Researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are helping uncover new information about the Y chromosome in horses, which will help owners identify optimal lineages for breeding and help conservationists preserve breed diversity.

“Because of its complex structure, the Y chromosome is much harder to sequence, making our knowledge of it far from complete,” said Dr. Gus Cothran, a professor emeritus in the VMBS’ Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences. “In fact, scientists used to believe that the Y chromosome lacked genetic variety, which we believed meant that it didn’t contribute much to species diversity.”

However, Cothran’s new research collaboration, led by the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, has uncovered that the Y chromosome does have meaningful variation and is important for species diversity.

“As we recently published in the journal PNAS, we can actually trace the male lineage of horses using the Y chromosome, which was something we could not do before,” Cothran said. “With this new information, we can better reconstruct the last 1,500 years of horse breeding history and evolution.”

Decoding the Y chromosome

For decades, the Y chromosome has been difficult for scientists to study. When the human genome was first published in 1990, it didn’t even include the Y chromosome, which received its first complete sequence in 2023.

“The Y chromosome has many sections that repeat, and even some that are palindromes — the same forwards and backwards. It makes it challenging to understand which genes are encoded there,” Cothran explained. “Getting a basic Y chromosome sequence of any mammalian species is quite hard.”

As technology has improved, computers have made it easier to process these sections of DNA, which has dramatically changed Y chromosome research.

“We were able to screen a worldwide collection of horse DNA samples and study where modern stallions trace their roots to,” Cothran said. “Horse breeding has been linked to human history for nearly 4,000 years, and for most of that history, humans have used stallion-mediated breeding. This study allowed us to see major breeding influences and how historical expansion routes contributed to the spread of horses.”

Studying paternal ancestry

Stallion-mediated breeding is the preferred method used in horses for several reasons, one being that it’s much easier to analyze a stallion’s fertility than a mare’s.

“Stallions can have hundreds of offspring over the course of their lives, while mares can only carry one or two foals at a time, making it difficult to judge the performance of her offspring quickly,” Cothran said.

Currently, pedigrees are how horse owners and breeders find out which stallions are in a horse’s ancestry, which gives information on the traits a horse may have inherited. However, pedigrees are recorded manually, and they may go back only a few generations.

“Our recent research enables us to go back much farther, to see what evolutionary lineages a horse has in its DNA,” Cothran said. “We can now see the bigger picture of an individual horse’s paternal ancestry.”

Maintaining genetic diversity

Studying the evolutionary history in a horse’s ancestry may soon become a vital part of equine breeding to protect the health and well-being of rare breeds; therefore, the researchers’ new findings about the Y chromosome will have lasting impacts on the equine industry.

“One of the main dangers within breeding programs for some horses is inbreeding, which happens when mating animals are too closely related; in horses, it can cause genetic defects like club foot and loss of fertility,” Cothran explained. “Thus, both breeders and equine conservationists are interested in using scientific research to promote genetic diversity.

“If you have a horse from a rare breed and there is more than one male lineage to choose from, you could, perhaps, select for the rarer of those lineages in breeding, which would help maintain diversity within that breed,” he said. “With the new analysis capabilities provided by our research, we may discover that there are reasons to avoid crossing certain male lineages to protect the health of offspring or the future of the breed.”

This article was written by Courtney Price and provided courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

DAILY Bites

• Thousands rallied in London against a proposed 20% tax on farms over £1 million, starting in 2026.

• Farmers say the tax will force sales of generational farms with low profit margins.

• Some officials say most farms are exempt, but other entities warn up to 70,000 could be affected.

DAILY Discussion

British farmers rallied in London this week to protest the Labour government’s proposal to extend inheritance tax to agricultural land, a measure critics have dubbed the “tractor tax.”

The planned tax, announced last month as part of the government’s budget, would impose a 20 percent levy on farm values exceeding £1 million ($1.27 million) starting in 2026. The policy aims to raise funds for public services but has sparked significant backlash from farming communities.

