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Full Schedule

  • Sunday, July 12, 2026
  • 4-page Papers
  • Video Competition Nominees
  • 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM CT
    Oral/Poster Pitch Presentation Upload Hours
  • 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM CT
    Registration Desk Hours
  • 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM CT
    Opening Ceremony - Sponsored by Angus Genetics Inc.
  • 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM CT
    Opening Reception
  • Monday, July 13, 2026
  • 4-page Papers
  • Video Competition Nominees
  • 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM CT
    Registration Desk Hours
  • 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM CT
    Poster Help Desk/Upload Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM CT
    Oral/Poster Pitch Presentation Upload Hours
  • 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM CT
    Plenary 1: Genomic Selection - The Next 25 Years - Sponsored by SEMEX
  • 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Duel 1: What’s the Role of Livestock in Food Production Systems of the Future?
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Efficiency and Sustainability 1: Making Every Bite Count: Exploring the Genetic Complexity of Feed Efficiency
    Chair: Troy N. Rowan, PhD – University of Tennessee
    Chair: Ee Cheng Ooi, MVS PhD – AbacusBio
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Estimation and Prediction 1: Genomic Prediction 1
    Chair: Daniela Lourenco – Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
    Chair: Ivan Pocrnic – The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Integrating New Technology in Breeding Programs: Advanced Genetic and Reproductive Biotechnologies
    Chair: Maci L. Mueller, PhD – Kansas State University
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Omics Genetics and Networks 1
    Chair: Ángela Cánovas – University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
    Chair: Antonio Reverter, PhD – CSIRO
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Phenomics 1: Seeing the Herd: Computer Vision for Behaviour and Welfare
    Chair: Joao Dorea, PhD – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Monday Lunch Workshop: Beyond the Genome: Epic Arrays and the Methylation Moment - Presented by Illumina
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Monday Lunch Workshop: Genetic Solutions for Disease Resilience: The Future of Sustainable Pork Production - Presented by TopigsNorsvin
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Beef Cattle 1
    Chair: Robert L.. Weaber, PhD – Kansas State University
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Breeding Goals and Selection 1
    Chair: Henk Bovenhuis – Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Estimation and Prediction 2: Genetic Parameter Estimation 1
    Chair: Gustavo de los Campos – Michigan State University
    Chair: Saif Agha – The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits: From Causal Variant Discovery to Selection Signatures 1
    Chair: Jicai Jiang, PhD – North Carolina State University
    Chair: Hao Cheng – University of California Davis
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Genetics of Resilience 1
    Chair: Andrea Doeschl-Wilson, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of Edinburgh
    Chair: Brian W. Kirkpatrick, PhD – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Genetic Gain and Inbreeding 1
    Chair: Torsten Pook, PhD – Wageningen University & Research
    Chair: Haipeng Yu, n/a – University of Florida
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Genetics of Resilience 2
    Chair: Patricia L. Johnson – Bioeconomy Science Institute
    Chair: Brian W. Kirkpatrick, PhD – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Insect-IMP: Genetics of Farmed Insects
    Chair: Jana Obsteter – Agricultural Institute of Slovenia
    Chair: Gertje Petersen, PhD – LAVES Institut für Bienenkunde Celle
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Multi-Omics Analysis 1: Integration of Functional and Multi-Omics Information in Prediction
    Chair: Ruidong Xiang – Agriculture Victoria, Bundoora, Australia; La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
    Chair: Oscar González-Recio, PhD – The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Swine 1
    Chair: Austin M. Putz, PhD – Iowa State University
  • Tuesday, July 14, 2026
  • 4-page Papers
  • Video Competition Nominees
  • 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM CT
    Poster Help Desk/Upload Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT
    Registration Desk Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM CT
    Oral/Poster Pitch Presentation Upload Hours
  • 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM CT
    Plenary 2: Survival of the Fittest - Selecting for Sustainable Ruminant Livestock
  • 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Duel 2: What Genetic Improvement Strategies and Technologies Should Be Prioritized For Livestock in the Developing World?
