Guest Lecture by Prof Giel Scholtz: Sustainable Climate-smart Beef Cattle Breeding Strategies Ensure Food Security

You are cordially invited to a Guest Lecture by Prof Giel Scholtz on Sustainable Climate-smart Beef Cattle Breeding Strategies Ensure Food Security.

Bio:

Michiel Matthys Scholtz obtained the BSc Agric. Animal Breeding (1975) at the University of Pretoria, BSc Agric. Hons Animal Breeding and Genetics (1976) at the University of Stellenbosch, MSc Agric. Genetics (1979) at the University of the Free State and D.Sc. Agric. Animal Science at the University of Pretoria (1987). He started his career as an Agricultural Researcher – Animal Science at the Animal and Dairy Science Research Institute at Irene in 1977. In 1988 he was appointed as Assistant Director: Animal Breeding. He served in various management positions from 1995 until 2004. With the restructuring of the ARC in 2004 he decided to move back to research. From 2009 he is Specialist Researcher in Applied Animal Breeding at ARC Animal Production. He retired in 2018, but is carrying on in this position on contract. He is also an Affiliated Professor in Animal Breeding at the University of the Free State since 1997. He is the author and co-author of more than 180 scientific publications in national and international journals, as well as scientific congress proceedings and chapters in books. In addition, he has published more than 200 popular articles, radio and TV talks. In 2021 he received the gold medal from the South African Society for Animal Science for his outstanding contribution to animal science research. The gold medal is the most prestigious award of the society to recipients who is at the end of their career. He successfully gave study guidance to 20 M-degree and 12 D-degree students, while he is in the process of mentoring another 3 D-degree students. He also acts as sub-editor and referee for articles published in the South African Journal of Animal Science and other international scientific journals.

He served / serves on a number of international committees and working groups such as:

• Permanent International Committee for World Congresses on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production.
• FAO Expert Working Group on adaptation of animal genetic resources to their production environment
• Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases
• Scientific Committee of the 8th International Conference on Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture
• Associate Graduate Faculty Status at the South Dakota State University in the USA

His current research focus is on climate-smart beef production systems and breeding objectives for adaptation to global warming, climate mitigate strategies as well as resilience to climate change.

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