"Our new genomic and imaging technology allows us to look at little molecules like DNA and microbes ... opening a window that we never could see through before," Adams said.
"It's going to open up a lot of possibilities that we can't imagine at the moment."
The project, called "Integrated omics for sustainable animal agriculture and environmental stewardship (IntegrOmes)," collects big sets of data like genetic information from animals and helps connect it with physical traits, he said.
That means a farmer can soon pluck a hair from an animal, feed it into a hand-held device, and get a detailed assessment of the animal's genetic traits that was once unimaginable. With the information, farmers can spot resistances to maladies like bovine respiratory disease — one of cattle's biggest killers, Adams said.