2024 Symposium
Beef and Dairy Breed Composition Effect on Finished Cattle Heart Scores
“This (heart failure) can occur at any type of operation, at any age, and any level of altitude,” said Isabella Kukor, doctoral candidate at Colorado State University, Fort Collins. Kukor gave her talk, “Heart Score Comparisons between Finished Beef and Beef on Dairy Animals,” during the 2024 Beef Improvement Federation…
With Cow Efficiency #PhenotypeIsKing
“That’s the one driving force in the UK funding and government policy – is how to reduce methane per kilogram of product… a couple of important words there: now and speed. We can’t wait to do it and when we decide to do it, we need to do it fast,”…
The Critical Role of Longevity and Maternal Performance
Insights on the economic impact and sustainability of cow-calf operations by Lauren Gatz, BIF communications intern “The question that was posed to us was why is longevity and maternal performance important? And I think that question is very obvious to this audience, and it’s because both of those have a…
Leveraging Beef Genetics as a Climate-Smart Sustainability Practice
Since 1975, the industry has increased beef production while cow inventory has reduced. Acknowledging and appreciating the sustainability improvements the beef industry has already made is how Dr. Robert Williams, Trust in Food Sustainable Livestock Technical Manager, kicked off his presentation during the Advancements in Efficiency and Adaptability breakout session….
Martinez Shares Results from Mock Bull Buying Activity Using Eye Tracking Technology
“The bull decision is one of the most consequential decisions a cattle operation makes” said Dr. Charley Martinez, University of Tennessee assistant professor and extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Martinez gave his presentation Seeing through your buyer’s eyes: A behavioral economics experiment on how bull…
The Full Picture of Cow Efficiency
How balancing production cost control and efficiency can change your operation by Lauren Gatz, Beef Improvement Federation intern “Improving production or output is important, but in most publications, controlling costs trumps increasing output.” said Dave Lalman, Oklahoma State University. In commercial cow-calf operations, cow cost accounts for about 60 to…
Kuehn Reports Results from the ARS Beef Grand Challenge
“The ARS Grand Challenge is a collaborative project designed to meet multiple goals including improve production efficiency, reduce environmental impact, encourage sustainable production, and focus on integrated research programs” said Dr. Larry Kuehn, research leader at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska. Kuehn gave his…
Making Genetic Progress in the Fescue Belt
“In Kentucky and Tennessee, we’ve been fortunate to have some cost-share dollars that have been going into a genetic improvement program that each of the states has done independently,” said Dr. Darrh Bullock,University of Kentucky extension professor, Lexington. Bullock gave his presentation “Genetic Improvement Programs in the Fescue Belt: Do…
Making Strides Toward Efficiency
Utilizing genetic selection to reduce the environmental impact of cattle. “There is some ability to select animals that produce less methane, which is pretty good news for us, because we can tell a really good story if we are able to handle this problem,” said Christine Baes, University of Guelph….
Matching Cattle Genetics to the Environment
“Is it worthwhile to try and match your genetics to the environment?” asked Dr. Jared Decker, Wurdack Chair of Animal Genomics, University of Missouri, to launch his presentation during the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 11. According to Decker environmental stressors, like fescue toxicosis, cost…