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2 CapitalPress.com April 27, 2018 People & Places Understanding cattle genes Brenda and Gordon Murdoch’s research goes beyond Bovine Genome Western Innovator By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press University of Idaho re- searchers Brenda and Gordon Murdoch believe the cattle-ge- netics roadmap that is the Bo- vine Genome is good at getting travelers to town but would be more useful if it identified im- portant places to visit. “There are some genes that have a far-reaching effect on multiple properties of cattle,” Brenda Murdoch said. Any given gene, she said, may af- fect multiple traits in an animal — like feed efficiency, repro- ductive performance and vari- ous measures of growth. The Murdochs aim to ad- vance cattle genetics under- standing, including what cre- ates or drives certain traits. They also want to help in- crease industry profitability. In research they expect to publish in late fall, the hus- band-and-wife team is looking into, among other things, why a cow appears by grade testing to be older than its chronolog- ical age, thus fetching a lower price at slaughter. Separately, Brenda Murdoch is part of a group seeking to further map and detail the Bovine Genome in a major study that began re- cently. Brenda Murdoch is an as- sistant professor of animal genomics. Her tools include full genome sequencing, ge- nome-wide association studies and gene-specific sequence analysis. Gordon Murdoch is an associate professor in ani- mal physiology and molecular biology. “Gordon does bring a sort of physiological application of the genetics,” Brenda Mur- doch said. “We are able to bring that together nicely, the genetic and the physiological.” He primarily studies beef. She studies several livestock species. “She has the expertise to use the most powerful genet- ic tools to evaluate animals,” Gordon Murdoch said. “With my understanding of systemic physiology, often that allows us to put those together and evaluate it in a biologically Brenda Murdoch University of Idaho Gordon Murdoch in his molecular laboratory using a multi-channel pipette to analyze specific gene ex- pressions for individual cattle. He said the process can be used in the lab to analyze up to 96 animals at once. Occupation: Assistant professor, animal genomics, University of Idaho Animal and Veterinary Science, Moscow, Idaho Education: Ph.D., University of Alberta; B.Sc., University of Alberta Gordon Murdoch Occupation: Associate professor of animal physiol- ogy and molecular biology, University of Idaho Animal and Veterinary Science, Moscow, Idaho Education: Ph.D., University of Alberta; M.S., University of Alberta; B.Sc., University of Alberta; B.Sc., University of Alberta University of Idaho Brenda Murdoch at a fluorescent imaging station showing a single cell with fluorescent-stained chro- mosomes (red) and recombination events (yellow dots). meaningful way.” Skeletal maturity They’re studying advanced skeletal maturity in beef cattle. They plan to present some of their data in July at the Amer- ican Society of Animal Scien- tists annual meeting, held in Vancouver, B.C., in conjunc- tion with the group’s Canadian counterpart. The Idaho Beef Council checkoff program cov- ered about half the project’s ap- proximately $100,000 cost. “This is innovative because we are right at the prime time of utilizing genetic and physiolog- ical tools to advance livestock production in a similar way we advanced from a typewriter to a cell phone,” Gordon Murdoch said. USDA maturity grading has been based on skeletal analysis and, since late last year, a cat- tle-specific dental examination process called dentition. Now, with many cattle producers tapping breeding databases to select animals that process feed efficiently and grow well, it’s more likely a cow grades older, he said. For example, its bones may look denser than they should for the animal’s chrono- logical age. “Some animals may be graded with an advanced ma- turity, and that costs money” from producers, Gordon Mur- doch said. If cattle producers indirectly selected for a high rate of matu- ration, “that speaks to possibly having a genetic cause,” Gor- don said. “Some genes are very busy and do a lot of stuff,” Brenda Murdoch said. “Some don’t, but they are no less important.” Much of her gene-mapping work looks at genes driving economically important cattle traits like feed efficiency, meat quality, and disease likelihood. The study The Murdochs studied 90 cattle verified by dentition to be chronologically young. They divided them into 30-animal groups graded A for young/op- timal, B for slightly older and C for advanced maturity. They analyzed eight genes known to be associated with cattle maturation processes such as growth, hormone levels and bone ossification (from softer to more dense and hard). “Just as we hypothesized, we did see some genetic chang- es in our candidates’ genes that are associated with advanced maturity,” Gordon Murdoch said. “There is definitely an as- sociation between the genetics of an animal and whether they grade A, B or C maturity even though they are chronologically young.” If further such study is done across a larger sample, a genet- ic test could be developed for cattle producers to use volun- tarily, he said. For example, a producer who increasingly sees advanced maturity could use the test to help determine which animals could be at greater risk and, over time, even adjust se- lection and operating strategies. “We are never going to ad- vocate single-trait selection, but a test could be designed and weighted toward selection of many favorable traits,” Gor- don Murdoch said. Such testing could even be used to further customize cattle herds suited to different regions. Brenda Murdoch is part of a multiple-researcher team studying the Bovine Genome as part of a project that re- ceived a $2.5 million USDA grant. She said the recently started five-year project’s goal is to map out the genome’s functional elements. Earli- er research identified many genes and their locations within the genome. “You can’t understand the relationship of genes within the Bovine Genome without knowing where they are within it, Brenda Murdoch said. “This project looks at how to turn off and on all of the genes in the genome. Now we have a pretty good layout of where the genes are in the genome. But we still don’t really know what turns them on or off.” Whether the Murdochs re- search