On Tuesday, approximately 13,000 demonstrators gathered in Parliament Square, holding signs with messages like “no farmer, no food, no future” and “Starmer the farmer harmer,” referencing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The protest was accompanied by a mass lobby event organized by the National Farmers’ Union, where farmers engaged with about 150 Members of Parliament.

Before this policy, farms could be passed down tax-free. Farmers argue that while their land and equipment hold high monetary value, their operations often run on tight profit margins, leaving them unable to pay the proposed tax without selling their farms.

Emma Robinson, a farmer from northwest England whose family has operated the same land for 500 years, expressed her outrage, telling Reuters, “I’m absolutely livid. … It’s being taken out of my hands by someone that’s been in Parliament for literally days.”

Olly Harrison, another protesting farmer, told Al Jazeera, “We’re not tax dodgers. If we were making profits, tax our profits. But if we’re not making profits, we can’t pay inheritance tax.” He added that the value of farmland on paper does not reflect its practical financial significance.

The government has sought to reassure critics, stating that the tax will affect only about 500 farms annually and can be paid in installments over 10 years. Additionally, existing exemptions could raise the effective threshold to £3 million ($3.8 million) for married couples. However, the Country Land and Business Association has warned that up to 70,000 farms could be impacted.

NFU President Tom Bradshaw criticized the government’s position, telling Sky News, “You cannot have a policy in place which has such disastrous human impacts and think we’re going to go quiet.” Bradshaw hinted at potential “militant action” from farmers if the policy is not reversed, including possible disruptions to food supplies.

Starmer defended the policy on Monday, stating that “the vast majority of farms” would not be affected under the outlined thresholds. However, the escalating tensions suggest this issue will remain a contentious battle between the government and the agricultural sector.

The effort from some automakers — like BMW, Audi, Volvo, and Tesla — to remove AM radio from their vehicles has loomed like a dark cloud over rural America for much of the past year. AM broadcasts are vital sources of news and emergency information in isolated communities that struggle with reliable broadband connectivity and other media access.

For many of these people, the national AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act — which would require all new passenger motor vehicles to have devices that can access AM broadcast stations installed as standard equipment — can’t come quickly enough.

“For those who work mostly in the open, often miles from home, response time is critical,” said Emily Buckman, American Farm Bureau Federation’s director of government affairs. “Members need a reliable form of communication to access critical information during those times.”

There are over 4,000 AM radio stations across the United States, with hundreds of them focusing specifically on agricultural programming. AM radio helps keep rural residents apprised of news that may impact their businesses, health care, education, and family. The trade magazine Today’s Farmer noted that data collected in 2021-22 by Aimpoint Research found that two-thirds of farmers surveyed said they listened to AM stations for information related to their farming operations.

“AM radio still serves as a very important medium of information for large swaths of the country,” said Nate Scherer, policy analyst for the nonprofit American Consumer Institute. He noted that recent Nielsen data showed about 82 million Americans tune into AM radio each month. “They’re relying on AM radio when they’re on their way to work or driving around the farm in their pickup trucks.”

Most vehicle manufacturers are currently focused on removing AM radio from their fleets of electric vehicles because they claim that electric motors can interfere with AM radio frequencies, making it sound staticky over the airwaves. Yet the movement hasn’t been exclusive to EVs — Ford initially announced in 2023 that it would not include AM radio in all new Ford and Lincoln models until reversing that decision amid a massive backlash.

“Phasing out of AM radio is mainly applied to EVs, but with more and more states deciding they’re going to go to all-electric vehicles, it’s not hard to see a couple of years out from now where you just won’t be able to buy a vehicle with that capability,” Scherer said.

Automakers believe that motorists are more likely to listen to satellite radio or connect to media via Bluetooth through their smartphones, but advocates point out that broadcast radio is still available when the power goes out or if cell towers go offline.

