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Showing posts from December, 2019

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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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Show-Me Ag: Beef Genetics and the Environment

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Are cattle responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions? How can technology help? Head over to the Show-Me Ag website to see Jared Decker discuss beef cattle, the environment and genetics. https://www.kmos.org/ShowMeAg/ Episode from December 12, 2019 (2019/12/12, titled "Cattle Genetics").
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Location: Warrensburg, MO 64093, USA
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Red Angus Seeking Input on Selection Indexes

The Red Angus Association of America is seeking feedback on their economic selection indexes. Producers can provide feedback at this link: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5183855/RedAngusAssociation?fbclid=IwAR3qskT1DJ6UMbSIS2R3ul316FQ6L_k-Gt_DYDq8wB8omLQOgkG1yCuAGbM To be frank, I am conflicted by this process. On one hand, I think it is important to have translational research be a collaborative process. Further, users are more likely to trust and use a technology if they were involved in its creation. However, often times, optimal selection decisions are counterintuitive  (need to write a blog post on this). I feel strongly that selection decisions are best made when driven by data, and that includes design of selection tools. American Angus Association went through a similar process, and it is my understanding they used the survey data to weight economic importance of traits that are hard to pin down, such as claw set and docility. Traits that are economically important, but
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2019 National Beef Essay Contest: “What does it mean to be a beef breeder in the 21st century?”

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Youth interested in the beef industry are encouraged to compete in a national essay contest. Essays should respond to the prompt “What does it mean to be a beef breeder in the 21st century?” The winning essay will be published in one of  BEEF  magazine’s online newsletters (e.g.  BEEF  Daily or  BEEF  Cow-Calf Weekly). The 2nd through 5th place essays will be published on  A Steak in Genomics  blog. We will award $500 for first, $300 for second, and $200 for third place in the contest. New this year, we will have two age divisions, "13 and Younger" and "14 to 19".  Essays will be judged by beef genetics extension specialists, breed association staff, and trade publication staff. Essays will be judged on their ability to encourage best practices and technology adoption by describing: Trust and effectiveness of beef breeding best practices and technologies. Simplicity of using technology. The profit and sustainability outcomes of using best practices an
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