ThePigSite Latest News
Project will help experts 'build' more tasty pigs
US - Max Rothschild has been trying to "build" a better pig for almost 30 years, since he took a job cleaning up after the hogs at his alma mater, the University of California at Davis.He's now a renowned swine scientist who has traded the dirty pigpens of his undergraduate days for a glistening Iowa State University laboratory dedicated to producing tastier chops, safer pork and healthier pigs.
Rothschild is part of a national collaboration that earlier this year received a $10 million federal grant to map pig genes. Researchers from the University of Illinois-led project promise it will help take the guesswork out of breeding.
The idea is to find and exploit the genetic variations of the best pigs, which Rothschild and like-minded agricultural researchers say will radically change the industry.
Already, chicken and cow genomes -- complete genetic maps of each species -- have been published, and race horse breeders have applied to the National Human Genome Research Institute for a grant to run an equine DNA sequence. Most animal genetic sequences now are done with the support of the institute because of its expertise, and comparing animal genomes to the human genome helps with medical research.
To continue reading this article please click here
Source: Business News
More of the latest Pig Industry News
Meat Processing Jobs Safe at the Moment
Free Trade Agreement Pleases CPC
New Look for Controllers
Festive Hog Roasts: Calling all Pig Farmers!- Coles to Drive Aussie Pork Message
CME: Relationships among Corn Price Series- Reduced Supplies on the Way
- Re-Formulation Offers Potential Added Savings
DSM Opens New Premix Plant in China- WCRF Makes a Pig's Ear of Claims
