calculation of data collection rating (DCR)
  • Edits applied to owner-sampler herds
May 2003
  • Detection and adjustment of abnormal test day yields
August 2002
  • Detection and adjustment of outlier test-day yields
  • Addition of initiation code to lactation record
August 2001
  • Evaluations and edits for owner-sampler data
May 2001
  • Edits for long lactations
  • Goat data edits and queries
  • Correction of protein lactation records
February 2001
  • Improvements in checking for twins
November 2000
  • 3-character error codes
May 2000
  • High-ranking grade designation corrected
  • First-herd designation corrected
  • Usable-herd designation corrected
  • Reporting of test-day errors
February 2000
  • Editing improved for test-day data
November 1999
  • Different tests included when cows change herds
May 1999
  • Cows required to be tested in first 90 instead of 75 days of lactation
February 1999
  • New test-day edits and new programs to accommodate American ID installed
January 1993
  • Improved editing system installed

Earlier history 1862–1992
 

Last Modified: 07/22/2021