Sofia Ortega, associate professor of animal and dairy sciences, is part of an interdisciplinary team that recently earned agInnovation’s 2026 Excellence in Multistate Research Award for work enhancing the reproductive performance of cattle and sheep. Over its 56-year legacy, Hatch Multistate project W4112: Reproductive Performance in Domestic Ruminants has made discoveries and data-driven solutions that have reshaped industry practices, delivering measurable gains in productivity and resilience.

Read more about the award in the full award citation.

Reproductive inefficiency is the greatest constraint on the profitability of U.S. livestock systems. Even just a 1% improvement in calf or lamb production due to the project’s innovations (a conservative estimate) would be worth over $1 billion annually to U.S. producers. Thriving beef, dairy and sheep industries are vital for a healthy economy, generating about $243 billion in total production value each year and supporting 2.3 million jobs. Using federal Hatch Multistate capacity funding to bring researchers together, the project fosters continuity and collaboration that facilitate impact. Working together across disciplines enables project scientists to address the complex factors that influence reproductive performance.

Read more about the project in the impact statement and project summary.