Chief Scientific Officer STgenetics Navasota, Texas, United States
Abstract Authors: Pablo J. Ross
Abstract Text: Achieving higher efficiency in animal production systems is a critical goal in addressing the growing global demand for animal-derived food while minimizing environmental and resource use impacts. A powerful synergy has emerged through the integration of advanced reproductive technologies—such as artificial insemination (AI), sexed semen, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and juvenile in vitro embryo transfer (JIVET)—with genomic selection. Together, these tools provide both the means to create genetically superior animals more rapidly and to disseminate elite genetics widely and efficiently. Genomic selection has revolutionized animal breeding by enabling early and accurate estimation of genetic merit for production traits. This allows for more precise selection of animals with desirable characteristics such as milk, fat and protein production, reproductive performance, disease tolerance, carcass characteristics, and particularly feed efficiency—a trait of increasing importance for sustainable livestock production. Genomic selection is fundamental to the effective application of reproductive technologies, as it guides the identification of elite donor animals and informs strategic mating decisions to optimize genetic progress. Embryo-based technologies such as IVF and JIVET are pivotal in accelerating the rate of genetic gain. IVF allows for the repeated harvesting of oocytes from high-merit donor females, while JIVET extends this capacity to prepubertal animals, dramatically shortening generation intervals. This capacity for early and intensive embryo production makes it possible to rapidly multiply elite genotypes identified through genomic selection, enabling a faster turnover of generations and more intense selection pressure. These technologies are being intensively deployed in genetic nucleus herds for genetic advancement for subsequent dissemination across commercial populations. On the genetic dissemination side, artificial insemination with sexed semen plays a key role in maximizing the impact of superior genetics. By controlling offspring sex, producers can increase the number of replacement females in dairy systems or produce male-biased progeny in beef terminal systems, depending on production goals. Combined with genomic selection, artificial insemination using sexed semen allows for rapid propagation of high-merit traits across large herds, further amplifying the power of genetics for improving production efficiencies. In combination, genomic and reproductive technologies form the foundation of modern livestock genetic improvement programs leading to enhancing productivity and sustainability in animal production systems.
