Government funding boosts beef cattle genetics research at University of Saskatchewan

A College of Saskatchewan venture in search of to unlock the genetic potential of Canadian beef cattle has acquired a funding increase from the federal and provincial governments.

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison introduced $3.4 million over 4 years to the IntegrOmes venture on Tuesday.

IntegrOmes (brief for Built-in Omics for Sustainable Animal Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship) is a large-scale venture to advance genomics analysis on the College of Saskatchewan campus, together with increasing capability on the college’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, the varsity wrote in a November article.

Early phases of the venture included lab renovations. The third section is development of a brand new “Beef Reprotech” facility, which can enable researchers to gather phenotypic (observable trait) knowledge and genetics samples — and to sequence all the genome of a beef cow.

The introduced funding, which comes by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will assist constructing of the reprotech facility and the Omics Useful resource Centre on the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

Why beef genomics analysis?

Genetic testing of beef cattle is restricted in Canada, stated Lynn Weber, the veterinary faculty’s affiliation dean of analysis and graduate research, within the November article.

It additionally depends on evaluation completed within the U.S. by labs that maintain genetic sequencing and related trait data proprietary.

“So we are able to’t re-probe when new ailments pop up, or [if] we detect issues or simply need extra data,” Weber stated.

With the brand new services, researchers plan to ascertain a nationwide genomic testing useful resource for beef producers to provide them extra better insights into herd genetics. The database would even be an open useful resource for scientists.

This consists of sequencing the meat cattle genome and matching genes to the traits they produce.

What does this imply for producers?

The college famous a niche between how the dairy, pork and hen sectors have used genetic testing and the way it’s been used within the beef sector.

“There’s a deep lag within the beef trade when it comes to using these genetics and genomic instruments,” stated Scott Wright, director of the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, within the November article.

The price of the applied sciences and complexity of analytical instruments was prohibitive, he added.

“We’re solely now attending to the purpose the place we are able to analyze these very, very massive knowledge units,” Wright stated. “The know-how has superior to the purpose the place we’re inside attain of a really sensible utilization and software.”

This could imply alternatives to make higher selections “primarily based on all the genetic surroundings surrounding every animal,” the college stated.

This might additionally result in animals which can be extra feed-efficient, thereby requiring much less forage and producing much less greenhouse gasoline emissions.

---

You’ll additionally obtain trade and coverage data, multi function handy e-mail delivered proper to your inbox!

One e-mail delivered 6 days per week for ranchers, feedlots, packers and livestock gross sales operators.