Alberta Beef Producers and the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency are seeking research proposals focused on antimicrobial use and resistance.
The two organizations will be awarding $1.5 million in grants for research in the following areas:
- Identify and/or develop practical and economically viable modifications to current beef production practices that reduce the need for non-ionophore in-feed antimicrobials, such as tylosin and oxy/chlortetracycline. (The development of pre/pro/synbiotics, the use of plant-based or other chemical antimicrobial alternatives will not be considered under this research call.)
- Identify and/or quantify differences in animal biological processes or genetics that affect animal health responses to high-grain diets.
- Develop and pilot rapid and/or chute-side diagnostic techniques that can identify antimicrobial-resistant bovine pathogens and help inform antimicrobial treatment decisions in real time.
- Quantify baseline antimicrobial use data at both the cow-calf and feedlot levels.
- Quantify the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bovine pathogens in cattle arriving at the feedlot prior to any antimicrobial treatment at the lot, and/or in cull cattle arriving for slaughter.
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Projects can be between one and three years in duration, but must be completed by Sept. 30, 2019.
