Dr. Graham Plastow (Former Livestock Gentec CEO) attended the final meeting of the EuroFAANG project (https://eurofaang.eu/) at EMBL- European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) in the UK in November. The meeting was organized by Emily Clark, Genome Analysis Team Leader at EBI. This was a great opportunity to continue networking with European researchers working on livestock genomics including members of the BovReg project (https://bovreg.eu/) such as Emily (see photo). BovReg incorporated detailed analysis of the Kinsella composite population at the UofA.

EuroFAANG was a Research Infrastructure Project, funded by the EU in 2023 as a natural outgrowth of the EuroFAANG collaborative effort that had seen 6 European projects come together since 2020 to bridge the gap between genomics and phenomics at the European level. The theme of the conference was “How can research infrastructures strengthen animal science in Europe and beyond?”. Gentec, a founder member of the Functional Analysis of Animal Genomes initiative (https://www.faang.org/) continues to participate in these important efforts to provide input on priorities and to also benefit from the latest developments and help refine the tools we make available for Canadian livestock producers.

Key presentations reviewed state of the art efforts on phenotyping (Practical phenotyping/tools & data management; sector perspective, Lars Peter Sørensen (VikingGenetics)) genome editing (Outcomes from the EuroFAANG Think-Tank on Genome Editing, Geena Cartick, (European Forum for Farm Animal Breeders (https://www.effab.info/) and Surrogate sires: genome editing for biobanking Mike McGrew (U. Edinburgh). Natalie Twine (CSIRO) presented some of the latest tools developed for genome analysis of quantitative traits (Scaling genomics for population-level precision health). A team from UC Dublin reviewed the application of genomics to animal disease issues (Machine learning to understand bovine tuberculosis, John O’Grady, and a discussion on future efforts led by David MacHugh). 

Finally Emily and the team set out the vision for the next initiative in this area called “GenoPHEnix”. This proposal to the ESFRI Road Map builds on the previous efforts of the EuroFAANG, PigWeb, AquaExcel3.0 and SmartCow projects to provide a consolidated research infrastructure for the science needed to meet future challenges to the Agri-Food sector. The proposal has the following aims:

• To sustainably produce and manage healthier farmed animals, with the highest welfare standards.
• To more accurately exploit animal variability through enhanced phenotyping and genotyping capacity.
• To contribute to the 3Rs (reduction, refinement, replacement) in animal research by providing suitable models for deep phenotyping in vitro as well as in vivo.
• To advance the analysis of genome function, combined with the collection of deep phenotypes and multiomics information at cell, tissue, animal and on-farm/population level resolution.

We wish them success and look forward to continuing to participate in these areas especially as Canada is now an associated member of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research Framework Programme. This enables Canadian researchers to apply for most Pillar 2 projects under the same conditions as their European counterparts.

This has been a busy year for the Livestock Gentec team. Our team has grown and we are executing on our various projects with the University of Alberta group and our collaborators. We are excited to be leading three large-scale genomics projects.  Scale is critical for genomics research to obtain a diverse genetic representation for useful and accurate predictions. For a year-end theme, we thought it would be interesting to reflect on the scale of our research projects in the last year and what is coming up next year.

Starting with our project, “Adoption of Genomic Tools”, in 2025 calendar year, we genotyped 10,393 animals, for a project total of 16,122 over 1.5 years. These genotypes have been used to generate genomic values shared with the producers enrolled in this pilot project (Learn more here). This directly lets producers put our research into practice. With this project, we have 64 producers with animals enrolled so far and we are collaborating with 8 service providers, livestock associations and producer research associations helping facilitate data collection and reporting. All animals were genotyped for 100,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). 

Next our Beef on Dairy project (see more here from our June 2025 issue), where scale is also a major part of the project. Dr. Chinyere Ekine-Dzivenu, Livestock Gentec research associate is busy with the pedigree-based genetic analysis with >200,000 animals with detailed records. In addition to the rich data set, we are collecting new genotypic and feed intake, feed efficiency and carcass quality data from related Beef on Dairy steers fed in Alberta feedlots. In 2025 we collected the feed intake and genotypic data from nearly 500 steers towards our goal of 1900 animals to complement the pedigree analysis.

Pictured: the Livestock Gentec team meeting with Olds College TACLP team. From left to right: Yaogeng Lei (Olds College), Dr. John Basarab (Gentec), Thi Lai To (Gentec), Dr. Chinyere Ekine-Dzivenu (Gentec), and Dr. Everestus Akanno (Gentec).

