Over recent decades, cattle disease management, prevention and treatment have changed dramatically. Vaccines, antibiotics, technology and even diseases have altered course.

“No animal is perfect; every animal has multiple genetic defects in it. So do we, all of us have them,” Matt McClure of ABS Global stated during the Undesirable Genetic Factors and Genomics’ Role in Discovery panel discussion, held during the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) annual meeting.

The global demand for sustainable and resilient livestock systems has never been more pressing due to ever-increasing population growth and associated demand for animal-sourced protein.

A collaboration between scientists from government, academia and industry sectors has successfully produced the first gene-edited calf with resistance to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a disease that costs the U.S. cattle industry billions of dollars annually.