Zoetis Partners with AgNext to Advance Sustainable Cattle Production
Source: DairyNews.today
Zoetis has entered into a research collaboration with Colorado State University’s AgNext to drive advancements in sustainable animal production. The partnership aims to leverage animal health and genetic data to establish new standards for sustainable management practices within the cattle industry.
"Beef and dairy producers define sustainability as healthy, productive animals that are resource-efficient. However, specific benchmarks and data have been lacking in the industry," said Dr. Mike Lormore, Head of U.S. Cattle and Pork Technical Services at Zoetis. "This collaboration will help fill those gaps, providing data to establish baselines and assist producers, veterinarians, and nutritionists in making more informed decisions to meet sustainability goals."
The focus of the research is to address key data gaps around technologies and management practices that improve livestock production efficiency while ensuring animal welfare and meeting evolving sustainability demands. The initial study will establish baseline greenhouse gas emissions for fed cattle, considering typical health treatments.
A second study will conduct a lifecycle assessment of beef and dairy production systems, examining the impact of animal genetics, health interventions like vaccination, and parasite control on sustainability.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), improving animal health can boost livestock productivity, enhance animal welfare, and help reduce emissions, contributing to climate solutions.
“By utilizing Zoetis’ animal health technologies alongside Colorado State University's expertise, we aim to advance sustainability in the beef and dairy industries through improved management practices,” said Dr. Kim Stackhouse Lawson, Director of AgNext. “This partnership will foster strategies that enhance animal welfare, environmental stewardship, and economic efficiency for livestock producers.”
Shari Westerfeld, Zoetis Vice President of Sustainability Customer Engagement, emphasized the complementary strengths of the collaboration: “Zoetis’ expertise in animal health and genetics, combined with AgNext’s research on sustainability, will strengthen efforts to improve animal health, productivity, and environmental stewardship.”
This collaboration underscores Zoetis' commitment to supporting farmers, ranchers, and producers in meeting global demands for healthy, sustainable livestock production, with the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050.
The focus of the research is to address key data gaps around technologies and management practices that improve livestock production efficiency while ensuring animal welfare and meeting evolving sustainability demands. The initial study will establish baseline greenhouse gas emissions for fed cattle, considering typical health treatments.
A second study will conduct a lifecycle assessment of beef and dairy production systems, examining the impact of animal genetics, health interventions like vaccination, and parasite control on sustainability.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), improving animal health can boost livestock productivity, enhance animal welfare, and help reduce emissions, contributing to climate solutions.
“By utilizing Zoetis’ animal health technologies alongside Colorado State University's expertise, we aim to advance sustainability in the beef and dairy industries through improved management practices,” said Dr. Kim Stackhouse Lawson, Director of AgNext. “This partnership will foster strategies that enhance animal welfare, environmental stewardship, and economic efficiency for livestock producers.”
Shari Westerfeld, Zoetis Vice President of Sustainability Customer Engagement, emphasized the complementary strengths of the collaboration: “Zoetis’ expertise in animal health and genetics, combined with AgNext’s research on sustainability, will strengthen efforts to improve animal health, productivity, and environmental stewardship.”
This collaboration underscores Zoetis' commitment to supporting farmers, ranchers, and producers in meeting global demands for healthy, sustainable livestock production, with the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050.