independently or as a team, “the innovation is we are close to delivering useful information to the producer on the farm to a manner and extent we’ve never had the opportunity to do,” Gordon Murdoch said. Looming trade issue opens doors for Oregon hazelnuts By MITCH LIES For the Capital Press At least one agricultural industry is utilizing the possi- bility of Chinese tariffs as an opportunity. The Oregon hazelnut in- dustry is hoping that an unex- pected communication from the Consulate General Office of China will lead to reduction or elimination of a prohibi- tive tariff that for years has stripped the industry of direct sales opportunities in China. “They did not commit or promise anything,” said Terry Ross of the Hazelnut Grow- ers Bargaining Association after meeting with Chinese officials. “They just said the door is open, the dialogue has been created, that they look forward to working with us in the future and that they would send a message back to Bei- jing on our behalf.” The connection between the Chinese Consulate Office Calendar To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@capital- press.com. Write “Calendar” in the subject line. Friday-Saturday April 27-28 Horsedrawn Vehicle and Equip- ment Auction. 8 a.m.-3 p.m Yamhill County Fairgrounds, 2070 NE Lafay- ette Ave., McMinnville, Ore. Friday, April 27, 2018. Auction starts both Hazelnut Growers Bargaining Association Larry George, left, of George Packing Co., and Terry Ross, right, of the Hazelnut Growers Bargaining Association, meet with Deputy Consul General Ren Faqiang at the Chinese Consulate Office in San Francisco on April 9. in San Francisco and the Or- egon hazelnut industry started inadvertently enough after a news report aired on Portland television station KATU on April 3 about the effects of additional tariffs on Oregon hazelnut shipments to China. Ross told KATU reporter Joe Douglass that he viewed the short-term trade situation as an opportunity for cooper- ation. While the Oregon ha- zelnut industry ships roughly half of its hazelnuts to Asia, the industry for several years has been shut out from selling directly to China because of a 25 percent tariff on its hazel- nuts. “For us the potential for new tariffs was of less con- cern, because we were already at a real disadvantage to other nuts in China anyway,” Ross said. He added that Chinese days at 10 a.m. Website: www.pacif- icoverlandauction.com of charge. Cost: $9 for ages 13 and over. Website: http://oragfest.com/ Saturday-Sunday April 28-29 Sunday-Tuesday April 29-May 1 Oregon Ag Fest. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, Ore. A two-day event, aimed to help families better under- stand where their food, fiber and flora come from, is a unique learning experience, where hands-on exhib- its make learning about Oregon’s vast agricultural industry educational and entertaining. Kids 12 and under receive free admission, and virtual- ly all activities at the event are free Oregon Cattlemen’s Association Midyear Event. Sunriver Resort, 17600 Center Drive, Sunriver, Ore. Speakers include governor candi- dates, attorney Karen Budd Falen, Scott Yager of the NCBA and Ethan Lane of the Public Lands Council. Register at http://bit.ly/2FQEhZ3 Website: http://orcattle.com/ Monday, April 30 When Animals Die, Dealing with Livestock Mortalities on the Farm. tariffs on California pista- chios, which directly com- pete with Oregon hazelnuts in China, are 5 percent, and Chilean hazelnuts enter China duty-free. Ross told KATU that he viewed the current situation as an opportunity to shine a light on the Oregon hazelnut industry’s disadvantage in China and stress the need for cooperation and communica- tion. The tactic worked bet- ter than probably even Ross expected. The day after the KATU report, Ross received an email from the Consulate General Office of China in San Francisco. “They said, ‘We saw your comments and would like to talk further and listen to your opinions and advice on the top- ic,’” Ross said. The office invited Ross and hazelnut processor Larry George, of George Packing Co. in Newberg, Ore., to meet with 5:30-8:30 p.m. OSU Southern Ore- gon Research & Extension Center, Auditorium, 569 Hanley Road, Cen- tral Point, Ore. This class offers an overview of the various ways of deal- ing with animal carcasses. Cost: $25 one/$35 two from same farm. Web- site: http://extension.oregonstate. edu/sorec/SF-classes Changing Hands: A Workshop on Farm Succession Planning and Access to Land. 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sprout! Regional Food Hub, 418 A St. Springfield, Ore. The workshop will bring together aspiring and re- tiring farmers for a full day of train- ing on land access and succession planning. Cost: $20 Website: www. Deputy Consul General Ren Faqiang and the Vice Consul from Economic and Commer- cial Office Zhang Taiming. “Needless to say, we jumped at the opportunity and agreed to make the trip there Monday (April 9),” Ross said. “The China/Oregon ties are historically very strong, so dia- logue and communication can only help in lowering the tar- iffs that put Oregon hazelnuts at a huge disadvantage to other U.S. and Chilean nuts in the Chinese market.” Ross said the two-hour meeting went well. “It was a very positive meeting. We are excited to continue these discussions and look forward to any future ad- vancement on this issue,” he said. “We also want to thank the Deputy Consul General of China Mr. Ren Faqiang and the Vice Consul Zhang Taim- ing for inviting us to meet with them,” he said. roguefarmcorps.org/planning Friday, May 4 Blue Mountain Seeds Open House. 1-3 p.m. Alicel warehouse, 65569 Highway 82, Alicel, Ore. Tuesday, May 8 Water Rights 102: Irrigation Dis- tricts in Oregon. 7-8:30 p.m. Hermis- ton Community Center, 415 S High- way 395, Hermiston, Ore. April Snell, executive director of the Oregon Wa- ter Resources Congress, for a water rights workshop covering the basics of irrigation districts in Oregon. Cost: Free. Website: https://oregonwater- coalition.org/events/ Capital Press Established 1928 Board of Directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Harrison Forrester Mike Omeg Cory Bollinger Jeff Rogers Corporate Officers Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer Rick Hansen Chief Financial Officer Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2018 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. 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