The Kolora dairy farmer was elected to the board alongside herd improvement industry veteran of 45-years Graeme Gillan at the annual general meeting.

Mr Meade milks 400 cows with his wife Michaela and is a Nuffield scholar.

Before he started dairy farming in his own right, he spent 10 years working as a dairy agronomist and studied at Glenormiston Agricultural College.

Mr Meade, a Moyne Shire councillor, who recently stepped down as mayor, replaces Simone Jolliffe from NSW, who completed her term and chose not to re-nominate.

Genomic testing of dairy cows and heifers has doubled in the past 12 months as farmers looked to fast-track herd genetic gain and productivity.

Almost 50,000 dairy females were tested during 2020-21, DataGene chief executive officer Matthew Shaffer said.

This was a result of faster turnaround times for genomic data, favourable industry conditions and a Dairy Australia/DataGene genomic testing campaign.

Mr Shaffer reported this positive step for herd improvement at DataGene's virtual annual general meeting on November 18.

Another highlight of the year was the co-development with herd test centres of a new service, HerdPlatform, that allowed dairy farmers to interact with their data online and gain new insights into their business.

DataGene chair Ross Joblin welcomed Mr Meade to the board, welcomed Mr Gillan back for an additional term and thanked Mrs Jolliffe for her contribution to DataGene.

"Simone, your chairing of the Herd Improvement Industry Strategic Steering Group (HIISSG) and the Genetic Evaluation Standing Committee has been integral to the success of DataGene," he said.

DataGene is an initiative of Dairy Australia and the herd improvement industry.