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ENSURING CATTLE                                                                        The Midwest Cattleman · September 30, 2021 · P36
      continued from page 18                Decker noted this is not the  proved in the last 60 years,  makes life better  for cattle
                                         fault of farmers, given that  but environmental stressors  and helps farmers run effi-
      suited for one environment  there is currently no cost-ef- are never going to go away.  cient and productive opera-
      or another.                        fective genetic test they can  Farmers need to know more  tions. It’s a win-win.”
         “We can see that, for ex- use to determine whether  about the genetic makeup of                         Austin Fitzgerald is the
      ample, historically cows in  their cattle  are suitable for  their herd, not only for the  editorial bureau chief for the
      Colorado are likely to have  a particular environment.  short-term success of their  MU News Bureau. Photo by
      adaptations that ease the  In other words, the study  farm, but for the success of  Kasey Brown.
      stress on their hearts at  demonstrates a need for us- future generations.”
      high altitudes,” Decker says.  er-friendly cattle DNA tests              “As a society, we must pro-    tsenews.net
      “But if you bring in bulls or  that can look for the specif- duce food more sustainably
      semen from a different en- ic adaptations identified in  and be good environmen-
      vironment, the frequency of  the study. These adaptations  tal stewards,” Decker says.
      those beneficial adaptations  include resistance to vaso- “Making sure a cow’s genet-
      is going to decrease. Over  constriction (a narrowing of  ics match their environment
      generations, that cow herd  the blood vessels that occurs
      will lose advantages that  at high elevations and puts
      would have been very useful  undue stress  on the heart),
      to a farmer in Colorado.”          resistance to a toxin in grass
         Decker’s team, including  that can also cause vasocon-
      then-doctoral  student Troy  striction,  and  tolerance  for
      Rowan, analyzed six decades  high heat or humidity, all
      worth of bovine  DNA data  of which tend to recede over
      from tests of cryopreserved  generations when cattle are
      semen produced by cattle  removed from the associated
      breed  associations. They  environments.
      found that, over time, while          “Sometimes, natural and
      genes associated with higher  artificial selection are mov-
      productivity and fertility im- ing in the same direction,
      proved due to careful selec- and other times there is a
      tion by farmers, many genes  tug of  war between them,”
      connected to environmental  Decker says. “Efficiency and
      adaptations have faded.            productivity have vastly im-



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