Last, the NSERC Alliance grant funded project “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Canadian Beef Industry through the Development and Adoption of Genomic Tools”, we have completed 5 Animal trials in 2025, with 2 additional animal trials underway, representing 533 animals at 4 sites in Canada. Across these trials we have been collecting: genotypes, feed intake, methane emissions and fecal NIRS data (Methane reduction project article).The compiled datasets from complete trials currently have over 13,000 methane spot measurements. From these animals we have collected and processed over 1,300 fecal samples. Each fecal sample has been scanned using Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy with absorption values measured at 0.5nm increments between 400-2500nm from the visible spectra through the near infrared ranges. That means 4200 readings per spectra as a starting point.  Each dataset type requires their own pipeline to refine to analyzable formats and correlate to the other dataset types from the same trials. Finally, in this project, complementing the research site data we have a pilot project with 2,300 animals currently enrolled to evaluate genomic tools as a beneficial management practices (BMPs) (Learn more about this pilot here).

The projects above, only represent active beef genomics projects. Dr. John Basarab and Dr. Graham Plastow have led and completed a number of beef cattle genomic projects over the last 10+ years with genomic and phenotypic datasets that could contribute to current and overarching Livestock Gentec goals. Dr. Everestus Akanno, senior research associate with Livestock Gentec, is compiling these datasets from the various projects into one large reference database. Across projects various genotype formats that have been used, Dr. Akanno has implemented common format and pipeline to transform genotypes between formats (eg: nucleotide to AB and TOP-TOP format). Additionally, genotypes are imputed between densities so there is a common SNP density in database for ready analysis. This work is iterative and ongoing as there are many sources of these genotypes and phenotypes, however, in its current form, there are over 65,000 genotypes already compiled! Each project had unique aims, however, we believe these historic reference data will contribute to higher accuracy of genomic breeding values with a number of hard to measure and economically important phenotypes measured. 

We are sharing these figures to demonstrate how we are leveraging the scale of our research to drive new innovation and adoption of genomic technology. We believe adoption of this technology is important for sustainability and profitability of the beef industry. We recognize scale alone does not generate good research. It is only through world class facilities, our network of highly-competent collaborators and expert in-house team that we are able to achieve this scale of research excellence. These projects will continue for the next several years at the same pace and scale. Watch for updates as we dive into the analysis for these various datasets.

Jenny Patterson spoke at the 2025 Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop (RDSTW) on October 8th, 2025, an annual event hosted by Alberta Pork. 

It was another successful meeting this year, with over 165 local producers and farm team members in attendance to hear presentations from industry experts and to network with those in the local industry.

Jenny’s topic was “The Fertility Quadrant” and it was highlighted in the Prairie Hog Country Magazine in their December 2025 edition. Her summary is below.

Set gilts up for Success

Developed in collaboration with Dr. Sergio Canavate from PIC NA, the “Fertility Quadrant” is a concept that integrates the four critical traits of gilt development. 

• Age at puberty
• Estrus at service
• 1st service weight
• 1st service age

It is important to note that while specific recommendations may vary by genetic supplier, the underlying principles remain the same, to support gilt development to maximize sow lifetime productivity.

These traits are not four independent targets, rather, they interact with each other to influence a gilt’s future productivity and retention. The concept also encourages producers to shift the focus from short term results, such as first litter size, toward a broader outcome of long-term productivity and retention over the lifetime of a female. 

The “Fertility Quadrant” concept recognizes that gilt development is also about achieving balance between breeding gilts with the optimal mix of these targets while managing the reality of meeting breeding targets and the challenges and/or opportunities within any given farm and production system. It requires on-farm decision making in achieving these targets, while understanding the tradeoffs when one or more benchmarks are not met. 

Ultimately, we believe by setting gilts up for success early, they will have a long and productive life in your herd.

https://www.prairiehogcountry.com/2025/12/03/alberta-pork-hosts-red-deer-swine-technology-workshop/

Jennifer Patterson

Sonja Allen, PhD Candidate, University of Alberta, During my recent trip to Hendrix Genetics Headquarters in the Netherlands, I had the opportunity to engage with researchers and gain insights directly relevant to my doctoral work, “Improving Sow Lifetime Productivity (SLP) and Pig Quality through Phenotypic and Genomic Analysis.” This The visit was both intellectually stimulating and practically valuable, offering perspectives that I will apply to my research.

