54th Annual BIF Research Symposium and Convention
June 1-3 • Las Cruces, New Mexico
Note all times are Mountain Time.
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
8 am BIF Board of Directors Meeting
Noon Depart Las Cruces for Santa Teresa Cattle Crossing
(bus also departing from El Paso airport at 12:15 pm)
4 pm Return to Las Cruces
5 pm Opening Reception
Remarks by Dina Chacon-Reitzel, New Mexico Beef Council
General Session I ~Sustainability: Rhetoric vs. Reality~
8 am Opening Comments and Welcome: Dr. Rolando Flores, Dean of the College ACES
8:15 am Sustainability: Rhetoric vs. Reality – Ruaraidh Petre, executive director Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
9 am Fitting Environmental Impacts into Economic Selection Indexes – John Crowley, AbacusBio
9:30 am Climate Neutral Beef: Where Do We Go From Here – Jason Sawyer, Associate Professor & Research Scientist, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management
10 am Break
10:30 am Strategies for Sustainability at the Ranch Producer Panel: Clay Mathis
Featuring speakers: CS Ranch, Cimarron, NM; Decky Spiller, Silver Spur LLC, Kiowa County, CO; Dr. Trey Patterson, Padlock Ranch chief executive officer; and Erik Jacobsen, Cattle for AgReserves vice president
11:30 am What I Heard: Clay Mathis
Noon Awards Luncheon
Presentation of BIF Commercial Producer, Continuing Service and Ambassador Awards and Roy Wallace Scholarship
2 pm Technical Breakouts
Advancements in Genomics and Genetic Prediction-Chair: Warren Snelling, US-Meat Animal Research Center
2 p.m. Sequencing as the Foundation for a Modern Agrigenomics – Jesse Hoff, Gencove
2:30 p.m. Relationship Between Mitochondrial DNA and Growth/Carcass Traits in Beef Cattle – Leticia Sanglard, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
3 p.m. Break
3:20 p.m. The Bovine Pangenome Consortium: Developing Resources to Replace the Single Animal Reference Genome – Ben Rosen, USDA-ARS Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory
3:50 p.m. Considerations and Strategies for Imputation Reference Panel Construction – Troy Rowan, University of Tennessee – Knoxville
4:20 p.m. Panel discussion
Advancements in Producer Applications -Chair: Darrh Bullock, University of Kentucky
2 p.m. Can you Afford to Avoid Crossbreeding? – Jennifer Minick Bormann, Kansas State University
2:40 p.m. Hitting the Bullseye: Factors Driving Bull Management and Bull Purchasing Decisions in the Southwest – Craig Gifford, New Mexico State University
3:20 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. iGENDEC – Next Generation Decision Support – Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
4:20 p.m. Targeting Bull Selection to Match Your Management, Environment and Market – Mark Enns, Colorado State University
Advancements in Efficiency and Adaptability-Chair: Mark Enns, Colorado State University
2 p.m. Feedlot Heart Disease: Relationships between Heart Score and Performance – Scott E. Speidel, Colorado State University
2:40 p.m. Impact of arid environments on beef cow resiliency – Eric Scholljegerdes, New Mexico State University
3:20 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Assessing the use of partial body weight measures for liveweight prediction – John Crowley, AbacusBio, Limited.
4:10 p.m. Development of a Genetic Selection Program for Beef Cattle Grazing Distribution: An Update – Derek Bailey, New Mexico State University
5 p.m. Travel to Farm/Ranch Heritage Museum
General Session II ~Global Perspectives on Adaptation and Genetic Prediction~
7:45 am Announcements
8 am U.S. Genetic Exports: Where Are They Going and How Are They Doing – Tony Clayton, Clayton Agri-Marketing
8:45 am Mexico’s Approach to Genetic Improvement – Billy Estrada, Tres Marias Ranch, Mexico
9:30 am Break
10 am Global Sourcing of Beef Genetics to Meet a Vertically Coordinated Breeding Objective – Phil George, Miratorg Agribusiness Holding production director, beef & lamb operations, Moscow, Russia
10:30 am Harnessing Genetic x Environment interactions – are they important in production? – Bob Prosser, Bar T Bar Ranch
11 am What I Heard: TBD
11:15 am BIF Board of Directors Caucuses and Elections
Noon Awards Luncheon
Presentation of BIF Pioneer and Seedstock Producer awards, Frank Baker & Lary Cundiff scholarships, retiring president’s comments, introduction of newly elected BIF Board of Directors and invitation to BIF 2023
2 pm Technical Breakouts
Advancements in Emerging Technology-Chair: Megan Rolf, Kansas State University
2 p.m. Across Country Genetic Evaluations – Andre Garcia, Angus Genetics, Inc.
3:05 p.m. The Carbon Conundrum: Technical Limitations and Opportunities – Jason Sawyer, Texas A&M-Kingsville, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management
3:40 p.m. Break
3:50 p.m. Feedlot Heart Disease: New Trait Development and Validation of Packing Plant Heart Score – Milt Thomas, Colorado State University
4:25 p.m. PrimeOne – An Animal Breeding Project That Began With The End – Ty Lawrence, West Texas A&M University
Advancements in End Product Improvement-Chair: Tommy Perkins, West Texas A & M University
2 p.m. Ultrasound Guidelines Council Update – Tommy Perkins, West Texas A&M University.
2:30 p.m. The Effect of Growth-Promoting Implants and Feeding Duration On Growth Performance, Feeding Behavior, Carcass Yields, and Empty Body Composition of Serially-Harvested Charolais X Angus Steers – Ty Lawrence, West Texas A&M University
3:15 p.m. Break
3:45 p.m. Impact of Cow Nutrition on Final Body Composition Endpoints in Their Calves – Eric Scholljegerdes, New Mexico State University
4:15 p.m. Body Composition Impacts Due to the Transcriptome in Mature Cows and the F94l Myostatin Gene In Growing Beef Heifers – Kristin Hales, Texas Tech University
Advancements in Selection Decisions- Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2 p.m. Building Environmental Sustainability into Selection Indexes – John Crowley, Abacus Bio
2:40 p.m. Contemplating Planning Horizon Length in Economically Optimal Selection Indexes – Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
3:20 p.m. Break
3:40 p.m. Breed Complementarity in the Context of Beef x Dairy Decisions – Bob Weaber, Kansas State University
4:20 p.m. Across-Breed EPD Adjustments: Progress on Missing Traits and Multi-breed Evaluations – Larry Kuehn, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center.
5 p.m. BIF Board of Directors Meeting
6 p.m. Dinner on Your Own