Aggie Impact : Helping Feed The World

USU President Noelle Cockett discovered the location of the sheep's coveted callipyge gene on chromosome 18. Sheep with this gene produce 33% more meat without extra feed. However, sheep are difficult to raise in developing countries. Goats are “foragers” and are more common in these areas. Through genetic engineering, President Cockett successfully added the callipyge mutation to numerous goats at USU's Animal Sciences Farm. Soon, she hopes to breed the callipyge goat in developing countries to help increase their food supply.