This important book covers economic evaluation of genetic differences in animals, determination of breeding goals within an economic context and economic evaluation of breeding programs. During the last 50 years there have been great advances made in the breeding of domesticated animal species. Most of this work has been achieved through the efforts of geneticists, and often the economic goals of such advances have not been clearly evaluated. Economic Aspects of Animal Breeding redresses the balance and provides a much needed synthesis of this most important subject. The book is divided into five sections: basic concepts; economic evaluation of genetic differences; advanced topics in selection indices; economic evaluation of breeding programs, including biotechnological aspects; crossbreeding and heterosis.

By 2050 the world's population is projected to grow by one-third, reaching between 9 and 10 billion. With globalization and expected growth in global affluence, a substantial increase in per capita meat, dairy, and fish consumption is also anticipated. The demand for calories from animal products will nearly double, highlighting the critical importance of the world's animal agriculture system. Meeting the nutritional needs of this population and its demand for animal products will require a significant investment of resources as well as policy changes that are supportive of agricultural production. Ensuring sustainable agricultural growth will be essential to addressing this global challenge to food security. Critical Role of Animal Science Research in Food Security and Sustainability identifies areas of research and development, technology, and resource needs for research in the field of animal agriculture, both nationally and internationally. This report assesses the global demand for products of animal origin in 2050 within the framework of ensuring global food security; evaluates how climate change and natural resource constraints may impact the ability to meet future global demand for animal products in sustainable production systems; and identifies factors that may impact the ability of the United States to meet demand for animal products, including the need for trained human capital, product safety and quality, and effective communication and adoption of new knowledge, information, and technologies. The agricultural sector worldwide faces numerous daunting challenges that will require innovations, new technologies, and new ways of approaching agriculture if the food, feed, and fiber needs of the global population are to be met. The recommendations of Critical Role of Animal Science Research in Food Security and Sustainability will inform a new roadmap for animal science research to meet the challenges of sustainable animal production in the 21st century.

"The economic costs and benefits of farm animal production and sustainability versus improving climate change and animal welfare presents one of the most complex dilemmas in agriculture today. This book, by top global authors and experts, outlines the problem whilst making policy-relevant recommendations"--

Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations: Current Knowledge, Future Needs discusses the need for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement a new method for estimating the amount of ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, and other pollutants emitted from livestock and poultry farms, and for determining how these emissions are dispersed in the atmosphere. The committee calls for the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a joint council to coordinate and oversee short - and long-term research to estimate emissions from animal feeding operations accurately and to develop mitigation strategies. Their recommendation was for the joint council to focus its efforts first on those pollutants that pose the greatest risk to the environment and public health.

When you're looking for a comprehensive and reliable text on large animal reproduction, look no further! the seventh edition of this classic text is geared for the undergraduate student in Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. In response to reader feedback, Dr. Hafez has streamlined and edited the entire text to remove all repetitious and nonessential material. That means you'll learn more in fewer pages. Plus the seventh editing is filled with features that help you grasp the concepts of reproduction in farm animals so you'll perform better on exams and in practice: condensed and simplified tables, so they're easier to consult an easy-to-scan glossary at the end of the book an expanded appendix, which includes graphic illustrations of assisted reproduction technology Plus, you'll find valuable NEW COVERAGE on all these topics: Equine Reproduction: expanded information reflecting today's knowledge Llamas (NEW CHAPTER) Micromanipulation of Gametes and In Vitro Fertilization (NEW CHAPTER!) Reach for the text that's revised with the undergraduate in mind: the seventh edition of Hafez's Reproduction in Farm Animals.

Assists policymakers in evaluating the appropriate scientific methods for detecting unintended changes in food and assessing the potential for adverse health effects from genetically modified products. In this book, the committee recommended that greater scrutiny should be given to foods containing new compounds or unusual amounts of naturally occurring substances, regardless of the method used to create them. The book offers a framework to guide federal agencies in selecting the route of safety assessment. It identifies and recommends several pre- and post-market approaches to guide the assessment of unintended compositional changes that could result from genetically modified foods and research avenues to fill the knowledge gaps.

Fitness and adaptation are fundamental characteristics of plant and animal species, enabling them to survive in their environment and to adapt to the inevitable changes in this environment. This is true for both the genetic resources of natural ecosystems as well as those used in agricultural production. Extensive genetic variation exists between varieties/breeds in a species and amongst individuals within breeds. This variation has developed over very long periods of time. A major ongoing challenge is how to best utilize this variation to meet short-term demands whilst also conserving it for longer-term possible use. Many animal breeding programs have led to increased performance for production traits but this has often been accompanied by reduced fitness. In addition, the global use of genetic resources prompts the question whether introduced genotypes are adapted to local production systems. Understanding the genetic nature of fitness and adaptation will enable us to better manage genetic resources allowing us to make efficient and sustainable decisions for the improvement or breeding of these resources. This book had an ambitious goal in bringing together a sample of the world’s leading scientists in animal breeding and evolutionary genetics to exchange knowledge to advance our understanding of these vital issues.

First published in 1943, “Animal Breeding Plans” contains a detailed guide on animal breeding designed for students with experience of genetics, embryology, breeds, and stock judging. It aims to furnish the reader with a clear understanding of the means available for improving the heredity of farm animals, especially what each possible method will or will not do well. Highly recommended for modern farmers and animal breeders. Contents include: “Origin and Domestication of Farm Animals”, “Consequences of Domestication”, “Beginning of Pedigree Breeding Methods in the United States”, “History of Animal Breeding Methods in the United States”, “Relation of the Breed Association to Breed Improvement”, “Genetic Principles in Animal Breeding”, “Mendelian Basis of Inheritance”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on farming.

Before crude oil and the combustion engine, the industrialized world relied on a different kind of power - the power of the horse. Horses in Society is the story of horse production in the United States, Britain, and Canada at the height of the species' usefulness, the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century. Margaret E. Derry shows how horse breeding practices used during this period to heighten the value of the animals in the marketplace incorporated a intriguing cross section of influences, including Mendelism, eugenics, and Darwinism. Derry elucidates the increasingly complex horse world by looking at the international trade in army horses, the regulations put in place by different countries to enforce better horse breeding, and general aspects of the dynamics of the horse market. Because it is a story of how certain groups attempted to control the market for horses, by protecting their breeding activities or 'patenting' their work, Horses in Society provides valuable background information to the rapidly developing present-day problem of biological ownership. Derry's fascinating study is also a story of the evolution of animal medicine and humanitarian movements, and of international relations, particularly between Canada and the United States.