The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency is making $1 million avail-a ble for forage and cow-calf research.
The two projects are aimed at forage and silage research and epigenetics/ fetal development programming, said ALMA research officer Shannon Scott.
Epigenetics looks at how outside influences such as environment, climate and cow nutrition affect calf development during pregnancy. Scott said it is a relatively new field.
“Nutrition can affect how genetics are expressed throughout its productive lifetime,” she said.
ALMA is also calling for proposals on practical forage and silage production that could include work on annuals used for swath grazing, grasses and legumes.
“We recognize there is a dearth of funding available for this kind of research,” she said.
The agency is encouraging researchers to collaborate with others across the country to benefit cow-calf producers in every province.
ALMA says it has set aside $11 million per year for research under its strategic initiatives division.