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Dairy Cattle 1: Global Dairy Genomics in Diverse Systems: Crossbreds, Health, Milk Quality, and Sustainability
    Chair: Colin Lynch, MSc – University of Guelph
    Chair: Filippo Miglior – Guelph University
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Efficiency and Sustainability 2: No Longer Just Hot Air: Translating Ruminant Emissions Traits to Genetic Solutions for Environmental Sustainability
    Chair: Allison Fleming – Lactanet Canada
    Chair: Caeli Richardson – AbacusBio
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Global Breeding Programs 1
    Chair: Paul J. Boettcher, PhD – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    GxE 1: Integrating G x E x M for Genetic Prediction
    Chair: Mario PL Calus, PhD – Wageningen University & Research
    Chair: Guilherme J. M. Rosa – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Sequencing and Pangenomes 1
    Chair: Ben D. Rosen, PhD – USDA-ARS
    Chair: Hubert Pausch – ETH Zürich Animal Genomics
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Tuesday Lunch Workshop: Past to Future: 100 Years of Pioneer Hybrids to Genome Editing - Presented by Corteva
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Tuesday Lunch Workshop: What Really Works in Production: Real-World Strategies for NGS Genotyping and Analysis at Scale - Presented by Curio Genomics
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Diversity, Conservation and Breeding 1: Current Frontiers in Genomic Diversity Analysis
    Chair: Mirte Bosse – Wageningen University & Research and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Genetic Gain and Inbreeding 2
    Chair: Ricardo Pong-Wong – The Roslin Institute, Easter Bush Campus, University of Edinburgh
    Chair: Haipeng Yu, n/a – University of Florida
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Multi-Omics Analysis 2: Integration of Functional and Multi-Omics Information in Prediction
    Chair: Amanda J. Chamberlain – Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, 5 Ring Rd, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia ; School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia
    Chair: Hao Cheng – University of California Davis
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Phenomics 2: From Pixels to Predictions: Imaging and Spectral Phenotyping for Genetic Evaluation
    Chair: Anderson A.C Alves, PhD – Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Sheep and Goats 1
    Chair: Alessandra Stella – Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology, National Research Council (CNR)
    Chair: Andrew S. Hess, PhD – University of Nevada Reno
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Aquaculture 1: Pushing Frontiers of Breeding
    Chair: Gareth Frank Difford, PhD – Norwegian University of Life Science (NMBU)
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Breeding for Sustainability 1 - Sponsored by SEMEX
    Chair: Jan Lassen – VikingGenetics and QGG, Aarhus University
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Estimation and Prediction 3: Artificial Intellegence and Machine Learning
    Chair: Juan P. Steibel – Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
    Chair: Wen Huang – Michigan State University
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Non-Additive and Epigenetics
    Chair: Pascal Duenk – Wageningen University & Research, Animal Breeding and Genomics
    Chair: Zulma G. Vitezica – INRAE
    Chair: Luis Varona – Universidad de Zaragoza
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Swine 2
    Chair: Mark Knauer – North Carolina State University
  • Wednesday, July 15, 2026
  • 4-page Papers
  • Video Competition Nominees
  • 7:30 AM - 1:00 PM CT
    Poster Help Desk/Upload Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM CT
    Registration Desk Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Oral/Poster Pitch Presentation Upload Hours
  • 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Efficiency and Sustainability 3: Innovations in Sustainability Genetics Across Livestock Species
    Chair: Caeli Richardson – AbacusBio
    Chair: Allison Fleming – Lactanet Canada
  • 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits: From Causal Variant Discovery to Selection Signatures 2
    Chair: Wen Huang – Michigan State University
    Chair: Hao Cheng – University of California Davis
  • 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Genetics of Resilience 3
    Chair: Luiz F. Brito, PhD – Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA
    Chair: Brian W. Kirkpatrick, PhD – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Phenomics 3: Always On: Wearables, Sensors and Smart Animal Monitoring
