• Reproductive Performance
• Maintenance and Enhancement of Genetic Diversity
• Product Quality (pre-harvest)
• Genetic Improvement
• Genomes
• Growth and Development
• Nutrient Intake and Utilization
• Integrated Systems

Introduction

A joint National Program Workshop was held for the Animal Genomes, Germplasm, Reproduction, and Development Program (NP101) and the Animal Production Systems Program (NP102) was held at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, on February 1-3, 2000.  It was recognized that the two National Programs are very integrated and the two National Programs were combined into a single National Program (101) called Food Animal Production.

In-Depth Laboratory Reviews were conducted for the Germplasm and Gamete Physiology Laboratory and the Immunology and Disease Resistance Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.

Representatives of the American Sheep Industries, Inc. reviewed the sheep research program at the Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska;

Budget increases for FY 2001 include $300,000 to East Lansing, Michigan, to sequence and map chicken genes and identify genes that influence chicken production traits and disease susceptibility and $450,000 to Clay Center, Nebraska, to develop bioinformatic tools to store and analyze livestock genomic information and compare the livestock data to the human and mouse genomic information.

ARS participated in and contributed funds for proceedings from the 4^th International Conference on Boar Semen Preservation in Beltsville, Maryland.  

Numerous awards were awarded to scientists within the program, some of which include:

•  Robert Bellows from the Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, Montana, was awarded the American Society of Animal Science Fellow.
• Annie Donoghue from the Poultry Production and Products Safety Research in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has received the 2000 Hyline International Research Award for outstanding poultry research.
• Ron Horst from National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, was awarded American Dairy Science Association Dean Foods Award.
• Tom Jenkins from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, was awarded the American Society of Animal Science Animal Management Award.
•  Tom Jenkins and Charles Williams from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, were awarded the ARS Technology Transfer Award for efforts in the successful development and transfer of decision support software for the beef cattle industry. 
• Mohammad Koohmaraie from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, was awarded the ARS Distinguished Senior Research Scientist of the Year.
• Robert R. Kraeling from the Animal Physiology Research Laboratory, Richard B. Russell Research Center in Athens, Georgia, was awarded membership in the Polish Academy of Science for his research efforts on mechanisms by which the brain controls secretion of pituitary gland hormones important for reproduction and growth and outstanding contributions to the Polish scientific community.
•  Larry Satter from the U. S. Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin, received the American Dairy Science Association Fellow Award.
• Paul Van Raden from Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, received the American Dairy Science Association J. L. Lush Award.

 Reproductive Performance 

National Dairy Evaluation Program will include genetic potential for calving ease.  Scientists from the Animal Improvement Program Laboratory (AIPL) at Beltsville, Maryland, began calculating the national genetic evaluation for calving ease (dystocia) in dairy cattle to provide the dairy industry with information to reduce the losses from difficult calvings.  Computer programs used at Iowa State University were provided to AIPL and modified to develop a database for dystocia data.  The quality of dystocia data was evaluated for pedigree problems and other observations that were disconnected from the remainder of the data set.  This effort provides the framework for accurate genetic evaluations of calving ease. 

Maintenance and Enhancement of Genetic Diversity

Development of a National Animal Germplasm Program.  A national program was initiated to identify, characterize, and conserve and preserve unique germplasm.  Species committees were developed for 1) dairy cattle, 2) beef cattle, 3) poultry, 4) pigs, 5) sheep, goats and other small ruminants, and 6) aquaculture.  The species committees consist of industry representatives, and University and ARS scientists.  The species committees have developed action plans and have implemented cryopreservation efforts.  A coordinating committee has been assembled to set priorities and procedures for preserving germplasm.  The National Seed Storage Laboratory was identified as the long term storage repository and additional satellite repositories are being identified.  Sheep, chicken, cattle, and pig  germplasm have already been added to the germplasm program.  The National Animal Germplasm Program will insure genetic diversity is preserved to develop new and more efficient production systems, change livestock products to meet consumer demands, and develop genetically resistant lines to new and emerging diseases.

 Product Quality (pre-harvest)

Computerized image analysis developed for predicting carcass yield.  Profitability of the meat industry is limited by the inability of the industry to consistently produce lean, palatable products.  An accurate prediction of carcass yield is needed for the meat industry to reward producers of high yielding carcasses and insure that the consumer will have a pleasant eating experience.  A joint research effort between ARS scientists at the Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, and IBP, Inc. has resulted in the development of a computerized image analysis to accurately predict carcass yield from the 12^th rib area from beef carcass in laboratory and field conditions.  Implementation of this technology will allow packers to more clearly communicate value differences among beef carcasses and provide greater incentive to produce leaner, higher yielding beef carcasses.

 Genetic Improvement

Across-breed genetic evaluation enhances the use of crossbreeding systems.  To provide high quality nutrients to the public at a reasonable cost and to remain competitive in international markets, the beef cattle industry is under increasing pressure to reduce costs of production.  Breed differences are an important genetic resource to improve efficiency of beef production and crossbreeding programs are able to take advantage of using multiple breeds.  ARS scientists at the Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska have collected production information and calculated adjustment factors that allow across breed genetic evaluation.  The adjustment factors have been provided to cattle breeders to estimate Across-Breed Expected Progeny Differences (AB-EPDs) to compare 14 different cattle breeds for genetic potential for birth, weaning, and yearling weight and milking ability.  This information will increase uniformity and response to genetic selection in rotational cross breeding systems.

