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Dr. Jamie Courter is your Mizzou Beef Genetics Extension Specialist

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By Jared E. Decker Many of you have probably noticed that things have been a lot less active on the A Steak in Genomics™   blog, but you probably haven't known why. In January 2021, I was named the Wurdack Chair in Animal Genomics at Mizzou, and I now focus on research, with a little bit of teaching. I no longer have an extension appointment. But, with exciting news, the blog is about to become a lot more active! Jamie Courter began as the new MU Extension state beef genetics specialist in the Division of Animal Sciences on September 1, 2023. I have known Jamie for several years, meeting her at BIF when she was a Masters student. I have been impressed by Jamie in my interactions with her since that time.  Dr. Courter and I have been working closely together the last 6 weeks, and I am excited to work together to serve the beef industry for years to come! Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from North Carolina State University and earned a master's degree in animal
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Accuracy improvement from Genomic-Enhanced EPDs expressed as progeny equivalents

There is a great article in the Drovers CattleNetwork expressing the improved accuracy from genomic-enhanced EPDs in the number of progeny required to see the same increase in accuracy.  The big gain is in yearling weight, where genomic information provided as much information as 20 progeny.  As the article states, most dams will never have this many progeny in a lifetime, and now producers can have that same level of accuracy at birth.

These results are for Pfizer's 50K product.  I would be interested in seeing the results for Igenity's product as well.  I'll talk more about the differences between the two products in a future post.

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