Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.

Animal Production Specialist Areas

Research and Extension outreach in this program area encompass the range of animal/genetics/genomics, reproduction, nutrition, physiology, health, and management activities, which should lead to improved animal varieties and management techniques for New Mexico producers.

Animal Genome
Work in this area involves the application of new developments in molecular biology to map and understand the genome of agriculturally important animal species.
Animal Management Systems
Work in this area focuses on the development and application of management systems, including computer technology/models and analytic methods, to improve management decisions and enhance animal production systems.
Animal Physiological Processes
This area includes work on the fundamental physiological processes within the animal at the organismal, organ system, cellular, and molecular level.
Environmental Stress in Animals
Work in this area involves stresses from the effects of climate, handling, and other environmental factors that decrease productivity, including extremes in temperature, humidity, air movement, and noise that may lead to lower reproduction, reduced feed efficiency, anorexia, reduced disease resistance, and increased mortality.
Genetic Improvement of Animals
Work in this area focuses on improving production efficiency of agriculturally important animal species through more effective genetic improvement programs utilizing the development and application of expanded genetic information and technology encompassing molecular, quantitative, and statistical genetics.
Improved Animal Products (Before Harvest)
This area includes work to improve the composition and quality of animal products to reflect consumer preferences.
Nutrient Utilization of Animals
Work in this area focuses on efforts to enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization for improving animal productivity, including molecular and cellular biology of nutrient utilization, digestion, metabolic processes, and feed processing technology.
Reproductive Performance of Animals
Work to enhance reproductive performance of agriculturally important animals involves factors that control reproduction or provide methodologies to improve reproductive efficiency, including efforts to control puberty, ovarian function and cycles, gamete formation and maturation, fertilization, establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, placental function, fetal development and growth, and parturition.