    Chair: Tiago Bresolin, n/a – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM CT
    Estimation and Prediction 4: Genetic Parameter Estimation 2 - Sponsored by Genetics and G3
    Chair: Ignacio Aguilar, PhD – INIA Uruguay
    Chair: Gustavo de los Campos – Michigan State University
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Aquaculture 2: Improving Efficiency of Breeding
    Chair: Gareth Frank Difford, PhD – Norwegian University of Life Science (NMBU)
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Diversity, Conservation and Breeding 2: The Living Library in the Genomic Era
    Chair: Ino Curik – University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture & Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Institute of Animal Sciences (MATE)
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Gene Function and Annotation 1
    Chair: Christa Kuehn, Prof Dr – Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Genetics of Resilience 4
    Chair: Wendy Mercedes Rauw, PhD – Dept Mejora Genética Animal, INIA-CSIC
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Software and Computing 1
    Chair: Jana Obsteter – Agricultural Institute of Slovenia
    Chair: Francisco Peñagaricano – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Mid-Conference Tours
  • 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM CT
    Mid-Conference Dinner and Party
  • Thursday, July 16, 2026
  • 4-page Papers
  • Video Competition Nominees
  • 7:30 AM - 6:45 PM CT
    Poster Help Desk/Upload Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT
    Registration Desk Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM CT
    Oral/Poster Pitch Presentation Upload Hours
  • 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM CT
    Plenary 3: Navigating the Bumpy Road from Data to Health: A Worthwhile Journey?
  • 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Duel 3: How to Improve Prediction Accuracy for Breeding in the Era of Big Data?
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Breeding for Sustainability 2
    Chair: Maria Wurzinger, Dr – Iowa State University
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Dairy Cattle 2: Precision Dairy Phenotypes: Genetics from Robotic Milking, 3D Imaging, and Ultrasound
    Chair: Gabriella R. Dodd – University of Guelph
    Chair: Filippo Miglior – Lactanet, University of Guelph
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Genetics of Reproduction
    Chair: Ewa Sell-Kubiak, PhD – Poznan University of Life Sciences
    Chair: Brian W. Kirkpatrick, PhD – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Outreach, Society and Policy
    Chair: Kent A. Weigel – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Poultry: Breeding for Resilience and Efficiency - Sponsored by Hy-Line
    Chair: Anderson A.C Alves, PhD – Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602
    Chair: Androniki Psifidi, PhD, DVM, PGCVetEd, FHEA, AUA – The Royal Veterinary College, Clinical Science and Services, Hatfield
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Thursday Lunch Workshop: Making Genomic Testing Simple : Tailored Expertise from Sample to Insight - Presented by Labogena
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Thursday Lunch Workshop: Unlocking the value of dairy herd data with AVITI sequencing and AI-driven insights - Presented by Element Biosciences
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Animal Behavior and Welfare
    Chair: Wendy Mercedes Rauw, PhD – Dept Mejora Genética Animal, INIA-CSIC
    Chair: Esther D. Ellen, Dr – Wageningen University & Research Animal Breeding and Genomics
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Beef Cattle 2 - Sponsored by American Hereford Association
    Chair: Randie Culbertson – Iowa State University
    Chair: Keiichi Inoue – University of Miyazaki
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Sequencing and Pangenomes 2
    Chair: Alessandra Stella, PhD – CNR (National Research Council)
    Chair: Hubert Pausch – ETH Zürich Animal Genomics
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Sheep and Goats 2
    Chair: gustavo Gutierrez – Iowa State University
    Chair: Andrew S. Hess, PhD – University of Nevada Reno
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Software and Computing 2
    Chair: Jana Obsteter – Agricultural Institute of Slovenia
    Chair: Daniela Lourenco – Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Dairy Cattle 3: Genetic Evaluation for Fertility, Health, and Resilience Across Diverse Environments
    Chair: Fiona Louise Guinan, PhD – Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding
    Chair: Filippo Miglior – Lactanet, University of Guelph
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Estimation and Prediction 5: Genomic Prediction 2
