Teaching Old Bulls New Tricks
ARS’s National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP) collects, stores, and preserves genetic samples of various wildlife and livestock. Through the use of this program’s samples, cattle breeders have been able to restore genetic diversity in their livestock, resulting in more desirable genetic traits like greater size and higher milk production.
Angus and Holstein cattle were previously thought to have no problem with genetic diversity, but the use of pre-1997 NAGP samples in livestock breeding has proved that cows today produce less than those of yesteryear. NAGP researchers and the Livestock and Range Research Laboratory are currently studying the genomic differences between bulls born before 1997 and the current population to better understand the reasons for the higher performance levels.