Data Mining of Defra Project AC0122 and Biobank Samples

The long-term Defra-funded project on protein efficiency (AC0122) has generated results that are unique & of substantial value from the perspective of nutritional management of dairy cows, in addition to opportunities to reduce N emissions to the environment. The study and results presented have attracted considerable interest from farmers, feed companies, dairy nutritionists, & researchers. The results have been positively received, noting the lack of similar long-term feeding trials in the literature. The project, including the follow on 'biobank' study at the University of Reading, generated a unique data set of individual cow phenotype measurements over multiple lactations with cows fed diets of a constant formulation. Whilst the results 'standalone' in meeting the original objectives of the study, the data generated represent a unique opportunity for further extraction and mining of the data in hand to provide enhanced findings that will help solidify some of the practical implications of the results in terms of implementation and policy. The associated refinement of the data in hand will better place the data for future use through Defra's data service. In addition, the samples available in the biobank represent a unique opportunity to explore the biological determinants of animal variation in N efficiency & potential biomarkers of N efficiency that could be used for herd management & improvements in genetic selection. These biobank 'pilot' study measurements are not expected to provide definitive results, but will help inform future directions & hypotheses for further research in the medium & long term. The proposed research that follows could not be conducted without the data, samples, & knowledge already 'in hand' at the University of Reading.

Differences in both digestion & post-absorptive metabolism may in part explain variation among animals in N utilization efficiency, including differences in both anabolic (protein synthesis)