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Showing posts from July, 2013

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Hereford and Red Angus Heifers Recruited for Genomics Research

The University of Missouri is recruiting 2,500 Hereford heifers and 2,500 Red Angus heifers to participate in a heifer puberty and fertility genomic research project. Heifers should be registered Hereford, registered Red Angus, or commercial Hereford or Red Angus. Hereford x Red Angus crossbred heifers targeted for the Premium Red Baldy Program would also be a good fit for the research project. Producers must be willing to work with a trained veterinarian to collect the following data: ReproductiveTract Scores collected at a pre-breeding exam 30 to 45 days prior to the start of the breeding season. PelvicMeasurements (height and width) collected at the same pre-breeding exam 30 to 45 days prior to the start of the breeding season. Pregnancy Determination Using Ultrasound reporting fetal age in days. Ultrasound will need to occur no later than 90 days after the start of the breeding season. In addition, heifers must have known birth dates and have weights recorded eithe

DNA future inspires action now

Cody Jorgensen talked with Angus VNR about the reasons he uses genomic technologies. In addition to collecting more information earlier , Jorgensen also discusses the impact genomics may have in the future. If you are a smaller producer with limited resources, what can you do now to prepare to use genomic technology? The first step is to collect tissue samples, either hair bulbs or blood on FTA cards , on all of your animals for future use. The next step would be to test influential animals in your herd. This is typically going to be your herd bulls, as they produce the most progeny each year. We don't know if genomic technologies will be rapidly or slowly implemented, but we do know they are here to stay. As Jack Ward said at the BIF Convention, "The boat has left. You can either get on it or be left behind."