Developmental Programming Impact of Nutrition in Early Pregnancy with Carl Dahlen

Since the year 2000 Carl Dahlen has been intimately involved in research efforts with a focus on reproduction, nutrition, and management of cattle.  The emphasis of his current research program is to improve fertility in livestock species and to evaluate implications of nutrition and management strategies on reproductive and offspring outcomes.  

Dahlen joined the North Dakota State University faculty in 2010 as a Beef Cattle Extension Specialist where he engaged in integrated Extension and research efforts taking place on over 350 commercial beef operations. The unique mix of his research background and practical experience has led to several novel research techniques, data collection efforts, and training methodologies.  

His current research program focuses on implications of maternal nutritional management on offspring characteristics.  In 2018 Dahlen transitioned to a position that allowed him to dedicate more time to research, as well as teach undergraduate/graduate classes in reproductive physiology.

A new facet of his research program has been dedicated to addressing whether paternal (i.e. sire) nutrition and management was not only impacting semen characteristics and molecular composition, but also implicit in offspring outcomes. Other recent efforts involve evaluating impacts of nutritional perturbations during gestation on offspring and transgenerational endpoints. 

Dahlen is currently a reproductive physiologist with an 80% research and 20% teaching appointment; teaching graduate and undergraduate Physiology of Reproduction classes. The aim of his program is to enhance reproductive efficiency in livestock species with a focus on implications of maternal nutritional management on offspring characteristics through multiple generations, and addressing whether paternal (i.e. sire) nutrition and management is implicit in offspring outcomes. Many of his research models have included precision feeding and management techniques and have incorporated equipment to remotely monitor cattle activity and feeding behavior.

In today’s episode, Carl shares information on some of the projects he has been working on that look at nutrition and mineral supplementation in beef cattle reproduction.  

He shares the impact that supplementation of vitamins and minerals has on bull fertility and dam pregnancy.  As well as why nutrition in early pregnancy is especially important.

We focus on a project published in 2024 on maternal weight gain during early pregnancy in beef heifers and the subsequent impacts on daughters and granddaughters of these heifers.  Included in this project is fetal testing, placental weight testing and the research of how heifer weight gain impacts subsequent generations. For more information on this project, please visit the link below.

We chat about how this information can impact the productivity and sustainability of beef operations and the beef industry as a whole, and other key management strategies to consider during early pregnancy. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

“The influence of gestational body weight gain rate on the development of two generations of beef cattle”  2024 North Dakota Livestock Research Report

https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/sites/default/files/2024-09/The%20Influence%20as2241-12.pdf

NDSU Animal Sciences Program: https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/animal-sciences

Facebook: @NDSUAnimalSciences

Instagram: @ndsu_animal_sciences 

X: @ndsu_ansc

To contact Carl, please email him at: carl.dahlen@ndsu.edu 

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

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Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: information@mbfi.ca 

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