American Dairy Science Association

American Society of Animal Science

Canadian Society of Animal Science

July 21-25, 2002 - 2002 Joint Annual Meeting - Quebec City, Canada

2002 Rockefeller Prentice Award in Breeding and Genetics

Donald E. Franke is this year’s recipient of the Rockefeller Prentice Award in Breeding and Genetics. The award, sponsored by ABS Global, will be presented as part of the Awards Ceremony on Monday, July 22, during the American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting in Quebec City.

Franke was born in 1937 and raised on an East Texas farm. Following 2 years in the U.S. Navy, he obtained a B.S. from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1961. After teaching vocational agriculture for 3 years, he obtained an M.S. degree from Louisiana State University and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M.

He was appointed assistant professor at the University of Florida in 1968 and promoted to associate professor in 1974. Franke’s early research involved inheritance of a spotting gene in Hereford cattle, genetic variation of sheath area in Brahman cattle and its association with growth rate, milk yield in Angus and Hereford cattle, and genetic and environmental influences involved in the Brahman weak calf syndrome. He joined Louisiana State University in 1976 and was promoted to professor in 1978.

He and his graduate students have reported phenotypic differences and direct and maternal breed additive and nonadditive genetic effects for reproductive, weaning, and carcass traits, and measures of heterogeneity for carcass traits among two-, three-, and four-breed rotation mating systems involving Angus, Brahman, Charolais, and Hereford breeds. His current research involves maternal EPD influences in Angus and Hereford cows, and estimation of Brahman sire EPDs for growth, carcass, and tenderness traits. He has directed 28 M.S. and 11 Ph.D. students and has authored 28 refereed papers.

The Rockefeller Prentice Memorial Award recognizes research excellence in breeding and genetics. The winner receives a monetary award and a plaque.

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