Sequencing the bovine genome is the culmination of more than a decade of international collaboration to bring together resources to chart the genome of an economically important and biologically interesting species. Although considerable sequence is available at the publication of these proceedings, much work remains in annotation of the genome and the discovery of DNA polymorphisms within and between breeds. Nonetheless, the public availability of this sequence has already enhanced our ability to identify genes underlying phenotypes and to understand evolutionary relationships with other mammalian species. The accelerated rate of gene discovery in humans and laboratory animals following the sequencing of their genomes promises an exciting post-sequencing era for bovine genomics.