Two UF/IFAS researchers are looking at using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve cattle productivity through genetics.
Cooler cattle are more productive, especially in hot, humid climates like Florida. Cattle that are genetically predisposed to staying cool in the Florida heat are more productive, no matter whether they are beef or dairy cattle. Two UF/IFAS researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to “analyze millions of bits of genetic data to try to keep cattle cooler and thus, more productive,” according to a UF/IFAS blog. See the details of the cattle productivity research below.
AI for Improving Cattle Productivity
Two UF/IFAS animal sciences professors—Raluca Mateescu and Fernanda Rezende, are planning on using UF’s supercomputer, the HiPerGator, to analyze hundreds of thousands of pieces of information about cattle genetic traits. They are hoping the compiled data will allow them to “give ranchers better recommendations on which animals to keep and breed for improved quantity of beef and dairy,” according to the blog.
“AI has rapidly emerged as a powerful approach in animal genomics and holds great promise to integrate big data from multiple biological layers, leading to accurate prediction of future traits – for example, meat yield. My research group is investigating the use of AI methods to develop approaches to accurately predict the value of certain genes. Ultimately, we plan to provide more effective strategies to improve animal productivity,” Mateescu said in the blog.
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