Chicken growth hormone gene identified as resistance gene for Marek’s disease.  Marek’s disease is a major problem for the poultry industry that causes condemnation of birds and reduced egg production.  This disease has been partially controlled by vaccines but the virus has a high mutation rate and new, more virulent strains are continually evolving.  ARS scientists at the Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory at East Lansing, Michigan, have identified that chicken growth hormone interacts with a viral protein and certain forms of growth hormone reduce the incidence of chickens getting Marek’s disease.  This research result is important because DNA markers for the growth hormone gene can be used to identify lines of chickens that are less likely to get this disease. 

Mastitis resistant model.  Mastitis is the most prevalent and costly disease of dairy cows because of its negative impact on milk revenue, milk quality and veterinary costs.  Enhancing a cow’s resistance to mastitis pathogens would be a financial benefit to the dairy industry and a health benefit to the consumer.  One third of the mastitis infections in dairy cattle is caused by Staphlococcus aureous bacteria, which costs milk producers about one million dollars annually.  To test a genetic engineering approach to eliminating mastitis in dairy cattle, a joint research effort between University of Vermont scientists and ARS scientists from the Gene Evaluation and Mapping Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland have developed a transgenic mouse carrying the gene for lysostaphin.  The transgene was designed to only be expressed in the mammary gland.  Lysostaphin is a natural occurring bacterial protein that kills S. aureus.  Milk from the these transgenic mice kills S. aureus and when S. aureus is infused into their mammary glands, the bacteria are killed and the glands are protected against mastitis.  These research findings suggest that it is possible to produce cattle that are highly resistant to S. aureus mastitis and thereby increase the profitability of U.S. dairy production and provide a health benefit to the consumer.  

Genomes

 DNA sequences of beef and dairy cattle and pig genes will be used to improve livestock production.  Genetics plays a large role in animal production performance, efficiency, and profitability.  Improvements in genetic selection for reproduction, nutrition, growth, animal health and carcass traits will enhance profitability and global competitiveness.  Identification of the many genes that influence each production trait will improve the accuracy of genetic selection and improve the understanding of the biological processes that control these production traits.  ARS scientists at the Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, have sequenced 50,000 short segments of genes from beef cattle and 30,000 segments from pigs.  ARS scientists from Gene Evaluation and Mapping Laboratory at Beltsville, Maryland have sequenced 12,000 short segments of genes from mammary glands of dairy cattle.  The gene sequences are accessible to the public through the databases of the National Center for Bioinformatics (NCBI) GenBank in Washington, D.C., and databases at the Clay Center facility.  These research efforts are a major contribution to understanding the function of genes that influence livestock production. 

Growth and Development

A region on chromosome 2 in cattle contains a gene(s) that influences birth weight.  Large birth weight is a major cause of calving difficulty and consequent calf mortality.  Selection for lower birth weights alone also reduces subsequent growth rate.  ARS scientists at Fort Keogh Range and Livestock Research Center at Miles City, Montana, conducted a genomic study and found that a region of chromosome 2 contains a gene or genes that affects birth weight without any affect on subsequent growth.  This discovery is important because it will increase the number of live calves produced and the overall profitability of cattle production.  Producers will be able to use DNA markers to select cattle with lower birth weights and less calving difficulty and still be able to maintain high growth rates.

Nutrient Intake and Utilization

Phytase added to the diet of chickens reduces manure phosphorous levels.  An adverse environmental impact of poultry production is the high levels of phosphorous in poultry manure. Reducing phosphorous in the diet generally reduces production performance in broiler chickens.  ARS scientists in the Growth Biology Laboratory and Environmental Chemistry and Soil Microbial Systems Laboratory at Beltsville, Maryland, have determined the level of phosphorous can be reduced in broiler rations when phytase is included without any adverse affect on growth, feed efficiency or bone strength, while reducing the total amount of phosphorous excreted into the manure.  This discovery will enable the poultry industry to reduce the amount of phosphorous that is generated from poultry production while maintaining a profitable production system.

Mechanism of action of nitrogen efficiency.  Larger amounts of nitrogen in the form of urea is lost from hay fed ruminants than grain fed ruminants.  An ARS scientists at the U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Research Unit, Ithaca, New York, has identified hyper-ammonia producing bacteria (HAB) that have 20-fold more capacity to degrade amino acids than previously isolated bacteria.  A computer model was formulated that predicted the number of these bacteria and hay fed cattle had 5 to 10-fold more HAB than grain fed cattle.  Several carbohydrate-fermenting ruminal bacteria were isolated from grain fed cattle that produced bacteriacins that kill HAB.  These discoveries will be useful to formulate diets to control nitrogen (ammonia) losses from production of ruminants.

Improving nutrient value assessment of feed.  Farmers, farm consultants, and forage testing laboratories need a tool to provide a more accurate assessment of a feed’s nutritive value relative to the animals being fed and how that feed is being included in the diet.  Scientists at the Dairy Forage Research Center at Madison, Wisconsin, developed prototype software to deal with on-farm variables.  The main portions of the software developed this year were the sections related to animal and storage effects on the energy content of a feed.  This software will eventually be made available over the Internet and should help improve the accuracy of the 1-2 million feed samples that are analyzed annually in the U.S. and improve farm profitability and reduce the impact of animal agriculture on the environment.

Integrated Systems

Forage growth component added to decision aid software to enhance cattle performance.   Natural grasslands are a valuable food resource for cattle, but producers need to utilize this resource in a sustainable manner.  Scientists at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska collaborated with scientists at the Great Plains Systems Research Unit in Fort Collins, Colorado, to develop the mechanics for integrating an existing forage growth model with DECI.  This forage growth model was incorporated into DECI and DECI was tested to predict animal performance under different conditions of forage growth.  This combined model provides a tool to evaluate different utilization strategies for natural and improved grasslands.