Livestock & Pet
Eliminating beef cattle pregnancy loss with CRISPR/Cas9 technology Contributed by Kay Ledbetter, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Calves on the ground eventually mean dollars in the pocket and steaks in the meat case. It’s the basics of the beef industry. However, reproductive inefficiency costs the beef industry billions every year. Most of that is driven by embryonic mortality and pregnancy loss, said Ky Pohler, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science and chair of the Pregnancy and Developmental Programming Area of Excellence at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “We’re conducting a series of studies to evaluate what’s really important to the developing pregnancy,” Pohler said. “We want to determine how much of the loss is coming from the physiology of the animal vs. how much is genetic.” When a cow loses a pregnancy or undergoes embryonic mortality, the cow may not get pregnant again in that breeding season. “Beef producers are paid on pounds of calf weaned or a live calf,” Pohler said. “If there is no calf born, then there’s no profit. And the producer’s input costs continue to increase. Our cow-calf operations must get more efficient, or we won’t be able to maintain them.” A recent $500,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture will fund Pohler’s project to advance understanding of embryonic mortality and pregnancy loss in the cow. The project, Physiological Function of Prostaglandins and Pregnancy Associated Glycoproteins in Continued on page 26
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SouthWest Horse Trader November 2021
San Angelo Studies LGD Bonding & Early Training Procedures
Hulk & Thor 8
Bill Costanzo – LGD Research Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
The Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in San Angelo started a livestock guardian dog program in 2010 after a ranch in Menard TX was donated to the AgriLife Center for research purposes. The addition of livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) to the ranch dramatically increased the lamb crop within a couple of years. In 2015 a research program for LGDs was started at the AgriLife Center. In 2018 through a grant from the Texas Sheep and Goat Predator Management Board a LGD Research Specialist position was created. In January of 2019, I was hired for the position to oversee the care and health of over 20 dogs at our four research ranches, host field days, manage our social media sites, present workshops, visit producers, and assist in LGD research projects. Currently we are conducting a multiyear research project on bonding LGD puppies. An effective LGD is the result of properly rearing a puppy with certain inherent genetic traits. Each ranch should attempt to find a LGD with the best genetic fit for its operation. Keep in mind that LGD behaviors are greatly influenced by how they are treated, bonded, and trained during the first year of their life. Based on preliminary data from LGDs in the bonding project, single dogs that are bonded just after weaning in pens with hot wire are more likely to remain with stock than dogs bonded in pens without hot wire or bonded as pairs.
Properly selecting a LGD puppy is a crucial first step in raising an effective and dependable LGD and sets the stage for a successful bonding process at your farm/ ranch. To select a LGD pup best suited for your operation, you should consider purchasing a puppy from a breeder that has raised the puppy from birth with the same type of livestock that you own. For instance, if you have Suffolk sheep, it would be wise to purchase a LGD from a dog breeder that raises his pups with Suffolk sheep. Anecdotal evidence suggests that LGDs raised with a specific species and breed of livestock will develop a bond to those specific animals at an early age. Purchasing your LGD puppy from a breeder with your specific species and breed of livestock will significantly increase your chances that the pup will bond successfully with your stock. The best age to begin the bonding process at your location is with a puppy that has been weaned and is approximately 8 weeks old. It has been shown that puppies over 16 weeks of age do not form permanent bonds to livestock, which may lead to roaming and other issues as adults. Weekly progress of the puppies and bonding project can be viewed on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @TAMUlivestockguarddog. We also have a blog, The Guardian Way, that is published monthly at https://sanangelo.tamu.edu/research/lgd/ and we also have a YouTube channel. For questions regarding LGDs you can email me at bill.costanzo@ag.tamu.edu or call 325-657-7311. Check out the next installment of this multi-part article in next edition of this magazine. w
