2021 Upcoming Meetings

Dear Colleagues,

Please mark your calendar for two very interesting meetings scheduled for the first half of 2021!

Genomic-Free EBV Webinar

In recent years a lot of effort has been put on the development of single step methods for national routine evaluations.

During the Interbull Webinar on 11 February 2021, we will discuss possible solutions and recommendations on how countries with single step procedures in their national routine evaluations can produce genomic-free EBVs that can be used as input for the MACE evaluation.

Additional Background information is available on:
https://interbull.org/ib/Genomic-Free_EBV_Webinar

Registration:

Participants are required to register by Tuesday 9 February 2021 (17.00 CET) filling in the following doodle with name, organisation and e-mail address:

https://doodle.com/poll/nmz7338e6gu6ypmd?utm_source=poll&utm_medium=link

Date and time:

Thursday 11 February 2021, 14:00-15:30 CET.

Platform:

The Webinar will be hold on Zoom. The link to the event will be shared with registered participants only.

2021 ICAR and Interbull Annual Meeting: Call for Abstracts

The next ICAR-Interbull conference will be held from April 26 till April 30, 2021. It will be a virtual conference with the option to be present at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, the latter under the condition that the circumstances then will allow.

Further details, including full program and registration, are available on www.icar2021.nl.

Title and abstract submission for the 2021 ICAR Meeting is open until 30 January 2021 via https://www.icar2021.nl/abstracts/

Title and abstract submission for the 2021 Interbull Open Meetings is open until 1 March 2021! You will find further details and the option to submit your title and abstract on: https://interbull.org/ib/2021_interbull_meeting.

The overall theme for the Interbull Open meetings is "Innovations in national and international genetic and genomic evaluations"

Authors are invited to submit abstracts within the overarching above theme that specifically address the following topics:

• Sensor data applied to genetic and genomic evaluation

This topic provides the opportunity to share both practical experience and plans for implementing data from sensor devices into evaluation models.

• Big data and machine learning for the benefit of genetic and genomic evaluation.

An opportunity to share experiences in the use of big data (farm data, automatic recording, genomic data) and machine learning methods on small and large scales to benefit genetic and genomic evaluation

•  Meta-analytical methods in animal genetic and genomic evaluation.

Abstracts are invited to share the potential usage of meta-analysis in animal genetic evaluations.

• Experience with single-step evaluation.

In dairy cattle, some countries have implemented single step evaluations as the official method for their national evaluation, while others are in the implementation phase. We invite participants to share successes, challenges in the implementation and use of single step evaluations.

• Implementing new traits in genetic and genomic evaluation systems.

Current development within national evaluations related to inclusion of new traits. Challenges and benefits related to implementation, implementation scale and expectations for international evaluations.

• Cross-breed genetic and genomic evaluations.

This topic relates to challenges and solutions for evaluation of cross-bred animals (dairy x dairy and beef x dairy) and opens the discussion on the importance of particular traits in various regions as well as future breed composition, and possibilities for both national and international evaluations