Researchers studying pig genome to better understand disease, behaviour and...
Earlier today a team of researchers, based in the Netherlands and the U.S., released a paper linking copy number variable regions in pig genomes to sensory perception, stimulus response, and...
View ArticleFeed efficiency research to improve beef industy's bottom line
Next week genomic researchers from around the world are meeting in Calgary for Beef Innovations 2013. Topics include genomic links to everything from fertility to beef tenderness. But there are several...
View ArticleGenome Alberta projects aim to speed E. coli detection
Two new projects will develop new tests to rapidly detect E. coli in beef packing plants, Genome Alberta announced this week. Genome Alberta held a funding competition to develop ways to quickly detect...
View ArticleThe Future of Farming: Intelligent Robots, Lab Meat and Better Genetic...
While the public debate rages on over the value of genetic food enhancements versus the value of organics, one central fact remains inescapable: we will soon reach a food crisis. In the very near...
View ArticleResearchers develop test to better detect vibrio in cattle
Researchers have developed a DNA based test that detects vibriosis (vibrio) in cattle more accurately than current tests. Vibrio is a common cause of reproductive failure in Canadian cow-calf herds,...
View ArticleStemming M. bovis outbreaks
A research team is studying mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) and its effects on bison, with the goal of stemming future outbreaks in both cattle and bison. M. bovis plagues feedlot cattle, causing...
View ArticleLinking pig behaviour to stress response
It seems logical that a pig’s temperament would affect its stress levels during handling. But exactly which temperament traits play into this, and whether they’re heritable, are questions that still...
View ArticleGlowing bunnies livestock experiment to lead to glow-in-the-dark cattle and...
Scientists have been working in transgenics for some time now in a variety of attempts to enhance one species with the features and abilities of another. The most recent such effort ended in success...
View ArticleLinking livestock genetic traits to markets
A producer cooperative based in Ontario is working on ways to improve genetic evaluations of livestock, and therefore improve the bottom line for producers. “Our research and development really falls...
View ArticleLiver function and feed efficiency in cattle
A seemingly unlikely organ plays a significant role in feed efficiency. “The liver accounts for only 1.2 per cent of body weight in bovines, but the organ itself consumes 25 per cent of all the energy...
View ArticlePublic funding needed in ag research, UN report states
A UN report released September 18 calls for more public spending on agriculture research and technology. The report, released by the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network, says that this ag...
View ArticleLivestock genetics: There’s a mobile app for that
The last thing a busy farmer wants to do is leave the field to sit in front of a computer and pour over mountains of breeding data for the right genetic hook-up for his cows. Now, finally, there’s a...
View ArticleConsumers and farmers caught in food fight crossfire
There have been numerous skirmishes over North American food and agriculture lately, but the issues are familiar; “factory farming,” animal welfare, food safety. In Canada, raw vs. pasteurized milk...
View ArticleShould the agriculture media serve as agvocates?
Should the agriculture media act as advocates for agriculture? And what does it mean to be an agriculture advocate (or agvocate)? These are questions I posed to two of my colleagues at the Canadian...
View ArticleAre advocacy and objectivity mutually exclusive in ag journalism?
Last week I blogged about a conversation I had with colleagues Chuck Zimmerman and Allison Finnamore on whether farm journalists should be advocates for the industry. We talked about what advocacy...
View ArticleSuper Cow to Test Consumers Understanding of “Natural” in Genetic Manipulations
Many consumers have made it clear that they prefer “natural” foods rather than edibles created by science. Most people do not understand that the food they deem natural has been genetically manipulated...
View ArticleResearchers look at links between feed efficiency and pregnancy in beef cows
Understanding how pregnant beef cows shift energy from maintaining their own body to the growing fetus could help improve feed efficiency in cows. Most of the feed cows consume goes to “maintenance...
View ArticleCanadian Simmental focuses on genomics
Beef producers and others in the industry had a chance to learn about genomics at this year’s Canadian Western Agribition. The Canadian Angus and Simmental Associations hosted a one day conference on...
View ArticleGenomics and commercial cattle production
One day commercial and seedstock producers will be able to cost effectively DNA their own animals, says Sandy Russell of Spring Creek Land and Cattle Consulting. And although producers might not...
View Article‘Tis the season for BRD – and the year for a genetic-based cure
Like colds and the flu in humans, bovine respiratory disease complex, aka BRD or BRDC, occur most frequently in cattle in the winter. Vaccinations and antibiotics are both available as defenses but...
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