Traditional cattle breeding has always involved modifying the genetics of animals, but the term “genetic modification” is often associated with more modern biotechnologies like genetic engineering and gene editing.
“Often when people hear the expression ‘genetic modification’ what comes to mind is the whole GMO debate and scary memes on the Internet, or that if you eat GMOs something bad will happen to you,” says Alison Van Eenennaam, UC Davis animal biotechnology and genomics extension specialist. “That narrative has been very hard to correct.”
Van Eenennaam was a featured speaker during Kansas State University’s Cattlemen’s Day on March 7. Genetic engineering, which has been around for about 30 years, involves introducing transgenic constructs from other organisms, such as Bt corn. However, this technology has seen limited use in animal production due to consumer pushback against GMOs and the difficulty of introducing new traits into animals, Van Eenennaam says.
By Angie Stump Denton
March 14, 2025
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