Contact: Kelli Toledo
California Beef Cattle Improvement Association
559-972-8987; ktoledo@lightspeed.net
Cal Poly Dairy Science Department Head Receives Beef Improvement Pioneer Award
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Bruce Golden, Cal Poly’s Dairy Science Department head, received the Beef Improvement Federation Pioneer Award at the group’s annual meeting, April 30-May 3 in Sacramento.
The federation presents the awards each year to individuals who have made significant contributions to the group and the beef industry.
Golden came to Cal Poly in May of 2007 to lead the Dairy Science Department where he is also involved in teaching and research in prediction of genetic/genomic effects on milk components. Before that, he was chief executive officer of OptiBrand, a Colorado-based livestock and pet technology company he founded. That followed a 19-year stint on the faculty at Colorado State University, where he was a professor of animal breeding and genetics.
The California native earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science from Washington State University and a doctorate in animal breeding and genetics from Colorado State University.
Golden has extensive international experience in livestock production, including work in China, Brazil, Venezuela, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
While on the Colorado State University faculty, Golden established the Center for Genetic Evaluation of Livestock, which remains one of the world’s premier cattle evaluation research and development groups. Since its inception, the center has produced genetic evaluations for dozens of beef breed associations and producer groups in North America, South America, New Zealand and Ireland.
One of his strengths is in computing. He is responsible for the creation of software called the Animal Breeder’s Tool Kit, used to conduct large-scale genetic analyses. It is still the core software used by many genetics researchers around the world. He also established the first Linux-based Beowulf cluster computing platform used for large-scale genetic prediction work in livestock at Colorado State University. And he founded the Animal Genetics Discussion Group, an online network of animal breeders from around the world.
Golden is a longtime participant in and supporter of the Beef Improvement Federation. The group honored him with a Continuing Service Award in 1999. He has served on its Genetic Prediction Committee and wrote significant portions of the National Cattle Evaluation methods chapter in the federation’s Guidelines for Uniform Beef Improvement Programs.
The federation was formed as a means to standardize programs and methodology and create greater awareness, acceptance and usage of beef cattle performance concepts. It represents more than 40 state and national beef cattle associations. For more information, log on to www.beefimprovement.org.
For more on the Cal Poly Dairy Science Department, log on to http://dairy.calpoly.edu/.
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