Robert E. McDowell’s professional career as a researcher, teacher and consultant spanned six decades, starting in 1946 as a research scientist at USDA’s Beltsville laboratory, then serving 20 years on the faculty of Cornell University (1966-1986) rising to Professor Emeritus, and after retirement to his home state becoming a Visiting Professor at North Carolina State University for another 20 years.McDowell’s ground-breaking research on crossbreeding, evaluation of indigenous and European dairy breeds in the tropics, livestock production and dairy records continues to inform and be cited by the current generation of dairy scientists.

“Even 20 years later, Dr. McDowell’s review is regarded as one of the most valuable investments ever made by the AJCC Research Foundation,” commented AJCA’s Smith. “‘Some Indications about Jerseys’ is an essential part of the information packet that our organization distributes to students across the world and also dairy producers who are considering adding Jerseys to their herds.

From the late 1970s through the ’80s, John M. White of the Virginia Tech faculty was a key contributor to the development and implementation of breeding tools and programs that helped advance the Jersey breed.

In the area of applied dairy cattle genetics, Dr. White utilized extensive data from the American Jersey Cattle Association, among other sources, to help develop procedures for improving the accuracy of sire and female genetic evaluation procedures.

An innovative educator who received three different awards for teaching excellence in the late 1970s, White was one of the first to utilize computers in his teaching. Starting in 1969, he used computer simulations in a senior-level class to demonstrate the effectiveness of genetic selection methods. It contributed to the academic climate at Virginia Tech that fostered development of MAXBULL, a computer program written by Mike McGilliard and John Clay to optimize sire selection relative to herd goals.

With the benefit of hindsight, however, Dr. White’s longest-lasting contribution to the Jersey breed came through his leadership of the Jersey Research Panel, appointed in 1985 by then-president C. L. Collins Jr. to evaluate the state of Jersey research. The panel’s discussions led to the formulation of five priority areas for Jersey research and, more importantly, the declaration of a five-year campaign to raise $1 million for the AJCC Research Foundation endowment.

“Jersey youth are drawn to Virginia Tech because of the excellence of its programs,” noted the AJCA’s CEO Neal Smith. “Jersey producers in not only Virginia, but across the United States and the world, benefit directly from its extension services. Virginia Tech dairy scientists, working with one of the few university dairy herds that includes Registered Jerseys™, have answered questions of importance to all Jersey breeders through a vigorous research program.”

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