TheDairySite Newsletter - 24 April 2009

Friday 24th April 2009

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: So Scientists Sequence Bovine Genome - What Next?

This week scientists disclosed that they had sequenced the bovine genome, revealing for the first time the genetic features that distinguish cattle from other mammals.

Scientists hailed the revelation as a "truly historical moment in the history of animal sciences". It is believed that now scientists know where every gene is in the genome lies, cattle can be fully assessed for genetic abnormalities and production efficiencies.

For all the light that this news will give researchers, it will also open the doors to a darker area of science. Renewed debate about genetically modified food animals will undoubtedly begin. Earlier this year the US already paved the way for how GM animals will be sold as food within its domestic market. A brave new world gets ever close.

Adam Anson

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 5 new features this week:

A Blueprint for Eradicating Bovine TB in England
Bovine Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease, incurring huge costs on both the individuals affected, and on the governments attempting to control it. Adam Anson, reporting for TheCattleSite, summarises the latest UK plan which attempts to lay out a blueprint for its eradication.

Managing Dairy Production Costs and Ratios
We have a number of terms and numbers thrown at us, especially in financially distressed times like now, writes Randy Pepin Todd County Extension Educator, Ag Production Systems in this University of Minnesota Dairy Extension publication.

Automatic Livestock Waterers
A reliable, constant supply of good quality water is an essential part of any livestock enterprise, says a report from the Government of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

US Beef and Dairy Outlook Report - April 2009
Beef exports are expected to fall as US beef prices rise, whilst milk production is forecast to decline as the US herd shrinks, says the USDA's Economic Research Service in its April 2009: Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook Report.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates - April 2009
US meat production together with corn and wheat stocks are expected to be lower this month according to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report from the World Agricultural Outlook Board.