Project Grant 20226701536196

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CURRENTLY, LIVESTOCK CONTRIBUTES 40% OF THE GLOBAL VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND SUPPORTS THE LIVELIHOODS AND FOOD SECURITY OF ALMOST 1 BILLION PEOPLE. IMPROVEMENTS IN FETAL DEVELOPMENT LEADING TO INCREASED POSTNATAL PERFORMANCE OF FEEDLOT CATTLE WOULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE COMPETITIVENESS, SUSTAINABILITY, AND PROFITABILITY OF ANIMAL AGRICULTURE IN THE U.S. AND ELSEWHERE. THE STUDY OF EPIGENETICS, WHICH LOOSELY TRANSLATES TO BEYOND GENETICS EVALUATES HOW CHANGES TO DNA, SUCH AS METHYLATION, ALTER HOW THE DNA IS READ AND UTILIZED BY THE BODY. THESE METHYLATION CHANGES CAN BE INDUCED BY FEEDING COMPOUNDS (METHYL DONORS) KNOWN TO DECREASE OR INCREASE METHYLATION. THEREFORE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT ALTERING THE ABILITY OF THE MOTHER AND EMBRYO TO METHYLATE THEIR DNA WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT CALF GROWTH, METABOLISM, AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS THAT WILL BE IMPROVED BY SUPPLEMENTATION OF METHYL DONORS. THESE TWO EXPERIMENTS WILL ADDRESS OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WHICH ARE TO EVALUATE HOW METHYL DONOR DEFICIENCY OR SUPPLEMENTATION ALTERS FETAL DNA METHYLATION AND DETERMINE THE ROLES OF METHYL DONORS SUPPLEMENTED PRIOR TO AND DURING EARLY GESTATION ON CALF GROWTH, EFFICIENCY OF GAIN, AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS. WE EXPECT TO FIND THAT CALVES BORN TO METHYL DEFICIENT MOTHERS WILL HAVE ALTERED METABOLISM THAT DECREASES EFFICIENCY OF GAIN AND THUS DECREASES ANIMAL VALUE. CONVERSELY, A SURPLUS OF METHYL DONORS WILL ALLOW FOR PROPER PROGRAMMED METABOLISM THAT IMPROVES CALF METABOLISM AND THE POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVED CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS AND VALUE FOR THE PRODUCER. THESE DATA PROVIDE IMPACT FOR SCIENTISTS DEVELOPING MODELS OF METHYL DEFICIENCY AND SURPLUS IN CATTLE AND MAY FURTHER BE USED BY CATTLE PRODUCERS TO SUCCESSFULLY SUPPLEMENT THEIR HERDS TO IMPROVE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR CALVES AND THE ABILITY OF THE CALVES TO EFFICIENTLY GROW FROM A CALF TO A MARKETABLE MEAT PRODUCT.