I was fortunate to have one-on-one interactions with team leaders such as Ton Mallens, Database Manager at Hendrix Genetics. A key lesson from our meeting was the importance of rigorous data validation and regular checks of farm tools and equipment, such as scales, feeders, and software systems, to ensure accuracy in phenotypic and genotypic records. Beyond that, I gained valuable insights into Hypor breeding goals and the relevance of trait selection in ensuring animal welfare, productivity, and health through discussions with Abe Huisman, Director of Product Excellence, and Manuel Revilla, Animal Geneticist.

During my visit, I focused on analyzing growth curves in females and connecting these growth parameters, such as the inflection point, to parity-one reproductive performance. I had the opportunity to work closely with Marco Bink, the Team Lead for Genetics & Genomics. Our regular meetings focused on optimizing data pipelines, managing large phenotype datasets, and ensuring reproducibility of results. In addition to generating growth curves and applying mixed models in R for phenotypic analysis, we also focused on genomic data analysis by troubleshooting file formatting challenges using tools such as GCTA, BLUPF90+, and Linux environments.

I further interacted with phenotyping researchers whose focus on innovations such as digital phenotyping highlighted the future direction of swine research. 

My visit also coincided with Hendrix’s anniversary celebrations, which allowed me to gain deeper insights into the company’s history and its global presence, operating in more than 25 countries and supporting producers in over 100 countries worldwide.

This experience underscored the collaborative spirit of the international research community and reinforced the global impact of integrated phenotypic and genomic approaches to livestock improvement. It also helped me appreciate the importance of my project in advancing the swine sector by contributing to the production of high-quality pigs and pork products.

We are happy to report a successful Farm Fair 2025. There were great booths, livestock shows and events that make the annual event a great stop for anyone with an interest in livestock production. As a genomics research group, we think livestock shows are a great way to demonstrate the power of selection. Phenotypes like coat colour, coat texture and animal size are all things we can see very clearly with a heritable genetic basis (See below). While the focus was on cattle, we saw the same principles in practice with the rabbit show at Farm Fair as well. Of course, we were not there just to experience it, Livestock Gentec actively participated in the events at the Farm Forward event and at the University of Alberta ALES booth.

Dr. John Basarab Livestock Gentec CEO was an expert at the “Ask an Expert” event for the Farm Forward young livestock producers’ event at Farm Fair. The day was oriented towards young livestock producers and covered a lot of ground. Financial planning, biosecurity, and mental health were just among a few of the topics discussed. The audience was also treated to our University of Alberta colleague Dr. Edward Bork presenting on the transformational power of virtual fencing in livestock grazing. The “Ask an Expert” event was a little more personal, Dr. Basarab ran a round table discussion with smaller groups who asked their questions. The groups rotated after a short discussion to get a chance to talk with more experts. It made for a frantic hour, but we think there were many great discussions and questions. We found some conversations carried over into the lunch hour. The consensus from the attendees is Farm Forward was jam-packed, but incredibly informative over a broad number of topics. We received the following encouraging statement from the organizers on Dr. Basarab’s participation:

“It is vital to the entire livestock industry of Alberta that the next generation feels informed, supported and that the future for them in this industry is viable. This is why Farmfair International has placed an emphasis on educating and supporting young adults who are interested in careers in agriculture. We appreciate passionate educators like Dr. John Basarab, who come to the Farm Forward event to share their knowledge and encouragement with our audience.”

Pictured: Dr. John Basarab speaking to avid listeners at Farm Forward November 8, 2025.

This year we were at the ALES booth all four days (November 5-8). We had great conversations with producers, high school students, members of the public, funders, and collaborators. At the booth we displayed some plain language posters and materials on our NSERC Alliance project: “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Canadian Beef Industry through the Development and Adoption of Genomic Tools” and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural program  grant administered by Results Driven Agricultural Research (RDAR) program “Using genomics to improve the profitability and sustainability of Alberta’s beef industry”. To stimulate conversation around our material we brought a microscope with display showing dried and ground fecal material. The aim was to show what the fecal material looked like when we collected near infrared spectra on these samples (see more on fecal NIRS as a methane proxy here). As you can see from the pictures it is not immediately identifiable as cattle feces, so it made a good conversation starter when folks were wondering what they were looking at under the microscope. 

Overall the booth was a great opportunity to bring out the whole team and share our research activities.

