Symposium
Situational Indexes Positively Impact Beef Production Selection Decisions
Golden explains how beef producers can improve their sales through situational indexes.. “We need to talk to commercial bull buyers as if they’re making an investment, not an expense,” said Dr. Bruce Golden, Partner at Theta Solutions, LLC. Golden gave his presentation titled “Examining the Impact of Situational Indexes on…
Calving Ease Cows – Optimal or Extreme?
Finding a balance with calving ease. The questions, “Will easy calves grow into cows that have more calving difficulty?” and “Will calves from easy cows have higher mortality?” prompted the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) research on calving ease cows. Dr. Gary Bennett, from USMARC, presented their findings at…
The Future of Precision Livestock
Sexten explains the newest technological advancements in beef industry. Precision livestock farming or PLF is predictive. Producers can make management decisions that are predictive of outcomes. Dr. Justin Sexten, Performance Livestock Analytics vice president of strategy, gave his presentation titled “The Role of Technology in the Beef Industry” during the…
A Look into the Past, Present and Future of Carcass Ultrasound Procedures
Perkins discusses carcass ultrasound history and implications for the future. “Breeders should not be afraid of using the new technology as we move away from the old gold standard,” explained Dr. Tommy Perkins, West Texas A&M University associate professor. Perkins gave his presentation titled “Use of New Generation Ultrasound Equipment…
The Start of a Beef “Grand Challenge”
During the 2021 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Beef Grand Challenge Project was introduced. Dr. Larry Kuehn, research geneticist at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, explained that the project was launched to ascertain the interaction of genetic and environmental effects, improve production efficiency…
Understanding the Value of Accuracy
UNL geneticist compares accuracy versus confidence interval values in beef cattle. When selecting a sire to breed cows to, producers have an abundance of data at their disposal. Dr. Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska- Lincoln beef cattle geneticist, suggests accuracy values may not be as valuable as producers might think…
A Look into Predicting Bull Fertility
Peñagaricano researches opportunities to predict bull fertility. “Phenotypes for bull fertility may be laboratory measurements centered around sperm quality, breeding soundness exams, and scrotal circumference but these are really indicator traits, and the ideal phenotype is a sire conception rate,” said Dr. Francisco Peñagaricano, University of Wisconsin assistant professor of…
Gene Editing in Today’s Beef Industry and the Future
Van Eenennaam explains new gene editing technologies and their role in the beef industry. “The United States produces 18% of the world’s beef with 6% of the world’s cattle. That’s why genetics are important,” said Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, Professor of Cooperative Extension in Animal Genomics and Biotechnology at the…
Economic Impact of Increased Cow Milk Production
Researcher explains the true cost of extra milk production in cow herds. Since 1972, there has been an increasing trend for the Milk expected progeny difference (EPD) within the Angus breed. Is this trend of increased Milk EPD a benefit or burden for producers? Ben Crites, University of Kentucky Extension…
Think Profitably
Locke says raising cattle is different than running a business that raises cattle. “If you always think what you’ve always thought, then you will most likely get what you’ve always got, and most likely, you will fall behind; you will fail,” says John Locke, a Ranching for Profit (RFP)…