Buckle up for a lively episode, as we welcome the infectiously energetic Julio Giordano, DVM, PhD, professor of dairy cattle biology and management in the Department of Animal Science and a codirector of the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture at Cornell University. Julio originally hails from Balnearia, Argentina, where he grew up learning from his father’s practice as a dairy veterinarian and working on his family’s dairy farms. He joins Matt to explain how this early interest in dairy cow health led to a passion for the study of reproduction and a career in the United States. He takes listeners into the evolution of his work—from his most hated experiment as a PhD student to his current research, which involves pushing the bounds of digital agriculture innovation to benefit farms and their herds. In his lab today, he and his team are focused on integrating new technology with farming best practices to develop approachable tools and techniques to help farms maximize their herds’ health, productivity, and profitability—all while increasing sustainability. Julio also shares his best advice for which skills students should be building for a career in dairy science and why he chose a faculty position over a career in industry. The two friends also discuss if the traditional lecture format needs an overhaul for the next generation, the importance of family—hola a Soledad, Julito, and Benji—and how relationships with colleagues, mentors, and students make a career in dairy so rewarding.

Episode Seventeen Show Notes

Learn more about Julio Giordano and connect with him on LinkedIn and follow his lab on X/Twitter.

Are you interested in participating in future Discover Conference meetings? Save the date for the 47th Discover Conference happening May 5 to 8, 2025, in Itasca, Illinois.

Catch up on the papers and the news articles discussed in the episode:

Combining reproductive outcomes predictors and automated estrus alerts recorded during the voluntary waiting period identified subgroups of cows with different reproductive performance potential, Journal of Dairy Science (2024)

Effect of targeted clinical examination based on alerts from automated health monitoring systems on herd health and performance of lactating dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science (2023)

Effect of increasing GnRH and PGF2α dose during Double Ovsynch on ovulatory response, luteal regression, and fertility of lactating dairy cows, Theriogenology (2013)

Reproduction in the era of genomics and automation, Reproduction, Fertility and Development (2014)

Effect of increasing GnRH and PGF2α dose during Double-Ovsynch on ovulatory response, luteal regression, and fertility of lactating dairy cows, Theriogenology (2013)

Changes in serum pregnancy-associated glycoprotein, pregnancy-specific protein B, and progesterone concentrations before and after induction of pregnancy loss in lactating dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science (2012)

Possible strategies to increase ovulatory follicle size and reduce time to ovulation in lactating dairy cows, University of Tennessee dissertation (2007)

Catch an abbreviation you’re not sure about? Here is a list from the episode:

·        CIDR: controlled internal drug release

·        ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

·        FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone

·        GnRH: gonadotropin-releasing hormone 

·        hCG: human chorionic gonadotropin

·        LH: luteinizing hormone

·        PAG: pregnancy-associated glycoprotein