WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA — Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine celebrated its 50th anniversary by sending 19 faculty members, students and alumni to Ethiopia to assist in improving livestock production and continue its ongoing relationship with the Ethiopian veterinary school.

The group worked with Project Mercy, a U.S.-based, non-profit relief and development agency that seeks to improve cattle and human nutrition through breeding practices. The project is breeding Ethiopian cattle breeds with American and European breeds such as Jerseys, a U.S. dairy breed.

Breeding Ethiopian cattle with Jerseys is a good fit because Jerseys are small, have a high fertility rate and produce a lot of milk, said Mark Hilton, a Purdue veterinarian and clinical professor of food and animal production medicine.

“The thing that surprised me most was the lack of adequate animal nutrition and growth,” he said. “The heifers were only 250 to 350 pounds at a year old. Because of the lack of nutrition, animal reproduction is a luxury in Ethiopia. We saw 5-year-old heifers that had never been in heat. We really want to improve reproduction and show the Ethiopian people they can do it, too.”

Source: Purdue University News