A faster approach to growing the polled dairy cattle population is the exciting result of new research from the University of Minnesota. There, scientists discovered a modified gene editing system that could accelerate genetic improvement in livestock.
During the research, genetic variants from polled Red Angus were transmitted to Holsteins. Changing just one letter in the genome sequence resulted in a polled animal. Farmers have long used selective breeding to choose desirable traits, but this new editing technology would speed up the process.
The polled gene is actually dominant, so both parents must pass along the recessive gene for their offspring to be horned. History books reveal that cattle were originally polled, but genetic mutations over time introduced horns. Once needed for safety, today's cattle in domestic situations do not need horns, and horns can be dangerous for people or other cattle.
Dehorning is a routine chore on dairy farms, but it can be painful and stressful to animals and has become a welfare concern. Methods of dehorning have also come under the scrutiny of animal activist groups the past few years.
For these reasons, selection for the polled gene has accelerated recently. Interest in polled cattle stems back decades, but still only a few percent of currently marketed Holstein sires are polled. With more pressure from outside the industry to make dehorning painless or completely eliminated, a quicker way to expand the number of polled dairy cattle without would be welcomed.
