UConn's section of the project focuses on the impact of maternal diet - specifically over- or restricted feeding - during gestation on offspring health and growth
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Researchers in UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) are part of the interdisciplinary team that won agInnovation's 2026 Excellence in Multistate Research Award for work enhancing the reproductive performance of cattle and sheep.
agInnovation is "the national voice of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, representing the collective strength of research scientists and institutions at land-grant universities," according to their website.
Over its 56-year legacy, Hatch Multistate project W4112: Reproductive Performance in Domestic Ruminants has made discoveries and data-driven solutions that have reshaped industry practices, delivering measurable gains in productivity and resilience.
Kristen Govoni, CAHNR associate dean of academic programs, director of the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture, and professor of animal science, leads UConn's contribution to the project. Professors Sarah Reed and Steve Zinn in animal science, and Rachel O'Neill, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, are also collaborating on work related to this grant.
UConn's section of the project focuses on the impact of maternal diet - specifically over- or restricted feeding - during gestation on offspring health and growth.
"We know poor nutrition during gestation is going to have negative consequences, not only on fetal development, but also postnatally and into subsequent generations," Govoni says. "My lab is focusing on what those impacts are on the growth in general, but with an emphasis on liver development, metabolism, and epigenetic regulation."
So far, UConn's team has found that both over- and restricted feeding during gestation leads to metabolic dysregulation in offspring, via different molecular mechanisms. This means offspring have more fat and less muscle, which is not ideal for producers or consumers.
"Our end goal is to improve the product - more muscle less fat - and more efficient use of nutrients by the animal, which can reduces costs and lead to a better product," Govoni says.
Reproductive inefficiency is the greatest constraint on the profitability of U.S. livestock systems. Early pregnancy loss alone costs U.S. livestock producers up to $3.7 billion each year. Even just a 1% improvement in calf or lamb production due to the project's innovations would be worth over $1 billion annually to U.S. producers. When producers reduce losses, consumers experience steady supplies and lower prices for meat, dairy, and other goods from cattle and sheep. Thriving beef, dairy, and sheep industries are vital for a healthy economy, generating about $243 billion in total production value each year and supporting 2.3 million jobs.
Using federal Hatch Multistate capacity funding to bring researchers together, the project fosters continuity and collaboration that facilitate impact. Working together across disciplines enables project scientists to address the complex factors that influence reproductive performance across different species, environments, and production systems.
"You develop a network of amazing scientists and people to support not only your research, but also success in your career," Govoni says. "It's a fantastic mechanism for scientists to have a really broad collaboration not just across different states, but interdisciplinary work as well."
The project's multistate research also facilitates widespread adoption of research-based recommendations and tools in the industry. Integrating Extension efforts ensures knowledge flows both ways between labs and farms so that research responds to stakeholder needs, and findings and tools can be shared directly with producers, facilitating adoption and impact.
"It's a neat group because the work [my lab does] is more basic," Govoni says. "We're looking at the mechanisms that are involved in a biological process. Whereas others are much more applied. As a whole, the group has been very impactful across the industry."
Teaching is also part of the mission of UConn and the other land-grant universities leading this project. Together, project members have taught and trained more than 120 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in just the past five years, supporting the next generation of scientists and producers.
For over 50 years, Hatch Multistate project W4112 has supported resilient U.S. beef, dairy, and sheep industries. The Excellence in Multistate Research Award celebrates the project's legacy of collaboration, innovation, and impact. The award also supports future impacts. The project has received $15,000 from the Hatch Multistate Research Fund to support their ongoing objectives.
"This work, through the Multistate project, is moving forward reproductive efficiency, production efficiency in our livestock species, improving end product quality, and using the newest technologies to help producers," Govoni says.
Project Funding and Participation
W4112: Reproductive Performance in Domestic Ruminants is supported in part by USDA NIFA through Hatch Multistate Research Fund capacity grant allocations to State Agricultural Experiment Stations at participating land-grant institutions. Participants: University of Arizona, University of California, Davis, Colorado State University, University of Connecticut, University of Florida, University of Idaho, University of Illinois, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, University of Kentucky, Mississippi State University, University of Missouri, Montana State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, New Mexico State University, The Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, South Dakota State University, Texas A&M University, Utah State University, Washington State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wyoming. Federal Collaborators: USDA ARS Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, Miles City, MT. International Collaborators: University of São Paulo and UNESP (Brazil); CENID-Fisiología e Mejoramiento Animal, INIFAP (Mexico); University of Prince Edward Island (Canada), University of Jordan (Jordan). Previous and future iterations of this project may include other participants and collaborators. Project members have secured substantial funding from additional sources. Learn more about this program.
This work relates to CAHNR's Strategic Vision area focused on Ensuring a Vibrant and Sustainable Agricultural Industry and Food Supply.
