ADAI Supports CWD Genomic Testing for Alabama Deer Breeders

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) funding to help the captive cervid herd in Alabama become less susceptible to chronic wasting disease (CWD) by furthering USDA research related to genomically estimated breeding value (GEBV) of deer. To date, research has shown that deer with a GEBV value below -0.056 may be less susceptible to CWD than deer with higher values, and USDA encourages herd management actions to breed towards animals with GEBV values below -0.056. While this award is a renewal, the award for 2026 only allows ADAI to pay for testing of up to ~500 captive deer at a cost of $75 per sample to collect GEBV data that can assist game breeders in herd management plans and collect more data for GEBV research and development. This testing will be performed by the North American Deer Registry (NADR). Approved participants will submit samples to NADR following NADR guidelines, and ADAI will remit payment to NADR for each approved sample ($75/sample). If interested in participating, please complete the information packet (below) and submit to the State Veterinarian’s Office at the email listed on the application.

For more, visit https://agi.alabama.gov/animalindustries/2026/02/adai-supports-cwd-genomic-testing-for-deer-breeders/