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Showing posts from August, 2014

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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
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Smithsonian's Genome Unlocking Life's Code exhibit coming to St. Louis, Mo.

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For a little over a year, the Smithsonian has housed the Genome: Unlocking Life's Code exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History. This fall, that will change as the exhibit makes a cross country tour visiting several U.S. cities. The exhibit will be housed at The Saint Louis Science Center from May 15 to September 10, 2015. The exhibit was designed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Watson and Cricks discovery of the structure of DNA. The exhibit allows visitors to learn about the human genome and genomics, and how DNA codes for the diversity of life on Earth. I wonder if the exhibit discusses cattle... ☺
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Applying new technologies to investigate ancestry in cattle


Article from Fall 2011 "Lincoln Letter"
Newsletter of the North American Lincoln Red Assocition

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Jared E. Decker and Jeremy F. Taylor Animal breeding can be viewed from the perspective of three basic categories: recording matings, predicting the outcome of matings, and planning future matings.  Thus, ancestry is a central and integral part of animal breeding, and breeders have had an inherent interest in ancestry since at least the time of Robert Bakewell (1725-1795).  Until recently, we could only trace ancestry as far back as we had pedigree records.  But, with the advent of DNA technologies we are now able to infer the extent of relationships among individuals separated by hundreds, thousands, and even millions of years – i.e., the individuals are from different species. In 2009, we published research that describes the relationships between 48 different breeds of cattle and the relationships between cattle and other ruminant species. We used a recently developed DNA analysis kit, called the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip, to survey approximately 50,000 sites among the enti
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The International Brangus Breeders Association Selects New DNA Testing Provider

SAN ANTONIO, TX- The International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) has selected GeneSeek , a division of Neogen Corporation, as the association’s new DNA services provider. The partnership will allow Brangus breeders to submit DNA samples to GeneSeek for parentage determination and lay a foundation for Genomic-Enhanced EPDs for the breed association. “IBBA’s agreement with GeneSeek moves us closer to conducting all Brangus parentage testing using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) genetic markers versus previously used technologies,” said Dr. Tommy Perkins, IBBA Executive Vice President. Samples will be tested with the GeneSeek®Genomic Profiler™ GGP HD 80K (tests approximately 80,000 DNA variants) and the GeneSeek®Genomic Profiler™ GGP LD 30K (tests approximately 30,000 DNA variants) for eventual incorporation into genomic-enhanced EPDs for the Brangus breed. The GGP 80K is finding a role as a premium genomic profiler, while the GGP LD 30K is a highly accurate, affordabl
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Location: San Antonio, TX, USA
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Charolais Association Reaches Genotyping Milestone

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In their efforts to develop genomic predictions and genomic-enhanced EPDs, the American-International Charolais Association announced today that they have surpassed the 1,000 samples suggested to develop genomic predictions. Now that this level has been reached the association can prepare to release a commercially available genomic prediction test. As we have seen in other breed associations , once the genomic prediction test is commercially available, the amount of data available for retraining can grow. As new animals are tested they can also be used in future rounds of retraining (also called recalibration ). This is an exciting day for the AICA. Congratulations Charolais breeders! Now, what will you do with genomics ? Loading... " Vache de race charolaise avec son veau " by Forum concoursvaches.fr - http://www.concoursvaches.fr . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons .
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Eureka Genomics Receives USDA Grant For Bovine Genotyping Project

Management aims to raise additional capital to commercialize range of high-value targeted genotyping assays for clinical, animal health, and agriculture. HERCULES, CA, August 18, 2014 — Eureka Genomics, a leader in Next Generation Genotyping (NGG), announced that it has been awarded a $450,000 grant from The National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The Institute is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Eureka Genomics was awarded this grant to commercialize a second generation NGG assay focused on bovine genotyping known as the Sparse Genome Scan (SGS). Eureka Genomics’ SGS is a technology platform that produces commercially relevant data, currently generated from micro arrays , at less than half the cost. This most recent USDA grant awarded to Eureka Genomics follows an ongoing cooperative research and development agreement with the USDA’s Meat Animal Research Center. "The USDA’s financial and research support is part of Eureka Genomics’ strategy to
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Dan Moser to Lead Angus Genetics Inc.

Angus announces new AGI president and director of performance programs. The American Angus Association® welcomes Dr. Dan Moser as its new president of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) and Association director of performance programs. A unanimous selection of the AGI board of directors, Moser brings more than 15 years experience in genetic research and education to the Association’s 25,000-plus members and their commercial partners. “We are excited for Dr. Moser to join our team of talented professionals and for what he represents to the future of genetic evaluation for the Angus breed,” says Kevin Yon, chairman of AGI and Angus breeder from Ridge Spring, S.C. “Dan not only is one of the industry’s most respected geneticists, but also possesses a common touch, a rare ability to communicate complex concepts into actionable and beneficial information for producers. Along with our talented team of scientists and customer service providers, we are looking forward to him taking our genet
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Improving Feed Efficiency: Feed Efficiency Project Releases Decision Support Tool

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The Beef Feed Efficiency Project has released a new decision support tool. The tool is an Excel spreadsheet in which producers can enter data on a group of cattle with growth and feed intake data. Click here to download the Excel file. The spreadsheet is pre-loaded with some example data. Depending on how you define efficiency, the animals rank quite differently. Let's consider the example data in the "Many Wts +fatRFI" tab. (See the "notes" tab for further explanation about the traits reported or this factsheet released by the project.) If we look at Feed:Gain ratio (F:G) Ear Tag 3 is top ranking animal. Ear Tag ADG Met.Mid Wt. DMI Fat F:G 3 5.24 207 21.0 0.30 4.01 5 5.06 205 23.0 0.25 4.54 1 4.62 179 22.0 0.20 4.76 6 4.52 213 23.0 0.23 5.09 4 4.81 203 26.0 0.1
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