Kent Weigel, a dairy geneticist and extension genetics specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has won the Agway, Inc. Young Scientist Award for 2003 and the 2003 ADSA Foundation Dairy Production Award. Weigel received the awards during the awards ceremony at the ADSA annual meeting in Phoenix.

As an extension genetics specialist, Weigel is recognized internationally for his work on genetic improvement of dairy cattle. He has made major contributions towards achieving “borderless” evaluations, ensuring the accuracy of international genetic evaluations and the use of individual performance records for genetic evaluation. Weigel has utilized genetic data from more than 280,000 farms in 20 countries, representing more than 16 million cows.

He has also developed methods to control inbreeding in U.S. dairy herds, potential methods to evaluate dairy cow fertility, measured the impact of rbST on evaluating the genetic potential of records received from farmers and the relationship between genotype and the environment.

Weigel has published more than 70 articles and proceeding papers, and has written 39 popular press articles in dairy magazines, breed association journals, AI company newsletters, and agricultural newspapers in the United States and abroad.

He has given more than 150 scientific and technical presentations to industry workers and dairy producers in over 20 countries, and has mentored 15 graduate students. In his current position, he continues to teach students, collaborate with breeding associations and conduct genetic research, while keeping a finger on the pulse of the dairy genetics industry.

Weigel received his B. S. in biology and animal science in 1987 from the UW-Platteville. By 1989, he had completed a master”s program in animal breeding and genetics at Iowa State University. He then earned an M.S. in biometry at the UW-Madison, followed by a Ph.D. in animal breeding.

Before joining the Department of Dairy Science, he was a senior research associate for Holstein Association, USA. He was then recruited as a research scientist at the UW-Madison and as genetic director of World-Wide Sires, Inc. In July 2001, Weigel became an assistant professor in the Department of Dairy Science and genetics program administrator for the National Association of Animal Breeders.