Peñagaricano is an associate professor of animal and dairy sciences at UW–Madison. His research primarily focuses on development and application of methods to analyze the genetic architecture of economically relevant traits in livestock.
Graduate student (pictured above): Agustin Chasco is pursuing a Ph.D. in animal science and is mentored by Francisco Peñagaricano. Chasco specializes in genomic prediction and is motivated by the possibility of driving innovations for faster and more effective breeding programs.
Pregnancy loss after 42 days of gestation is a major barrier to reproductive efficiency in dairy herds, impacting animal welfare, milk production, and farm profitability. This graduate research project will use data from over 2 million U.S. dairy cows to uncover the genetic basis of fetal loss and develop tools to help farmers make informed breeding and management decisions. The ultimate goal is to enhance fertility and support the long-term sustainability of Wisconsin’s dairy industry.