Centre for Animal Science

Profitability is linked to fertility of cows for northern beef enterprises and can be substantially improved with new breeding methods based on cutting-edge genome technology. The use of genome data is beginning to drive up the fertility of Australia’s northern cattle herds. Differences in fertility can mean up to three extra calves over a cow’s lifetime, so potential gains are large.

A strong association between the genes influencing cattle temperament and autism in humans has been discovered by University of Queensland researchers. UQ genomic expert Professor Ben Hayes said the research by his interdisciplinary team headed by Dr Roy Costilla could lead to improved animal welfare and meat quality.

They may be small, but ticks are a huge expense for the cattle industry. The parasite causes loss of condition to the animal, illness and sometimes death. A Queensland scientist has spent 15 years trying to crack the code for a vaccine and early results are promising.

Science has once again validated Indigenous wisdom by identifying a rare, healthy sugar in native stingless bee honey that is not found in any other food. University of Queensland organic chemist Associate Professor Mary Fletcher said Indigenous peoples had long known that native stingless bee honey had special health properties.

Animal science researchers say keeping the spotlight firmly on improving cow fertility and reducing cow and calf losses in harsh environments will continue to build northern cattle live weight production and efficiencies. More than ten years of research has substantially improved understanding of the drivers of the 10 to 15 per cent calf loss that occurs on average between confirmed pregnancy and weaning in northern Australia.

The University of Queensland, The University of Melbourne, the SunPork Group and DSM, together with support from the Australasian Pork Research Institute Limited (APRIL), have secured an Australian Research Council-Linkage grant exploring the topic, ‘How to make antimicrobials in pig feed redundant, naturally’.

Median calf wastage between confirmed pregnancy and weaning in northern Australia is 10-15%, depending on region. Overall loss is estimated in the vicinity of 1M calves in Australia annually. A similar situation exists through all tropical beef systems globally. Diseases and animal issues cause some of the loss, but the majority of wastage is associated with poor pregnant cow nutrition and high environmental stress.