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[iammaevis]

Genome Sequencing Your Steak: “Where does your food come from?”

When I was about 14 years old, my family butchered our chickens. We had owned four chickens for about three years. The chickens had names, they played with our cat, we fed them dried maggots as a treat. But, after they stopped laying eggs, my parents told us that the next step would be to butcher them. “These animals provide us with food. We’ve eaten all the eggs they’ve given us, and now that they can’t produce eggs, we’ll eat them.” Pretty brutal.

My parents meant for this experience to be brutal. This was the first of many moments where they posed the question to us: “Where does your food come from?”. There’s a life behind the plastic packages we throw into our carts at the store, and remembering this can help us to be mindful of our consumption. This semester, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on the intentional way my parents developed my relationship with food. I’m taking Food Systems and Policy and Food Security and Sustainability. I enjoy both of them despite how uncomfortable it is to shine a bright light behind the curtain of food production. As I attempt to understand the fundamental question, “Where does food come from?”, I can’t help but feel like my 14-year-old self again… watching a crimson creek of chicken blood make its way through my backyard.

My parents gave me a framework for questioning where my food has come from. I’ve always asked, “Who farmed this produce or raised this livestock?”, “Was the animal treated humanely?”, “What are the environmental impacts of this product?”. I think this line of questioning has been useful, but my recent formal education in food has opened a Pandora’s Box of questions about how food gets from farm to table, and, more importantly, all the things that can go wrong along the way.

I recently learned in Food Security and Sustainability that a staple practice in US agriculture and livestock practices is the employment of monocultures. “Monoculture” refers to the practice of specialization in farming. Farms that only produce one species of food or one species of animal are examples of monocultures. This practice is both wildly profitable and wildly dangerous for the environment, a recurring theme in modern-day markets. I’ve learned in my Evolutionary Biology classes that low genetic diversity has many side effects that almost always lead to population decline and collapse. Collapsing populations reduce global biodiversity which is a surefire way to make an uninhabitable planet. We don’t want that! The study I’ve selected examines how cattle ranchers can maintain genetic diversity in livestock populations and the cultural and ecological importance of said maintenance.

This Swedish study is a breath of fresh air amidst my harrowing discoveries about common practices in US food production (Prepare to read some Good News about some very responsible Swedes and their fluffy cow breeds). In recent years, indigenous cattle populations in Sweden have waned, creating a greater risk of decreased interspecific genetic diversity due to reduced mating options. A smaller gene pool can make populations vulnerable to genetic drift, genetic disorders, runaway mutations, and extinction by famine or disease. Researchers used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to test the genetic variation between cattle breeds throughout Sweden to get a picture of the relative risk these populations are facing. After testing genomic DNA from 30 individuals, they found that genetic variation is high between species! In fact, genetic variation in indigenous cattle breeds in Sweden is higher compared to other cattle populations around Europe. This means that despite smaller populations, cattle farmers have prioritized smart breeding and isolation of species to maintain a diverse gene pool.

Through artificial breeding, Swedish cattle farmers have ensured that native populations are adapted to the local habitat and resistant to common diseases. They have kept populations isolated to keep species intact. The information gathered through Genome Sequencing is useful for continuing to conserve native breeds and for improving genomic selection programs. This means that native breeds can be mated with industrial breeds to foster genetic diversity.

While Swedish cattle remain on the right side of the sustainable farming tracks, this isn’t the case for most livestock or farming systems around the world. This study used WGS, an expensive and time-consuming genome sequencing technique that severely limits the quantity of samples that can be tested. If anyone in the US wanted to perform a similar test nationwide, major strides would have to be taken to optimize precise genome sequencing. The knowledge front in this study is twofold; the development of the genome sequencing technique and understanding of genetic diversity in livestock. If the efficiency and accessibility of WGS are improved, researchers will have a greater opportunity to understand the breadth of biodiversity in livestock populations and whether efforts to increase genetic diversity are making an impact. This will make it easier to practice smart breeding which keeps genetic diversity high and favors robust traits such as disease resistance.

I’ve never known how much I haven’t known about food production practices, and as I learn, I start to fear for the everyday consumer. As monopolies in agribusiness grow and devour smaller farms one by one, farming and livestock practices push the envelope on reasonable regulations. Pesticides and antibiotics fill our bellies in the form of unhealthy over-processed foods, mistreated livestock, and produce that is harvested by institutions contributing to the deterioration of the Earth. The study I’ve chosen describes a specific tool we can use to prioritize longevity in our livestock production. I hope that this study, among others, provides a basis for how we can improve food systems globally as the climate changes. I think a solid place to start is with questions. Maybe this essay can serve the same purpose as the sacrifice of four chickens in North Carolina around 2018, perhaps it can motivate you to start asking questions. Food doesn’t come from shelves. Food production practices have major adverse effects on the economic and ecological world. The next time you go grocery shopping, ask yourself, “Where does your food come from?”

References:

Harish, A., Lopes Pinto, F.A., Eriksson, S. et al. Genetic diversity and recent ancestry based on whole-genome sequencing of endangered Swedish cattle breeds. BMC Genomics 25, 89 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-09959-9

Acknowledgements:

Rio Kasunick’s peer review

Andrea Gonzalez’s peer review

Lori Chin’s Title Suggestions

Prof. Cecelia Musselman’s suggestions

NEU Food Security and Sustainability Fall 2024

NEU Food Systems and Policy Fall 2024

NEU Ecology Fall 2023