Brangus Cattle - Detail - © Courtesy Raluca Mateescu - UF-IFAS

Heat-Resistant Cows Beat Global Warming

We all know that Global Warming is real, and it’s here, now. But there remain debates about what to do about it and how to cope. If you like your Beef and Dairy products, you’ll be happy to know that the humble Cow will not be relegated to the Arctic by increasing temperatures in its native climes…

Brangus Cattle - © Courtesy Raluca Mateescu - UF-IFASEarly-generation ‘Brangus’ cattle in Florida. The future of Beef in a warmer world?

Researchers are experimenting with crossing the familiar Black Angus Cow with the South American Brahman breed. It’s an attempt to preserve the quality of the Beef produced while making the cattle more comfortable and healthy in warmer environments.

In fact, say the researchers, more than half the cattle in the world already live in what are considered warmer climates, in places such as Florida and the southwestern U.S. states, Africa and Asia.

Lead researcher Raluca Mateescu, an Associate Professor in the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Department of Animal Sciences, says his team is trying, “to track down DNA segments from the two breeds and figure out which regions of the cow’s DNA are important to regulate body temperature. This offers a powerful new approach to address the challenges of climate change and develop climate-smart productive cattle for a future, hotter world.”

Dubbed the ‘Brangus’, the new crossbreed will require more study and ‘adjustments’ before it becomes a household word, researchers say…

~ Maggie J.