Integrated Program for Reducing Bovine Respiraory Disease Complex in Beef and Dairy Cattle

The author leads a Project Team that is in the second year of a USDA funded Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) to reduce the prevalence of Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in beef and dairy cattle with resultant improvements in animal welfare and industry profitability.  Advances in molecular genetics and genotyping technology offer a unique opportunity to identify genetic variation associated with the spectrum of BRD pathogens. This CAP consists of Research, Extension and Education components, all targeted to the overall project goal.  The research objectives are to identify genetic loci and genomic rearrangements associated with BRD and use these to develop SNP-based selection tools and diagnostic tests to identify BRD genetically resistant animals. The extension objectives are to develop a sustained effort to disseminate, demonstrate, evaluate and document the impact of a range of educational outreach materials and best management practices for beef and dairy cattle producers, and feedlot personnel.  The education objectives are to develop and offer distance and experimental multi-disciplinary learning approaches for undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary students studying BRD.  Although only in the second year of the project, measurable success has been achieved under all three objectives as detailed in the presentation.  Published products of this CAP, along with a listing of team members, are available at the project web site: http://www.brdcomplex.org/Team.html .