2 August 2010

Animal Research () 2009 Federal Initiative Accomplishments

Purpose/Objectives To increase profitability of the sheep, goat, and camelid industries in the United States and Texas. To provide U.S. consumers and the military with high-quality animal and meat at internationally competitive prices while creating a safer, healthier, and more productive environment. Emphasis is placed on improving wool quality and increasing wool production and also on multistate/multi-institution collaborations in which sheep and goats are used to improve rangeland environments through prescribed grazing of invasive species.

Objectives are to (1) improve wool quality and output, (2) improve timeliness and efficiency of measuring animal fiber quality and associated marketing, and (3) control invasive plants on rangelands through grazing by sheep and goats. Accomplishments/Impacts • Produced a second generation of Rambouillet–Australian Merino crossbred lambs via artificial insemination and contemporary Rambouillet lambs by natural breeding; compared wool production of the crossbred sheep with contemporary Rambouillets. Merino-sired yearlings produced slightly finer (1.5 microns) wool, which resulted in a 76% increase in wool income. • Evaluated production and profitability of different species and breeds in a low-input production system on western Texas rangelands (Barbado × Dorper hair sheep vs. fine-wool Rambouillet sheep, Spanish × Boer meat goats vs. Angora fiber goats). Results to date indicate that the nonfiber species have been more profitable in this Lead Agency harsh environment. Texas AgriLife Research Partners • Evaluated an automatic image analysis instrument (OFDA2000) and near-infrared Montana State University; reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to provide producers and marketers with more University of Wyoming affordable quality-assessment tools for wool, , and , either in bulk Federal Funding USDA National Institute of Food and form or on individual animals. NIRS has similar potential, but it is necessary to Agriculture demonstrate consistent and accurate performance using inter-laboratory round trials Jobs Generated (FTEs) before it will be accepted as a standard method. Texas, 5; Montana, 1; Wyoming, 2 Nonfederal Funds Leveraged • Selected Angora goats for increased juniper consumption and determined the effects $126,000 of selection for higher juniper consumption on mohair production and fiber quality. Research has been initiated to identify the gene(s) associated with increased juniper consumption by goats. Goats represent a powerful tool for biological control of invasive plants across rangelands.

• Contributed a chapter on goat fibers to a new textbook, Goat Science and Production, edited by S. G. Solaiman. • As a result of these projects, the U.S. general public is benefiting from more competitively priced, domestically produced, high-quality animal fibers and meat and from a safer, healthier, and more productive rangeland environment. This research also contributes to rural-community economic development and ensures a supply of domestically produced military-grade wool.