The continuous development and application of technology for genetic improvement is a key element for advancing sheep production in the United States. The US sheep industry has contracted over time but appears to be at a juncture where a greater utilization of technology can facilitate industry expansion to new markets and address inefficiencies in traditional production practices. Significant transformations include the increased value of lamb in relation to wool, and a downtrend in large-scale operations but a simultaneous rise in small flocks. Additionally, popularity of hair breeds not requiring shearing has surged, particularly in semi-arid and subtropical US environments. A variety of domestically developed composite breeds and newly established technological approaches are now widely available for the sheep industry to use as it navigates these ongoing transformations. These genetic resources can also address long-targeted areas of improvement such as growth, reproduction and parasite resistance. Moderate progress in production efficiency has been achieved by producers who have employed estimated breeding values, but widespread adoption of this technology has been limited. Genomic marker panels have recently shown promise for reducing disease susceptibility, identifying parentage and providing a foundation for marker-assisted selection. As the ovine genome is further explored and genomic assemblies are improved, the sheep research community in the USA can capitalize on new-found information to develop and apply genetic technologies to improve the production efficiency and profitability of the sheep industry.

中文翻译：

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美国绵羊产业和基因研究的演变：21世纪融合的机会

遗传改良技术的不断发展和应用是推动美国绵羊生产的关键因素。随着时间的推移，美国养羊业已经萎缩，但似乎正处于一个关键时刻，更多地利用技术可以促进产业向新市场的扩张，并解决传统生产实践中的低效率问题。重大转变包括羊肉相对于羊毛的价值增加，大规模经营呈下降趋势，但同时小羊群数量增加。此外，不需要剪毛的毛发品种的流行度激增，特别是在美国的半干旱和亚热带环境中。各种国内开发的复合品种和新建立的技术方法现在广泛可供养羊业使用，因为它驾驭了这些正在进行的变革。这些遗传资源还可以解决长期有针对性的改进领域，例如生长、繁殖和寄生虫抗性。采用估计育种值的生产者在生产效率方面取得了适度进展，但该技术的广泛采用受到限制。基因组标记面板最近显示出降低疾病易感性、确定亲子关系和为标记辅助选择提供基础的前景。随着绵羊基因组的进一步探索和基因组组装的改进，