We want to thank the University of Alberta ALES department, specifically, ALES research and innovation director Dr. Rene Dery and ALES Dean Dr. Rickey Yada, for the logistic and financial support in coordinating the event. It was also great to get to interact with other ALES research teams and learn more about their activities as well. We hope to come out next year and keep the tradition going.

Researchers with the University of Saskatchewan recently published: “Application of DNA parentage testing and EnVigour HX™ to evaluate bull prolificacy and heifer performance in beef cattle breeding programs in Western Canada”. In this study, sire assignments were conducted to determine bull ‘prolificacy’ scores. The genotypes were also analyzed for EnVigour HXTM scores to determine the hybrid vigour of these bulls and heifers –as a reminder to readers, EnVigour HXTM was launched by Livestock Gentec in 2017, the first “made-in-Canada” genomic tool for Canadian crossbred cattle producers,. The genomic values were compared to phenotypes assessing the relationships between hybrid vigour score and performance. While we recommend you read the article yourselves (Article link), we want to highlight that this study validates the relationship between genomically determined hybrid vigour score and lifetime productivity. 

We think this is excellent news for users and researchers alike. One key element in good science is repeatability. The results of this study, align well with our own findings when developing and validating EnVigour HXTM. In addition to providing confidence in the original results, this validation provides peer reviewed validation for the application of the EnVigour HXTM in a wider range of environments and genetic populations. Of course, the effectiveness of crossbreeding has been extensively established. However, this study specifically demonstrates the effectiveness of the EnVigour HX™ score and underlying analysis in a novel population showing broader applicability in the Western Canadian beef herd.

We would also like to point the readers to other validations conducted by research groups assessing EnVigour HXTM

Livestock Gentec continues to use EnVigour HXTM in our genomic value reports to producers. The value is useful itself as shown above. Further, the underlying genomic breed compositions are very informative to ensure an effective cross-breeding program. We also heavily weight EnVigour HXTM in the replacement heifer profit index score (RHPITM score). Fertility traits show low heritability meaning limited and slow progress through traditional selection. Incorporating heterosis or hybrid vigour with the weighted gEPDs to evaluate replacement heifers gives a balanced indication of her expected lifetime performance.

We are always excited to see our research and genomic tools evaluated by other research programs. The study also illustrates the importance of working with industry to generate industry buy-in to genomic tools. If you are a producer or researcher and want to learn more about genomic tools and Livestock Gentec projects for collaboration reach out to: lsgentec@ualberta.ca 

The Gentec Swine group is excited to showcase our latest results from our research collaboration with Hypor Hendrix Genetics Swine at the Banff Pork Seminar (January 6-8th, 2026). 

This collaborative work is focused on gilt development and sow lifetime productivity, with the goal of improving the competitiveness and sustainability of the Canadian pig industry.

Come by and see the posters and chat with the students.

BPS is always an excellent event for bringing the industry together. Our team will be represented by Michael Dyck, Jennifer Patterson, Sonja Allen, Kayla Patey and Morgan Rioch. We look forward to seeing you there!

There will also be a RDAR Research Showcase January 21, 2026. The event will be held in person at the Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel, with a virtual attendance option available. Please see link here for registration and event information. The event will include some interesting presentations and a fireside chat and Q&A with Deputy Minister Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Jason Hale. After closing remarks there will be a poster session and networking event. Look for some of the Gentec team at the event.

Banff Pork Seminar Materials

Sonja Allen (PhD candidate)

“From Growth Curve to Breeding Decisions: Linking Gilt Development to Parity One Success”

Sonja’s poster highlights the opportunity to utilize the inflection point from gilt growth curve modeling as the key biological signal to time first breeding, which is essential for improving P1 outcome, sow retention, and profitability.  

Kayla Patey (MSc candidate)

“Identifying Birthweight Phenotype in Sows to Improve Replacement Gilt Management”

Kayla’s poster explores the possibility of earlier selection against sows with low litter birthweight phenotypes (LBWP) to predict future average litter birthweight patterns, supporting more efficient gilt selection and herd management.  

Morgan Rioch (BSc undergraduate student)

“Feed Intake in First Parity Lactation: Impact on Weight Loss and Subsequent Performance“

Morgan’s poster emphasizes the importance of feed intake during lactation in parity 1 sows as a critical component of parity 1 management, and how it impacts sow weight loss during first lactation, breeding efficiency and subsequent reproductive performance. 

