The eating habits of a ewe affect the milk production of her daughters - so how can farmers' best ensure that lambs have a healthy start to life?

This is the question to be raised during a Food and Agriculture lecture at The University of Western Australia's Institute of Agriculture.

The speaker, Professor Hugh Blair, from Massey University in New Zealand, is a leading scientist in the NZ National Research Centre for Growth and Development.

He heads several investigations into the effects of foetal programming on later life productivity in sheep and cattle, and the possibility that these programming effects may be transmitted between generations.

Professor Blair grew up on a hill-country sheep and beef cattle farm in NZ.  He graduated from Massey University in 1976 and joined the Sheep Husbandry Department to lecture and undertake a PhD.  His research interests include improving the application of animal breeding and genetic technologies to the improvement of production and service animals; and selection experiments to show the underlying biology of genetic improvement.

WHAT:                             Free public lecture, Mother's eating habits affect her daughters' milk production.

WHERE:                          Agricultural Lecture Theatre Room G.013, Agricultural North Wing (Parking Hackett Entrances 3 and 4, visitor bays).

WHEN:                             5pm, Tuesday 31 July.

RSVP/ ENQUIRIES:       Cora Castens, 6488 4717.

Media references

Cora Castens (Personal Assistant to Director, UWA Institute of Agriculture)  (+61 8)  6488 4717
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783