2023 Symposium
It’s All About Data
“It all comes down to data,” explained Shannon Argent, manager of Canada’s Verified Beef Plus Production Plus (VBP+), during the BIF Producer Applications breakout session at the 2023 Beef Improvement Federation Annual Symposium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. During her presentation on Tuesday, July 4, she discussed the value of Canada’s…
Changing the Beef Narrative
“As income goes up, there is more meat consumption per capita. As populations get wealthier, they are going to want to eat more like we do,” said Dr. Mike Lohuis, The Semex Alliance vice president of research and innovation. Lohuis gave his presentation titled “Changing the Narrative Using Innovative Genetic…
Panel Shares On-Farm Innovation Ideas
A panel discussion about on-farm innovation at the young producer symposium was moderated by Sandy Russell, Canadian Beef Breeds Council chief executive officer, during the 2023 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium July 3 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Charlotte Wasylik, Chatsworth Farms, discussed how Chatsworth Farms focuses on farm-to-table programs. They…
A Business Case for Using EPDs
Three influential producers from the United States and Canada came together for an impactful panel discussion on “A Business Case for Using EPDs” during the 2023 BIF Annual Symposium’s Advances in Producer Applications breakout session on Tuesday, July 4. Dr. Darrh Bullock, University of Kentucky, moderated the panel, which included…
Commercial Cattle and Genomics
Genomics have long been on the radar of seedstock producers, but Dr. Troy Rowan from the University of Tennessee emphasized that the technology has many important implications for commercial producers during his talk, “Why Should Commercial Cattlemen Be Interested in Genomics,” at the 2023 BIF Symposium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada….
U.S. MARC breed evaluation project update
“USMARC’s Germplasm Evaluation Program serves as a long-standing resource for current differences among U.S. beef breeds and enables annual updates to across-breed EPD (expected progeny difference) adjustment factors and breed of sire differences for growth and carcass traits,” said Dr. Larry Kuehn, Research Leader at the U.S. Meat Animal Research…
A Beef Improvement Road Trip
“The market signals are clear for weights – everyone gets paid by weight throughout the beef value chain and it’s obvious the value of the genetic gain,” explained Dr. Peter Amer, AbacusBio Limited managing director. Amer gave his presentation titled “Precision Breeding Opportunities in an Evolving Breeding Objective Landscape” during…
Strategies for employing whole genome sequencing and its benefits
“The use of whole-genome sequencing at low-depth enables detection of rare variation, SNP discovery, CNV detection, and can eliminate the need for chip re-design and updates, and there is the potential for further cost reduction in the future” said Dr. Troy Rowan, University of Tennessee assistant professor, Knoxville. Rowan gave…
BETSY Delivers Sophisticated Phenotyping System
OneCup AI developed Bovine Expert Tracking and Surveillance Technology (BETSY) to monitor and track animal health, welfare, activity, growth and nutrition. “OneCup AI has designed an artificial intelligence (AI) technology using computer vision that is named BETSY, which stands for Bovine Expert Tracking and Surveillance,” explained Mokah Shmigelsky, OneCup AI….
BIF Selects New Board, Officers
The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) announced new directors and officers July 5 during the group’s annual symposium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Kevin Schultz, Haviland, Kansas, was introduced as the 2023-24 BIF president during the Wednesday awards luncheon. Gordon Jones, Lafayette, Tenn., is the new vice president. Directors reelected to serve…