A Steak in Genomics™

 If you have followed this blog - or lived in Missouri - for any period of time, then you've probably heard about hair shed scoring in beef cattle. If you have, then this post will hopefully serve as a reminder that now is (most likely) the time to go out into the pastures and collect scores. I've been traveling around the state, and country, over the last 18 months or so talking about the importance of matching cattle to their environment, and hair shed scoring fits perfectly into that conversation. However, the number one question I always get is "when do I score". While the short answer is always "it depends", the long answer is "when there is the most variability in your cow herd". With the days getting longer, weather warming up, and even bringing some hefty thunderstorms along with it, early shedders are likely almost shed, if not completely shed, while others in the herd still have their full winter coat.  While hair shedding in cattle is vi...

  For those of you who have followed this blog for some time, you are probably familiar with eBEEF. For those who are not, it is a collection of beef cattle genetics extension specialists from across the United States whose mission is to foster a research and outreach community and engage beef cattle producers through training and publications. To do that, we are asking for your help! Below is a link to a survey targeted at beef producers that make the selection decisions on buying bulls and/or semen on their operation. By providing this information, you will help our group better understand the motivations and breeding objectives of today's cattle producers. In exchange for your answers (and email address), you will be entered to win one of five $100 gift cards sponsored by the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF). Answer Survey HERE By entering your email address, you will also be invited to a special webinar for all participants to discuss the survey results and bull selection stra...

Individuals from the University of Missouri joined other  professionals from academic, research, allied industry and ranching backgrounds to discuss the future of phenotyping and data collection in the beef industry.  Troy Rowan, assistant professor of beef cattle genomics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, summarized the meeting in a white paper article, now available online.  While many ideas and controversial topics were discussed, the clear theme was that capturing new phenotypes, especially from commercial operations, is the future! Read the Full Article Here

For those Steak in Genomics readers who have been considering the value of commercial genomic testing, you may want to be made aware of the following opportunity. Completed participation in the project (6 to 12-month commitment) would result in 100 free INHERIT Select tests ($2,900 value) as well as an additional $3,000 cash incentive. While this is not affiliated with the University of Missouri, a lot of producers within the state would qualify based on one or more of the definitions below. USDA Climate-Smart Grant – Prescribed Grazing – Soil Sampling - Complementary INHERIT Select Testing Zoetis Beef Genetics is pleased to be working with Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Leachman Cattle of Colorado LLC to support first-generation and underserved ranchers in genetic testing and selection for production efficiency and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions. This project is funded by a grant from USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities. Details are provided below: ...

 Jamie Courter and Jared Decker had the opportunity to present a webinar on hair shedding with the American Angus Association. Watch below! Didn't get your question answered? Be sure to check out our presentation at the Beef Improvement Federation Symposium on June 11th, 2024 at 3 pm. 

       For those who have been scrolling through social media and various agriculture-based news outlets in the past 12 to 18 months, it may seem as though there has been quite a few “new” genetic mutations or defects that have been identified. For most producers this is something they have dealt with before. But for others this may be the first time they are being faced with what seems like a “sky is falling” predicament. Regardless of which group you belong to, understanding what genetic mutations are, how they happen, and what to do when they are identified may prove helpful for the future.      To put this into perspective, cattle have 30 pairs of chromosomes. They inherit one of each pair from their sire and the other from their dam. A typical cattle genome consists of 2.7 billion nucleotides (A, T, G, C), or pieces of DNA, each occurring again in a pair. When they come together to form a fertilized egg, or future fetus, that is 5.4 billion nucleo...

The tool is part of a study published in an Oxford University Press journal and could be used to help cattle farmers improve the health, well-being and productivity of their herds.   A groundbreaking, newly-published study by CAFNR researcher Jared Decker uses genomics and citizen science to help cattle farmers and ranchers across the globe make better breeding selections that will ultimately improve sustainability, animal welfare and profitability of their operations. And, the key to all of this? Hair shedding. “This project has been really exciting to me because it blends both very basic research all the way to very applied research, so it is one of those rare projects that covers that wide spectrum,” said Jared Decker, associate professor of animal sciences and Wurdack Chair of Animal Genomics. According to Decker, some cows shed their winter hair more effectively than others. This means that some lose their heavy winter coats during the spring months before the heat of summer s...