Chad Dechow

Dr. Chad Dechow serves as an Associate Professor of dairy cattle genetics at The Pennsylvania State University's College of Agricultural Sciences, bringing practical farming experience from his upbringing on a New York State dairy farm that milked Holsteins and Brown Swiss cattle. His academic journey includes degrees from Morrisville State (A.A.S.), Cornell University (B.S.), Penn State (M.S.), and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. His research focuses on developing genetic selection strategies that balance productive efficiency with cow health and fertility, including innovative work on novel traits such as feed utilization, telomere assessment, DNA methylation, and fatty acid profiles. His work has made significant contributions to improving dairy cattle genetics, particularly in regenerating lost male genetic lineages of Holstein cattle. As an educator, he teaches courses in animal genetics, dairy cattle selection, dairy herd management, and dairy management software while serving as co-advisor to Penn State's Dairy Science Club and coach of Pennsylvania's 4-H Dairy Judging team. His commitment to sustainable dairy farming is evident in his research aimed at developing cattle with higher innate disease resistance, benefiting both organic and conventional farmers.