Ep 045 Dr. Blackburn and the USDA's ARS Germplasm Vault: The Love Child of Matthew McConaughey and Brinks

Eggs and sperm and seeds and hair
They’ll take ‘em all, collect with care
They might be used when earth goes south
Or critters die from hoof and mouth
Or climate change or scary bugs
Cuz not all things respond to drugs
A backup place is just plain smart
For when we need to hit restart
But even if it’s just for breeding
And better stock is what you’re needing
Corrective genes are ready now
If nature tweaks your Holstein cow.
In fact, the Penn State guys were here
(and not for Colorado beer)
The genes from long-lost Holstein sires
And coordination with suppliers
Dr. Blackburn hooked them up
To reassemble Buttercup
Long-lost sperm they took and thawed
The science fiction geeks were awed
They named a firstborn calf for Harvey,
Of course we think that’s just plain marvey.
But store your germ now in the bank
And later them you’ll have to thank.
So if you need some bovine stock
Or chickens for a healthy flock
They’re over in a big steel vat
The cryolab is just plain phat
And that’s not all there’s fish and plants
With turkeys, sheep and bees (no ants)
A Noah’s Ark - but modern day
To save from agricultural decay
Fort Collins is the place to go
Outside of Denver, plan for snow
These scientists ensure our food
Our food supply can be renewed.
And Harvey Blackburn is our guy
Geneticist a mile high

We hope that all of our podcasts spur your curiosity, so we’ve included these links for you to start your quest.  https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/fort-collins-co/center-for-agricultural-resources-research/paagrpru/docs/animal/harvey-blackburn/ 

https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/fort-collins-co/center-for-agricultural-resources-research/paagrpru/docs/animal/national-animal-germplasm-program-nagp/ http://www.fao.org/home/en/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Agriculture https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/fort-collins-co/center-for-agricultural-resources-research/paagrpru/docs/animal/harvey-blackburn/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Leningrad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/fort-collins-co/center-for-agricultural-resources-research/paagrpru/