Chad Dechow

Employment

• Associate Professor of Dairy Cattle Genetics. Department of Dairy and Animal Science. The Pennsylvania State University. July 1, 2009
• Assistant Professor of Dairy Cattle Genetics. Department of Dairy and Animal Science. The Pennsylvania State University. Starting date of employment: August 1, 2003 - June 30, 2009
• Instructor of Dairy Science. Department of Agricultural Science, S.U.N.Y. Morrisville. January 2003 - May 2003

Research and Teaching Interests

The primary focus of our research program is the improvement of dairy cow health and well-being as we continue to breed for higher levels of milk yield and milk production efficiency. We have demonstrated that genetic selection for stable body weight and body condition can help maintain high levels of cow health in high yielding and efficient dairy cows; however, our research also suggests that adopting more efficient farm management systems in order to facilitate the economic survival of dairy farms has not benefited cow health. We have researched the use of dairy farm records as a potential source of health records for direct selection for disease resistance, and continue to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of crossbreeding programs in regard to cow performance. We are also continuing to develop evaluation methods that estimate and demonstrate genetic trends for individual dairy farms.

I teach all or part of the following courses:

• Principles of Animal Breeding
• Dairy Problem Solving
• Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Selection
• Dairy Farm Management Systems
• Introduction to Dairy Science at Penn State

Publications

Dechow, C.D., E.A., Smith, and R.C. Goodling. 2011. The effect of management system on mortality and other welfare indicators in Pennsylvania dairy herds. Anim. Welfare. 20:145-158.

Vallimont, J.E., C.D. Dechow, J.M. Daubert, M.W. Dekleva, J.W. Blum, C.M. Barlieb, W. Liu, G.A. Varga, A.J. Heinrichs, and C.R. Baumrucker. 2011. Short communication: Heritability of gross feed efficiency and associations with yield, intake, residual intake, body weight, and body condition score in 11 commercial Pennsylvania tie stalls. J. Dairy Sci. 94:2108-2113.

  Dechow, C.D. 2011. Short Communication: Farm and socioeconomic characteristics of the top 100 dairy farm counties in the US. J Dairy Sci. 94: 2972-2976.

  Vallimont, J.E., C.D. Dechow, J.M. Daubert, M.W. Dekleva, J.W. Blum, C.M. Barlieb, W. Liu, G.A. Varga, A.J. Heinrichs, and C.R. Baumrucker. 2010. Genetic parameters of feed intake, production, body weight, body condition score, and selected type traits of Holstein cows in commercial tie-stall barns. J Dairy Sci. 93:4892-4901.

Contributions to Terry Etherton's Blog on Biotechnology

• Guilt Free Animal Abuse?
• Will Animal Agriculture Continue to Exist?
• Consumer-Farmer Price Difference for rBST Free Milk Demonstrates Retail Price Gouging
• Farms and Cows go Bankrupt as Land O Lakes Reports Record Profits
• The end of the Large Family Dairy Farm Era?
• Dairy Industry Draws Animal Welfare Target on its Own Back