Ch. 9 — Advances in Reproductive Biology and Their Effects on Animal Improvement • 191 
[)i'()diu'ls tVom abroatl, U’acliiig to o[){)or- 
timities for increased profits for siuTossfiil 
proiliicei's: and 
• incroasing demancis on agricultural |)rod- 
ucts for pioduction of cnci gx'. 
OPTIOi\S: 
Governmental fmrticipation in, and fiiiuiin^ of, 
programs like the \'ational Cooperative Dairy 
Herd Improvement Program (XCDHIP) could 
he increased. The efforts of the Beef Cattle 
Improvement Federation to standardize pro- 
cedures could be actively supported, and a 
similar information system for swine could he 
established. 
rhe fastest, least expensive way to u[)gi'ade 
breeding stock in the I'niled States is through 
effective use of information. Clompuler technol- 
ogv', along with a network of local represent- 
atives for data collecting, can |)rov ide the imli- 
V idual farmer or breeder w ith accurate infor- 
mation on the gei'mplasm available, so that he 
can then make his own breeding decisions. In 
this way, the Nation can take adv antage of pop- 
ulation genetics atid information handling capa- 
bilities to upgrade one of its most ini[)ortant 
forms of capital: poultry and livestock. Breed 
associations and lai'ge ranchers who sell the 
semen from their prize hulls based on pedigrees 
rather than on genetic merit mav act as harriers 
to the effectiveness of such an objective infor- 
mation system. 
The benefits of such programs would accrue 
both to L'.S. consumers, in reduced real prices 
of meat and animal products, and to producers 
who participate in the programs, in increased 
efficiency of production. Consumers spend such 
a large part of their incomes on red meat that 
ev ery increase in efficiency represents millions 
of dollars saved. Beef producers too, should 
welcome any assistance in upgrading their 
stocks. The price of semen has remained rel- 
atively stable, and semen from bulls rated 
highly on certain economic traits costs only a 
few dollars more than that from average bulls. 
Howev er, efficiency of production is not the 
only value to be upheld in U.S. agriculture— e.g., 
in milk production complex policies have been 
designed to maintain constant milk supplies 
without large fluctuations in price. 
The NCUHIP model program for dairy cattle 
has shown that an effective national program 
retjuires the participation by the varied in- 
terests in program policymaking in an extension 
network, for local collection and validation of 
data and for education and of expertise in data 
handling and analysis. Also important is a 
strong lead(M'ship I’ole in establishing the pi'o- 
gram. This option implies that the l*’(Hleral Gov - 
('rnment would play such a role in new pro- 
grams and e.\|)and its role in existing ones. 
B. Federal funding of basic research in total ani- 
mal improvement could be increased. 
'I'he o|)tion, in contrast with option A, 
assuiiK's that it is necessary to maintain or ex- 
pand basic R&.l) to generate new knowledge 
that can he applied to the production of im- 
proved animals and animal products. 
Information presented in this repoi't supports 
the conclusion that long-term basic research on 
the physiological and biochemical events in 
animal development results in increasing the ef- 
ficiency of animal production, both in total 
animal numbers and in quality of product. In- 
creased understanding of the interrelationships 
among various systems— including reproduc- 
tion, nutrition, and genetics— gradually leads to 
the development of superior animals that effi- 
ciently consume food not palatable to humans 
and are resistant to disease. 
Earlier studies also support the importance of 
basic research— e.g., the National Research 
Council found in 1977 that “. . . not as much fun- 
damental research on animal problems has 
been conducted in recent years ... it should 
receive increased funding. USDA also found, 
in a review of various conference proceedings, 
congressional hearings, special studies, and 
other published materials on agricultural R&D 
priorities, strong support for more research on 
the basic processes that contribute to reproduc- 
tion and performance traits in farm animals: 
“,\alional Research C:oiincil, World Food and Niilrition Study, 
The Potential Contributions of Research (Washington, O. C:. author. 
1977), p. 97. 
