Program Mission Statement

The Animal Science Program conducts basic and applied research aimed at increasing production and improving efficiency and sustainability of livestock production in the US Virgin Islands with an emphasis on preservation and propagation of germplasm unique to the Virgin Islands.

Program Description

The major emphasis of the program is in the area of Reproductive Physiology, but projects are also conducted in the areas of Nutrition, Behavior, Genetics, Meat Science and Environmental Physiology. Studies have been conducted on hair sheep , beef cattle and dairy cattle.

Most of the work is done on a flock of hair sheep housed on the 40 acre Sheep Research Facility located at the southeast corner of the St. Croix campus of UVI. The research flock consists of approximately 100 adult hair sheep, and depending on the time of year, there may be as many as 90 lambs present. The breeds of sheep in the flock are St. Croix White and Barbados Blackbelly hair sheep. Each breed is managed as a purebred flock with breeding lines within each breed. Replacement animals are selected based on their birth status (i.e., twins), weaning weight, breed characteristics and conformation (selection criteria ). Due to the lack of a major change in length of daylight throughout the year on St. Croix the sheep are able to breed at all times of the year (lambing/breeding cycle ). The flocks are managed on 8 month cycles to produce 3 lamb crops every 2 years. The St. Croix White and Barbados Blackbelly are relatively prolific breeds of sheep and can achieve a 180% lamb crop at each lambing.

Research is also conducted on cattle located off-station on farms on the island. Senepol , which is a breed of tropically adapted Bos taurus cattle that was developed on St. Croix in the early 1900's, is the major breed of beef cattle on the island. The Senepol was selected for it's ability to perform well under the environmental conditions found in the Caribbean and local ranchers have developed both a domestic and international market for these animals. The cows have good maternal traits, and both bulls and cows have a very calm temperament.

St. Croix also has it's own dairy industry. The dairy farms use Holstein cattle and produce sufficient milk for local consumption. There is a dairy processing plant on St. Croix that processes milk and produces ice cream and fruit juices for the local market. The dairy farms utilize bulls for breeding and the cows are maintained on a pasture grazing system. Recent innovations in the local dairy industry have included partial confinement housing, the use of cooling mists in the area adjacent to the milking parlor, and enhanced nutritional management.

Field methods used in the Animal Science Program include the use of ultrasound for pregnancy detection, laparoscopic monitoring of ovulation, transcervical artificial insemination , and semen collection and processing for export. The laboratory is capable of conducting hormone assays (ELISA), semen evaluation and processing, tissue collection and processing and gastrointestinal parasite evaluations.

Bob Godfrey

B.S, M.S., Ph.D.

Christie Driscoll

B.S.

Willie Gonzales

Royson Joseph

Professor

Assistant Director

Research Specialist

Research Analyst

Agriculture Aide

Agriculture Aide

Ph: (340) 692-4042

Ph: (340) 692-4032

Ph: (340) 692-4036

Ph: (340) 692-4020

Ph: (340) 692-4020

Fax: (340) 692-4035

UVI-AES

RR2 Box 10,000

Kingshill, St. Croix  VI  00850

More information

More information

More information

More information

More information