We want to thank Morgan for all her hard work over the past two years as our undergraduate summer student.  Congratulations to Morgan as she finishes her Bachelor of Science in Animal Bioscience, at the University of Saskatchewan this December. Lucky for us, she won’t be going far, she will be joining the Gentec Beef Team to start her Masters of Science in January.

Take a look at some of Livestock Gentec’s material from the 2025 Banff Pork Seminar (BPS highlights 2025)

Karen Haugen-Kozyra president of Viresco Solutions Inc. was presented the 2025 ASTech Award for Agriculture and Agri-Food celebrated at the November 7, 2025 Gala in Calgary. Viresco Solutions Inc. won this award for their work on “Agri-Carbon Innovator Driving Sustainable Farming and Market Impact”. The award was presented by Bob Schulz, Professor, University of Calgary. See Karen at the Gala in the photo below. Join us in wishing a big congratulations to the Viresco Solutions Inc. team.

When they are not busy winning awards, Viresco Solutions Inc. is collaborating with Livestock Gentec in preparing a draft carbon offset protocol for cow-calf operations using genomic tools for the NSERC Alliance grant funded project “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Canadian Beef Industry through the Development and Adoption of Genomic Tools”. We are grateful for their expertise in leading us through this highly technical process. Specifically, Karen Haugen-Kozyra has very relevant experience in protocol development in Alberta through her involvement in developing the Fed cattle carbon offset protocol in the Alberta Offset system and Selecting for Low Residual Feed Intake in Beef Cattle protocol – both recognized protocols in the federal Offset System.  This previous experience gives us a huge advantage in avoiding pitfalls in the process. As recognized experts in this area, they are also a major help in contacting and pulling together the internationally recognized experts for the advisory committee for review of the scientific discussion document. They have been a huge asset to the project team and it is exciting to see their efforts recognized.

These were the 36th annual ASTech awards. ASTech or Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation recognizes outstanding achievement in science or technology in Alberta since 1990. There were 20 award categories for 2025. Among these other categories, Dr. David Wishart, University of Alberta colleague and Gentec collaborator was the winner of the 2025 ASTech AI / ML & Quantum Award. We are very supportive of efforts to recognize excellence in science and technology in Alberta. We congratulate all the winners, and here is to another year of innovation in Alberta.

This has been an eventful year for us and looking back there have been a lot of highlights. Our leadership team: Dr. John Basarab CEO and Dr. Graham Plastow Former-CEO have a year-end message for our readers.

“When we reflect on the last 12 months we are amazed at how much has been achieved by the team including all our collaborators and industry partners.  These include partners across Canada as well as overseas. This has been built on the long-term support of the Faculty ALES and Department of AFNS along with the partnership researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Thanks to everyone for your support”

Pictured: Livestock Gentec team enjoying some Delicious Bits at the Olds College National Meat Training Centre shop after our site visit to TACLP feedlot to check on some project animals. Left to right: Dr. Chinyere Ekine-Dzivenu, Thi Lai To, and Dr. Everestus Akanno

Pictured: Dr. John Basarab Livestock Gentec CEO speaks to an engaged group at “Ask an Expert” during Farm Forward (Nov 8, 2025).

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Chinyere Ekine-Dzivenu back to the University of Alberta and Livestock Gentec. Dr. Ekine-Dzivenu is a quantitative geneticist and livestock genomics scientist with extensive experience applying advanced genetic and genomic tools to improve livestock productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability. She earned her PhD and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta, where she applied genomic tools to enhance feed efficiency and carcass quality in beef cattle.

In her new role she is advancing genetic and genomic tools to improve the sustainability, profitability, and environmental performance of beef production in Canada while contributing to teaching and fostering international partnerships and collaborations that link and ensure research innovations translate into practical on-farm impact, reflecting her passion for climate-smart, farmer-focused livestock improvement.

She remains seconded to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), where she contributes to designing genomic selection strategies and digital platforms, data systems, and farmer support services, to drive continuous improvements in smallholder dairy systems across sub-Saharan and Asia enhancing productivity profitability, and climate-resilience.

Her dual appointment strengthens collaboration between both institutions, aligning research with practical on-farm applications, expanding funding opportunities, and supporting capacity building, technology transfer, and climate-smart livestock improvement in both hemispheres.

Dr. Ekine-Dzivenu is passionate about mentoring students, training the next generation of scientists, and fostering multidisciplinary collaborations that bridge research and industry, ensuring tangible benefits for farmers.