Sustained Nutrition Critical for
Fetal Development, Lifetime Performance
BOZEMAN, MONT. (Sept. 15, 2010) — Cow nutrition during the entire gestation cycle greatly influences calf fetal development and future health and performance of that calf. That was the message shared by Lee Dickerson, with Land O' Lakes Purina Feed LLC, as he addressed Angus producers Sept. 15 during the National Angus Conference in Bozeman, Mont. The event also included tours of Montana Angus seedstock operations on Sept. 16-17. (See the Photos page for photo galleries of the tours or the Tour Stops page for bios of each ranch.)
Lee Dickerson
Dickerson explained that fetal programming — which refers to maternal events during the development of the fetus — is a research area yielding a lot of new information with applications for the beef industry.
Specifically, Dickerson said, it is being realized that environmental factors like inadequate fetal nutrition can cause an organism’s genes to express themselves differently — even though the genes themselves don’t change. In research terms, this is called epigenetics.
Moreover, the epigenetic changes brought about during fetal programming are not limited to the fetal period. As an example of this, human research studies are showing that children that had inadequate nutrition as a fetus developed lifetime health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, renal failure and cardiovascular disease. The studies also show that an increased risk for these health conditions is passed on to future generations.
Dickerson shared that research in the beef industry is indicating that the phenomenon of epigenetics also applies to cattle — with implications to future calf health, growth and carcass performance, and reproduction.
Thus, he suggested, cow-calf producers should strive to ensure that cows are receiving consistent nutrition in early, mid- and late gestation.
“Each trimester appears to be critical,” Dickerson said. He noted that the industry has tended to focus on cow nutrition during the last trimester — when more than 75% of fetal growth occurs. However, he pointed out, the first two-thirds of pregnancy is when the placenta develops, organs differentiate and grow, and muscle cell growth and proliferation occurs.
“All the muscle cells that calf will ever have develop as a fetus, not after the calf is born,” Dickerson said, further making his point about the importance of cow nutrition during pregnancy.
Dickerson concluded by encouraging cattlemen to recognize that, “The gestational nutrition of your herd this year imprints the lifetime genetic potential and performance of subsequent generations.”
Fetal programming research, as it applies to beef cattle, is being carried out by private industry and at land-grant universities across the county.
© Copyright 2010 Angus Productions Inc.
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