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Showing posts from November, 2016

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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

Brangus Journal: Understanding Genomic Prediction

Head on over to the Brangus Journal website to see some of my latest writing on genomic prediction. The Dance Steps of Genomics Part I: Understanding Genomic Prediction Personally, it is probably my favorite of the articles I have written, so I would encourage you to make the time to read it. What do you think of the article? As always, your feedback is welcome. Loading...

AHA Educational Forum: myHERD services

Stacy Sanders and SyAnn Foster AHA "When we do things electronically, we are no longer waiting on the postal service," said Stacy Sanders. He also noted that electronic reporting did not require any handling or processing by the association staff. The electronic recording also eliminates paper work and automatically uses semen certificates that have been released to the breeder. In addition to the AHA myHERD.org service, the association also allows you to use Genetic and Economic Management (G.E.M.) and CattleMax. AHA is also working with the smart phone app CALF BOOK. "We want to give you options, we want to give you something that works for you," Sanders said. The myHERD service is also switching to a different system to enable a faster web interface, which will also work better on smaller screens like tablets and smartphones. AHA has a goal of 80% of records turned in electronically. Weaning and yearling data is currently above 80% reported electroni

Road Warrior: First Week of November Addition

This weekend I get to cross the state to visit with several producer groups. Friday November 4th I will be speaking at 3pm at the Joplin Regional Stockyards during the Central States Beefmaster Breeders Association field day . The CSBBA will be having a performance bull sale at the Joplin Regional Stockyards the next day at 1 pm. I will be discussing the how and why of genomics. Saturday, at 8am I will be speaking as part of the Pearls of Production Program at the University of Missouri South Farm Research Center in Columbia, MO. I will be discussing bull selection, and the South Farm herd bulls will be on display for viewing. Saturday at 7 pm I will be speaking at the  2016 Beef Producers Seminar in Maryville, MO. The trade show will start at 2pm with demonstrations and presentations to follow.  I will be discussing genomic prediction, and we will have a live animal demonstration with a set of heifers that have commercial heifer genomic predictions. Google says this will be

Farm Management Program Addresses Tough Times and Tackles Tough Questions in Agriculture

          According to Garry L. Mathes, chair of the 2016 Missouri Livestock Symposium, producers and land owners coming to the Missouri Livestock Symposium to participate in the farm management section can expect the speaker lineup to address some of the toughest questions facing agriculture today. Mathes continues to say that the Missouri Livestock Symposium continually strives to be on the cutting edge of producer education and our Farm Management section is designed to do just that. Dr. Scott Brown, University of Missouri ag economist, will return for the Saturday program to lead two discussions. The first talk focuses on “Land Values and Cash Rents: How Far Will They Fall” and the second talk concentrates on “Who is Winning the Agricultural Trade Game.” Dr. Brown brings many years of experience dealing with agricultural economics and farm management. Mathes notes Scott is an exceptional speaker and no one will want to miss his presentations.  Also speaking in the Farm Manage