News

MU research on cattle genomics/environments

A University of Missouri geneticist has received a 2-Million-dollar grant to study cattle genetics and those that have best adapted to certain environments.

Jared Decker is that geneticist. He tells Brownfield Ag News they goal is to identify genes in animals that make them best adapt to their environments, whether in the Fescue Belt, the U.S. Gulf or the Upper Plains, “We’re looking for gene by environment interactions. So, this is matching the animal’s genetics to their production environment.”

Decker says they will study up to 170-thousand cows across the U.S. including all of the cattle at the university’s research center in north central Missouri.

Decker says they have partnered with several different breed associations to collect data from cattle producers.

University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources (CAFNR)