Max Rothschild, distinguished professor of animal science and co-director of the Iowa State’s Global Food Security Consortium, received the Illumina Agriculture Greater Good Initiative Grant to continue his research of livestock genomes.

Rothschild has been studying the genetics of livestock for more than 20 years. He previously did research on the genetics of swine and cattle before conducting his current project with sheep and goats.

Illumina is the leading developer and manufacturer of genome sequencing; according to its website, its vision is “to advance human health by unlocking the power of the genome.”

The grants are designed to help universities conduct research that will improve livestock welfare, crop production and to increase the overall amount of food for the developing world. Iowa State is primarily planning to use the grant to help research the genetics of sheep and goats.

“The Illumina Agricultural Greater Good Initiative grant will provide advanced research tools to help understand the genetics of goats and sheep, which may lead to animals that are more resilient to heat stress,” said Brian Meyer, director of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Communications Service. “This is an important issue for farmers in countries that depend on these animals for their livelihoods.”

Iowa State is also working with Egypt on the project.

Rothschild first visited Egypt on a trip to Jordan, and it was then that he discovered he wanted to work with sheep and goats, specifically with how they fare in dry regions. A collaboration project then emerged with the Animal Production Research Institute of Egypt and International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas.

Egypt’s role is to measure animals’ stress levels and to send the data to Iowa State. Egypt sent a scientist to Iowa State for three months last year and are planning to send another in 2014.

Egypt and Iowa State both benefit by educating the Egyptian scientists who come to Iowa. Iowa State receives a better understanding of sheep and goat genetics, and Egypt gets a trained scientist who can implement

Iowa State’s genetic findings to improve Egyptian farming practices.

“The grant allows us to genotype more goats and sheep from Egypt,” Rothschild said. “Hopefully we will soon be able to sequence the genotypes.”

Sequencing genotypes means unraveling the genetic material, base pair by base pair. Sequencing identifies which genes determine diseases, hair color, resistance to heat and many more characteristics. 

“There is a lot of work to do,” Rothschild said. “Feeding the human population with small ruminants is very important.”  

Climate is continuing to change, and trying to understand what type of landscapes and breeds will be best to keep in certain places is of interest to researchers.

“The tools and technologies made possible by the grant are critical to research aimed at improving agricultural practices in developing nations,” Meyer said.

This program has been supported by grants in the past, and it is important to keep receiving grants to help continue the research.