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THE GOALS OF DAIRY AND COW-CALF BEEF CATTLE OPERATIONS ARE MILK AND CALF PRODUCTION RESPECTIVELY. BOTH ARE ADEQUATELY MET ONLY IF FEMALES DELIVER A CALF APPROXIMATELY ONCE PER YEAR. REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT OF COWS IS THUS PIVOTAL TO FARM PROFITABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. A NECESSARY PROCEDURE FOR SUCH MANAGEMENT IS PREGNANCY TESTING PERFORMED ON ~93% OF US DAIRY AND ~20% OF BEEF FARMS. PREGNANCY TESTING IS A CRITICAL DECISION-MAKING TOOL ON DAIRY AND BEEF FARMS AS IT ALLOWS EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF NON- PREGNANT COWS THAT NEED RE-INSEMINATION SHOULD BE CULLED OR FAIL TO BECOME PREGNANT. WHILE TRADITIONAL REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ONLY NEEDED TO KNOW WHETHER A COW WAS PREGNANT MORE RECENT RESEARCH HAS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TAILORED TO OVARIAN STATUS OF COWS AT THE TIME OF DIAGNOSED NON-PREGNANCY. THUS BOTH PREGNANCY TESTING AND DETERMINATION OF COW OVARIAN ACTIVITY IS KEY FOR MANAGING REPRODUCTION. CATTLE PRODUCERS SPEND SUBSTANTIAL TIME AND MONEY ON TESTING PREGNANCY AND OVARIAN STATUS RELYING ON VETERINARIAN-ADMINISTERED EXAMS AND OFF-FARM TESTING OF SHIPPED BODILY FLUID SAMPLES (I.E. BLOOD OR MILK). CONSEQUENTLY OUR OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO PRODUCE THE REPROPHONE A USER-FRIENDLY RAPID LOW- COST TOOL TO DETERMINE THE PREGNANCY AND OVARIAN ACTIVITY OF COWS ON-FARM. WE PROPOSE A FARMER-OPERATED ON-SITE TOOL THAT CAN DETERMINE COW REPRODUCTIVE (PREGNANCY) AND OVARIAN ACTIVITY FROM SAMPLED BLOOD. THIS RESEARCH WILL IMPROVE CATTLE REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT BY CREATING AN INNOVATIVE TOOL WHOSE SPEED CONVENIENCE ACCURACY AND COST WILL BE IMPROVED OVER CURRENT PRACTICES.

$449,881FY2017National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

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THE GOALS OF DAIRY AND COW-CALF BEEF CATTLE OPERATIONS ARE MILK AND CALF PRODUCTION RESPECTIVELY. BOTH ARE ADEQUATELY MET ONLY IF FEMALES DELIVER A CALF APPROXIMATELY ONCE PER YEAR. REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT OF COWS IS THUS PIVOTAL TO FARM PROFITABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. A NECESSARY PROCEDURE FOR SUCH MANAGEMENT IS PREGNANCY TESTING PERFORMED ON ~93% OF US DAIRY AND ~20% OF BEEF FARMS. PREGNANCY TESTING IS A CRITICAL DECISION-MAKING TOOL ON DAIRY AND BEEF FARMS AS IT ALLOWS EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF NON- PREGNANT COWS THAT NEED RE-INSEMINATION SHOULD BE CULLED OR FAIL TO BECOME PREGNANT. WHILE TRADITIONAL REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ONLY NEEDED TO KNOW WHETHER A COW WAS PREGNANT MORE RECENT RESEARCH HAS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TAILORED TO OVARIAN STATUS OF COWS AT THE TIME OF DIAGNOSED NON-PREGNANCY. THUS BOTH PREGNANCY TESTING AND DETERMINATION OF COW OVARIAN ACTIVITY IS KEY FOR MANAGING REPRODUCTION. CATTLE PRODUCERS SPEND SUBSTANTIAL TIME AND MONEY ON TESTING PREGNANCY AND OVARIAN STATUS RELYING ON VETERINARIAN-ADMINISTERED EXAMS AND OFF-FARM TESTING OF SHIPPED BODILY FLUID SAMPLES (I.E. BLOOD OR MILK). CONSEQUENTLY OUR OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO PRODUCE THE REPROPHONE A USER-FRIENDLY RAPID LOW- COST TOOL TO DETERMINE THE PREGNANCY AND OVARIAN ACTIVITY OF COWS ON-FARM. WE PROPOSE A FARMER-OPERATED ON-SITE TOOL THAT CAN DETERMINE COW REPRODUCTIVE (PREGNANCY) AND OVARIAN ACTIVITY FROM SAMPLED BLOOD. THIS RESEARCH WILL IMPROVE CATTLE REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT BY CREATING AN INNOVATIVE TOOL WHOSE SPEED CONVENIENCE ACCURACY AND COST WILL BE IMPROVED OVER CURRENT PRACTICES. · GrantIndex