Message Where is all the new technology going to take the goat industry in the future? After listening to some folks who are knowledgeable in the DNA field a couple of weeks ago, I can offer some thoughts that may shed some light on the future. It seems that with the aid of some powerful computers, researchers have the ability to identify genes or combinations of genes that affect a number of things that trouble goat and/ or sheep producers. In not all cases can they completely eliminate a problem, but they can greatly reduce the odds of your animal getting pneumonia or having rolled eyelids by several times over current odds This is all possible when we are able to selectively identify and combine goats with the right genetic marker profiles. The tests at this time do not cover all our needs, however, I cannot imagine why researchers would not want to identify and market test for say resistance to scours, foot rot, or worm resistance in our flocks given the commercial relevance. From what I understood there is a real possibility that we will be able to submit a sample of DNA off our goats and receive back test results that will identify many value added traits within our animal’s genetic makeup in the foreseeable future. A government researcher allowed that there are two genes identified and tested where either can curtail the odds of a goat ever contracting scrapies. The sheep industry identified such a gene a few years ago and many breeders utilized this gene to greatly reduce scrapies in sheep and some with the homozygotes version of this gene enjoying special considerations where testing and export comes into play. During testing to identify candidates for research by the government it was noted the Boer Goat breed yielded an exceptionally high number of animals with one of these gene options. A forward thinking Boer Goat breeder wanting to promote the positives in his or her breeding stock might look to gain competitive edge breeding for animals with the homozygotes version of this gene where no goat tested in the world to date has contacted the scrapie disease when it 6 - The Boer Goat
from the CEO ...
contained the homozygotes version of either one of these genes. From there we moved onto my personal favorite genetically modified organisms or GMOs -- the really futuristic way to change things. I know GMOs are not in vogue with many today, but as someone in the meetings pointed out, insulin was the first GMO and it is still used today without negative effects. Many of our plant-related industries have already been able to benefit by this kind of science given APHIS has been much more liberal in allowing its use then the FDA has been with animals. In fact only one breed of salmon is commercial utilized where it has been genetically modified. However, given they can use technology to protect the world’s poultry population from wild birds carrying avian influenza it should only be a matter of time before other countries like China move on without us regardless of what we do. The speaker led me to believe our current testing would not identify those altered that could be imported back into this country. Traits like double muscling and milk have already been enhanced by gene modification. A gene for spider’s silk was added into a goat’s genetic makeup which is then excreted through the goat’s milk. However, these and I am sure other changes may remain bogged down in a sea of bureaucracy for years before we can realize some of the same advantages many seed suppliers utilized to increase food production. Given that the government has already restricted the use of many antibiotics used to control various animal disease issues, I would suspect we will see an increasing number of changes built around this technologies to improve disease resistance in the not so distant future.
