293 - Awardee Talk: Innovations in Bovine Reproductive Management: What the Future Holds

Abstract: At least 1 billion people globally still experience inadequate protein intake of which 16.5% represent children under the age of 5. To further complicate matters, resources for food and agriculture production will become more limited as the planet becomes more populated and urban areas expand. This demands a dramatic and timely increase in agricultural efficiency to meet the global food demand within a sustainable framework. As the human population grows and dietary preferences increasingly include animal protein, global meat consumption is expected to increase by 30%, requiring a 72% increase in current meat production to meet these goals. One major protein source cattle, represent a major opportunity to increase overall efficiency of our herds globally. In the past 50 years, we have seen drastic increases in innovative technology, specifically in the area of reproductive biology and management. This talk will focus on what has been accomplished to date and what the future may hold for cattle producers around the world. More specifically, focus and discussion on embryonic mortality which is the number one driver of reproductive inefficiency. This project was supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2017-67015-26457, 2019-67015-28998 and 2022-67015-33675 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.