“It’s particularly important during times of emergency,” said Buckman, who noted that AFBF was flooded with concerns from members after automakers began making their decisions. “If you think about a thunderstorm or a tornado moving in closely, AM radio is a key form of communication.”

One response from some corners against AM is that people can tune into FM stations instead. Yet it’s not that simple.

FM broadcasts typically have a maximum range of about 40 miles; AM frequencies, on the other hand, are primarily propagated close to the ground and can be heard up to 100 miles most days, with that range being amplified several times during nighttime hours.

“Unlike FM radio, AM radio operates at lower frequencies and longer wavelengths, enabling it to pass through solid objects and travel further than other radio waves. As a result, FEMA’s National Public Warning System — through which FEMA delivers critical safety alerts to the public — operates through broadcast AM radio stations,” said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey from Massachusetts. He noted that the Department of Transportation has stated that removing AM radios from vehicles means that this vital public safety system will no longer function as intended.

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act was introduced in 2023 in both the U.S. House and Senate and has garnered broad bipartisan support. Specifically, in the House, it has 267 cosponsors, and in the Senate, 62 cosponsors. It also has the backing of major stakeholders, like the AFBF and the National Association of Broadcasters. In fact, over 70 organizations have signed a letter showing their support, while other letters have been send directly to automakers.

Scherer said that it wasn’t clear why leadership in the chambers haven’t brought this legislation to the floor yet. He hypothesized that there may be some hesitation around creating new government mandates with potential unintended consequences or that some lawmakers may view it as too much of a dying medium or irrelevant to their constituent base.

The bill gained new awareness in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton early this fall, which severely damaged communications and other infrastructure, making AM radio a standout source of updates and emergency relief coordination. As recently as a month ago, media outlets were pointing to a growing likelihood that the measure would get passed — and potentially passed soon, especially with time running out on the clock for Congress to be in session.

“We fully understand that Congress has a lot on its plate to get done before the end of this session. So we will see if this lands in an end-of-year package before the Congress concludes,” Buckman said. “But it’s very rare that you see 60 senators behind a piece of legislation. And it’s rare that you have over 250 cosponsors on a piece of legislation in the House. The support is there — I think it’s going to be a matter of timing.”

Ryan Tipps is the founder and managing editor of AGDAILY. He has covered farming since 2011, and his writing has been honored by state- and national-level agricultural organizations.

Three women in the agriculture communications and marketing space are creating a new nonprofit called the Association of Females in Agriculture Media with the intent of better supporting women in all realms of ag media.

The group, shortened to A-FAM, officially launches Dec. 1. It will seek to provide networking, professional development, mentoring, and personal support for women in this space, including broadcast, print, digital, podcasting, sales, and industry relations.

The three founding trustees are:

• Sabrina Halvorson: She is the National Correspondent for AgNet Media, the host of the daily ag radio talk show The AgNet News Hour, and farm broadcaster for four networks including AgNet West, Southeast AgNet, Hoosier Ag Today, and Michigan Ag Today. She also was awarded the 2024 Farm Broadcaster of the Year award by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.
• Corryn LaRue: She if a former bureau chief for RFD-TV and currently serves as a farm broadcaster and content specialist with the American Ag Network, delivering reports across various platforms.
• Aria Wilcox: She works in the sales and events department for a California-based agriculture magazine and trade show company and leads marketing for her family’s book publishing business.

“Over the past few years, I’ve had a lot of women approach me and express the need for sessions that focus on us and what we go through with our careers and lives in general,” Halvorson said. “Nothing against men, but as much as they may want to, they often don’t truly understand the different things women go through in our careers and our lives.”

Halvorson noted that no one will be turned away from membership, even men, but that the first priority is always that A-FAM remains a safe space for women to have meaningful conversations without worrying about repercussions.

The organization already has monthly virtual sessions planned through April of 2025, with speakers on topics such as diversity at the ag table, building a trusting relationship with your audience, utilizing the latest tools of the trade, and building your personal brand.

Membership is currently free. For more information, visit the A-FAM website.