    Chair: Daniela Lourenco – Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
    Chair: Renzo Bonifazi, PhD – Wageningen University & Research
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Global Breeding Programs 2
    Chair: Naomi Duijvesteijn – PhD
    Chair: Mahlako L. Makgahlela, PhD – University of the Free State
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Microbiome 1: Beyond the Host: Microbial Contributions to Methane Emissions and Animal Resilience
    Chair: Guillermo Martinez-Boggio, PhD – University of California, Davis
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Omics Genetics and Networks 2
    Chair: Antonio Reverter, PhD – CSIRO
    Chair: Angela Canovas – Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Bioscience, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
  • Friday, July 17, 2026
  • 4-page Papers
  • Video Competition Nominees
  • 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM CT
    Oral/Poster Pitch Presentation Upload Hours
  • 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM CT
    Registration Desk Hours
  • 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM CT
    Plenary 4: Companion Animal Genetics: Citizens' Science
  • 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM CT
    Duel 4: Breeding for Disease Resistance or Resilience: A Good Idea or A Waste of Time and Resources?
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Beef Cattle 3: Beef on Diary
    Chair: Mahdi Saatchi, PhD – Top Genomics, LLC
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Companion Animals
    Chair: Heather J. Huson, PhD – Cornell University
    Chair: Brian W. Davis – Texas A&M University
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Diversity, Conservation and Breeding 3: From Tradition to Genomics: Genomic Revival of Local Breed Improvement
    Chair: Harvey D. Blackburn, PhD – National Animal Germplasm Program, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Education and Training: Shaping the Next Generation of Leaders in Animal Breeding and Genetics
    Chair: Alison L. Van Eenennaam, B.Sc. (Hons), MS, PhD – Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis
    Chair: Ana Granados Chapatte – ICAR
  • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
    Gene Function and Annotation 2
    Chair: Emily Clark – European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Friday Lunch Workshop: Career Development Workshop for Early Career Scientists - Sponsored by AGBT Agrigulture
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
    Friday Lunch Workshop: SNP Calling on a Budget with Tailored Microarray Excellence - Presented by LASO Biotech
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Gene Function and Annotation 3
    Chair: Elisabetta Giuffra, PhD – Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Genetic Gain and Inbreeding 3
    Chair: Torsten Pook, PhD – Wageningen University & Research
    Chair: Ricardo Pong-Wong – The Roslin Institute, Easter Bush Campus, University of Edinburgh
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Genetics of Resilience 5
    Chair: Alessio Cecchinato, PhD – Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    GxE 2: Understanding G x E Across Livestock Species
    Chair: Noelia Ibáñez Escriche – Institute for Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València
    Chair: Guilherme J. M. Rosa – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CT
    Phenomics 4: Phenotyping the Sustainable Animal: Health, Efficiency and Resilience
    Chair: Joao Dorea, PhD – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Breeding Goals and Selection 2 - Sponsored by AbacusBio
    Chair: Cheryl D. Quinton, PhD – AbacusBio
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Equine
    Chair: Susanne Eriksson, PhD – Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Biosciences
    Chair: Ted Kalbfleisch – University of Kentucky
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Estimation and Prediction 6: Multi-Population Prediction
    Chair: Bailey N. Engle – UDSA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research Center
    Chair: Juan P. Steibel – Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Microbiome 2: From Sequencing to Selection: Advancing Microbiome Methods for Genetic Improvement
    Chair: Guillermo Martinez-Boggio, PhD – University of California, Davis
  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
    Sequencing and Pangenomes 3
    Chair: Joanna Szyda – Wrocław University of Enviromental and Life Sciences
    Chair: Hubert Pausch – ETH Zürich Animal Genomics
  • 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM CT
    Gala Dinner - Sponsored by AGBT