A Steak in Genomics™

 If you have followed this blog - or lived in Missouri - for any period of time, then you've probably heard about hair shed scoring in beef cattle. If you have, then this post will hopefully serve as a reminder that now is (most likely) the time to go out into the pastures and collect scores. I've been traveling around the state, and country, over the last 18 months or so talking about the importance of matching cattle to their environment, and hair shed scoring fits perfectly into that conversation. However, the number one question I always get is "when do I score". While the short answer is always "it depends", the long answer is "when there is the most variability in your cow herd". With the days getting longer, weather warming up, and even bringing some hefty thunderstorms along with it, early shedders are likely almost shed, if not completely shed, while others in the herd still have their full winter coat.  While hair shedding in cattle is vi...

  For those of you who have followed this blog for some time, you are probably familiar with eBEEF. For those who are not, it is a collection of beef cattle genetics extension specialists from across the United States whose mission is to foster a research and outreach community and engage beef cattle producers through training and publications. To do that, we are asking for your help! Below is a link to a survey targeted at beef producers that make the selection decisions on buying bulls and/or semen on their operation. By providing this information, you will help our group better understand the motivations and breeding objectives of today's cattle producers. In exchange for your answers (and email address), you will be entered to win one of five $100 gift cards sponsored by the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF). Answer Survey HERE By entering your email address, you will also be invited to a special webinar for all participants to discuss the survey results and bull selection stra...

Individuals from the University of Missouri joined other  professionals from academic, research, allied industry and ranching backgrounds to discuss the future of phenotyping and data collection in the beef industry.  Troy Rowan, assistant professor of beef cattle genomics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, summarized the meeting in a white paper article, now available online.  While many ideas and controversial topics were discussed, the clear theme was that capturing new phenotypes, especially from commercial operations, is the future! Read the Full Article Here