DairyTalk 684: Pedigrees Are Not Enough: Why Genomic Inbreeding Matters for Bull Fertility - by Helmut Demmelhuber

DairyTalk by Helmut Demmelhuber · Sep 23, 2026 · 17m

This podcast episode is based on a scientific study examining the relationship between inbreeding and semen production in Japanese Holstein bulls. The analysis found that inbreeding increased substantially after genomic selection was introduced in 2009, highlighting a potential biological cost of faster genetic progress. A measurable inbreeding-depression effect was identified for semen volume, while the strength of the association varied across different chromosomes. This suggests that managing bull fertility may require more than monitoring a single overall inbreeding coefficient, with…