Dr. Bennet Cassell
Dr. Bennet Cassell
Professor Emeritus of Dairy Science, Virginia Tech
Area of Expertise
Dr. Cassell has published numerous articles in the areas of lifetime performance of different breeds of dairy cattle, inbreeding depression, and progeny testing programs. He has written the genetics column for Hoards Dairyman magazine for 24 years. He is the principal investigator for the Virginia Tech – Kentucky-North Carolina cooperative Holstein-Jersey crossbreeding project. Dr. Cassell retired from the Department of Dairy Science in 2010. He continues to write and teach and remains active in dairy breeding industry activities. Current educational efforts focus on use of genomic technologies for genetic improvement of dairy cattle.
Academic Training
| PhD | 1982 | North Carolina State University | Animal Breeding |
| MS | 1972 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Dairy Genetics |
| BS | 1968 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute | Dairy Science |
Professional Experience
| 2010 - present | Professor Emeritus, Dairy Science |
| 1982 - 2010 | Professor and Extension Dairy Scientist, Genetics and Management, Virginia Tech |
| 1980 - 1981 | Graduate Research Assistant, North Carolina State University |
| 1975 - 1979 | Research Associate (Dairy Husbandman) Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory, BARC, USDA |
| 1972 - 1975 | Sire Analyst, Sire Power, Inc. |
| 1970 - 1972 | Graduate Research Assistant, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
Honors and Awards
NAAB Research Award 2010
National DHI Outstanding Service Award 2008
ADSA J.L. Lush Award in Animal Breeding and Genetics, 2003
ADSA Merck Ag Vet Dairy Management Research Award, 1994