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Martie, the Cloned Calf, Gives Birth

Martie, the first bovine clone born in California, gave birth to a healthy calf in March. Martie was born in March 2001, as part of a collaborative project between the College of Agriculture and Cyagra LLC, a biotechnology company. Cindy Daley, biotechnologist with the College of Agriculture, was the project director and oversaw the implantation of embryos into recipient females. Martie was bred at 15 months of age; she gave birth to an 82-pound bull calf. "Martie performed as well as her conventionally produced contemporaries, proving that this particular cloned female is 'normal,' at least reproductively speaking, and can perform under commercial conditions," said Daley. "The news of Martie's unassisted birth of a normal, healthy calf is a step in the right direction if cloning is ever going to be applicable to the commercial industry."