Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO

In recent years, the livestock industry has been confronted with a range of pressing challenges, including rising production costs driven by increasing prices of feed and other essential inputs, as well as the urgent need to establish livestock management strategies that can effectively respond to ongoing global warming. The Cattle Production and Breeding Research Group is composed of scientists specializing in animal breeding, animal nutrition, and animal physiology. By organically integrating expertise across these disciplines, we address critical issues currently facing the livestock sector. Our research focuses on several key approaches: the development of highly utilizable feed resources; the construction of mathematical models of feed utilization efficiency and the development of genetic improvement strategies based on these models; and the evaluation of the impacts of climate change and summer heat stress on cattle productivity, together with the establishment of effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. Through these efforts, we aim to contribute to the development of sustainable and highly efficient cattle production systems. In addition, through a wide range of competitively funded research projects, we collaborate not only with other research groups in NARO, but also with universities, local governments, relevant organizations, private companies, and agricultural producers to promote improvements in livestock productivity and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.