Animal Production and Protection; ARS

The mission of animal production and protection national programs is to improve the health, well-being, and efficiency of livestock, poultry, and aquatic food animals to ensure a productive and safe food supply. Emphasis is placed on germplasm characterization, improvement, and conservation; understanding the mechanisms of disease resistance, and the development of tools to prevent, control, or eradicate diseases that threaten our food supply or public health; and identifying and developing sustainable systems for production of high quality meat, milk, and eggs.