Livestock News & Views

Modern cattle are descended from a small herd domesticated in the Middle East about 10,500 years ago, according to recent genetics research.

Researchers extracted DNA from domestic cattle bones found at archeological sites. By examining the DNA of ancient and modern cattle, they traced taurine cattle to about 80 female aurochs. Taurine cattle include beef breeds like Herefords and Angus, and dairy breeds like Holsteins.

A new disease prowls European livestock operations.

Schmallenberg virus, named for the town in Germany where it was identified, causes brain and limb deformities in ruminant fetuses. The virus infects the females early in their pregnancies. Cattle owners have also reported diarrhea, fever, and reduced milk production in infected cows. No vaccine is available.

Researchers around the world are trying to decode livestock DNA. Some hope to improve disease resistance, while others are looking at production efficiency. Still others hope to improve meat quality, reproductive traits, pest and even drought resistance.

For my last blog post of 2011, I decided to go through the latest livestock genomic research from around the world.