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| About the Foundation | Research Reports |
2005 National Heifer Sale |
News | |||
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NEARLY
$58,000 COMMITTED BY JERSEY ORGANIZATIONS March
5, 2005, Reynoldsburg, Ohio—The AJCC Research Foundation, the American
Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ)
today committed grants totaling $57,920 for nine scientific
investigations related to Jersey dairy cattle, product manufacturing,
and business management. The funded projects were selected from 15 proposals covering eight major topic areas received in response to the Foundation’s annual Request for Proposals. With this year’s grants, a total of $547,981 has been awarded for Jersey-specific research in the past 15 years by the Foundation and the national Jersey organizations.
The
largest grant, $20,000, was made by the Foundation to Curtis P. Van Tassell and Tad S. Sonstegard of the
Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, Md. Their investigation
is part of an industry-wide effort to characterize genetic markers in
dairy cattle, based upon single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
information. According to Van Tassell, the discovery of SNP markers
specific to Jersey cattle will facilitate future research on
economically important traits and also contribute to new methods of
promoting genetic diversity in Jersey cattle at the gene level.
“Additional applications of these markers,” Van Tassell says, “are
limited only by the imagination of researchers and breeders.”
The
high-capacity DNA sequencer being loaded by geneticists
Studies Funded by American Jersey Cattle Association A
second genomics study, proposed by Melissa Ashwell of North Carolina
State University, Raleigh, will probe the reasons semen from some Jersey
bulls freezes and thaws better than from others. By comparing the gene
profile of Jersey bulls with superior and inferior post-thaw sperm
survival, Ashwell expects to identify the candidate gene or genes
involved in or affected by the freezing and thawing process. This will
set the stage for future research evaluating the freeze/thaw capability
of a larger set of Jersey bulls. A grant of $6,000 was made for this
research. Three
grants of $5,000 each were made for mastitis studies and evaluating milk
replacer formulations. Sheila
A. Andrew of the University of Connecticut, Storrs, will extend recent
research that determined Jersey cows have higher levels of retinol in
their system during the transition period compared to Holsteins, and
that higher retinol levels are associated with lower risk of new
mastitis infections. The new study will determine whether or not Jerseys
are in fact less susceptible to mastitis during the transition period
than Holsteins and pinpoint factors related to lower susceptibility. Breeder
differences in mastitis resistance will be examined from a different
perspective at the University of Vermont, Burlington. David E. Kerr and
Ravi S. Pareek will challenge cows with an intramammary infusion of a
component of the E. coli cell
wall in order to compare the mechanism of neutrophil response to mammary
infections in Jersey and Holstein cows. The study could have
implications for identifying and selecting genotypes that have enhanced
resistance to mastitis. Edward
J. DePeters and Michael A. Ballou of the University of California,
Davis, will test a practical approach to improving milk replacers
through supplementation with fish oil. The omega-3 fatty acids found in
fish oils have been found to increase survival by dampening the
inflammatory response to septicemia, the primary cause of Jersey calf
mortality. Supplementation is expected to benefit immune function and
thus enhance overall health and survival. A
grant of $4,000 was awarded to Edwin H. Jaster of California Polytechnic
State University, San Luis Obispo, to continue his studies on Jersey
calf management. This investigation will compare growth and performance
of Jersey calves fed milk replacers and starter feeds containing
different amounts of protein and fat. A
research team at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, headed by A. J.
Seykora, will receive $3,000 to evaluate the reasons for a 10-day
advantage in days open for Jersey-Holstein cows compared to purebred
Holsteins. The comparative fertility of the two groups will be explored
through progesterone blood assay information that will be combined with
other management and veterinary data to determine the causes of
fertility differences. Studies
Funded by National All-Jersey Inc. Nearly
$10,000 in research grants was committed by the Board of Directors of
National All-Jersey Inc., the milk and cattle marketing arm of the
national Jersey organizations. A
$5,000 grant was made to Brian Gould, Ed Jesse and Bob Cropp of the
Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research in Madison, to evaluate the new
cash-settled butter futures contracts from the Chicago Mercantile
Exchange and determine if they offer price risk management opportunities
for Jersey dairy businesses beyond Class III milk contracts. “Because
of higher fat tests,” notes Gould, “Jersey herds have a higher basis
risk when using the Class III contract, which assumes 3.5% butterfat.
The new contract could reduce basis risk by pricing butterfat production
in excess of the 3.5% standard.” NAJ committed $4,920 to evaluate the cheese yield potential of milk produced by Jersey-Holstein crossbred cows compared to purebred Holsteins. The study, to be conducted by Kent A. Weigel and John A. Lucey of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will gather data on seven major milk proteins and the coagulation properties of milk produced by 50-50 Jersey-Holstein cows, 75-25 Jersey-Holstein cows and their purebred Holstein herdmates. Economic impact of the two types of crossbreds will also be evaluated from the producers’ and cheesemakers’ perspectives.
Complete
titles and summaries of the funded projects are provided on the Research
Grants page of the AJCC
Research Foundation’s web site. About
the AJCC Research Foundation Founded
in 1967, the AJCC Research Foundation has provided seed money for
well-designed scientific investigations related to high-priority areas
affecting the Jersey breed of dairy cattle:
An advisory committee
that includes Jersey producers, dairy scientists, and allied dairy
industry representatives evaluates proposals. The final decision on
funding is made by the Directors of the American Jersey Cattle
Association.
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