“We are excited to announce our partnership with IGS to offer online registration to this year’s BIF Symposium for our international friends as well as domestic attendees,” says Bob Weaber, BIF executive director. “When we transitioned to an online-only conference in 2020 due to COVID we realized the global interest of our BIF program. Moving into 2021 we want to continue and expand on that relationship by offering this service in conjunction with the in-person event.”
This year’s BIF Symposium features two and a half days of educational programming and a full day of tours. The first morning’s general session – “Beef Industry: Where is it Going?” – will feature Michael Uetz, Midan Marketing managing principal; Jim Pillen, Pillen Family Farms owner; and Dr. Dan Thomson, Iowa State University Department of Animal Science chair.
The second day’s general session, “Precision Livestock Technology,” will include presentations by Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, U.C. Davis Animal Genomics and Biotechnology; Justin Sexton, Vice President of Strategy at Precision Livestock Analytics; and Applying Precision Technologies: Panel Discussion including Pat Wall, ISU extension specialist, Reiss Bruning, Bruning Farms, and Cody Jorgensen, Jorgensen Land and Livestock. Both general sessions will be available using the Zoom Webinar platform.
The afternoon breakout sessions both days will focus on a range of beef production and genetic improvement topics. The conference also features a Young Producer Symposium on Tuesday afternoon, designed for networking and to equip young cattle producers with essential knowledge as they grow their role in the business. Tuesday evening attendees will also enjoy an opening reception followed by the National Association of Animal Breeders Symposium at 7 p.m. The Young Producer Symposium, NAAB Symposium and the afternoon technical breakouts will be recorded and posted to the BIFSymposium.com website following the Symposium.
“The content, engagement, and forward thinking provided through BIF are key to the thought leaders in the beef business. Whether on the ranch or in the lab, making the BIF experience attainable is vital to continued improvements in our sector,” says Chip Kemp, Director, ASA & IGS Commercial and Industry Operations. “That is why IGS is privileged and excited to play a small part in helping share this year’s program.”
For more information on registration information, a complete schedule and hotel information, visit BIFSymposium.com. Prior to and during this year’s symposium, be sure to follow the event on social media channels using the hashtag #BIF2021.
Each year the BIF symposium draws a large group of leading seedstock and commercial beef producers, academics and allied industry partners. The attendance list is a “who’s who” of the beef value chain, offering great networking opportunities and conversations about the issues of the day. Program topics focus on how the beef industry can enhance value through genetic improvement across a range of attributes that affect the value chain.
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The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) is an organization dedicated to coordinating all segments of the beef industry — from researchers and producers to retailers — in an effort to improve the efficiency, profitability and sustainability of beef production. The organization was initiated almost 70 years ago to encourage the use of objective measurements to evaluate beef cattle. Continuing the tradition, BIF is now the clearinghouse for developing standardized programs and methodologies for recording of performance data for all traits, from birth weights to carcass traits. Its three-leaf-clover logo symbolizes the link between industry, extension and research.