Bjørg Heringstad

Bjørg Heringstad

Professor

  • Avl, genetikk og matproduksjonssystemer

I have a Dr Scient degree in animal genetics from NMBU and more than 20 years of experience in research in animal breeding and genetics. I am a professor in animal breeding and genetics at Biovit. I have a joint position with 50 % NMBU and 50 % Geno (the breeding organization for Norwegian Red). I am the project leader of several research projects related to genetics and genomics of dairy cattle health and fertility and have published more than 100 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and a total of more than 180 congress papers/presentations. The main focus of my research has been health and fertility traits in dairy cattle, and the overall aim is to develop methods and tools to improve the rate of genetic gain and the precision of genetic evaluations in populations with broad sustainable breeding goals. This can be achieved by combining improved phenotyping and efficient use of genomics data. How we can make use of new and more precise phenotypes e.g. data from automatic milking systems (AMS) and associated sensors, to make our breeding programs more competitive and efficient are important research questions in our ongoing research projects. New phenotyping strategies and better indicator traits are also needed if want to include challenging traits like reduced environmental footprints and improved feed efficiency in our breeding programs.