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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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Sustainability: What Does the Data Say About the Beef Industry

Dr. Kim Stackhouse-Lawson
National Cattlemen's Beef Association

Sustainability is now seen as responsibility. Sustainability is now continuous improvement.
Sustainability is about feeding people; doing more with less.

Zero impact is not possible. Start the conversation with this point.

Over the last 6 years, we have improved sustainability by 5%. How is this possible when we weren't even thinking about sustainability 6 years ago? Any technology improvement we have implemented has improved sustainability. Stackhouse-Lawson's father-in-law thought her sustainability research project was a complete waste of Beef checkoff dollars to define a word, sustainability, that outsiders created. When she thanked him for helping her project, he was completely taken aback. She then explained that the new sprinkler system he had installed improved the sustainability of his operation.

To meet the growing demand for beef by meeting environmental, economic and social concerns.

Food waste is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all of beef production.

Since 2005 emissions to water have been reduced by 10%. Consumers love this improvement.

Since 2005 beef production has reduced its water use by 3%.

Since 2005 there has been a 32% reduction in occupational accidents and illness.

Sustainability is a great opportunity for beef producers. We have a great story to tell.

  • Sustainability research has several benefits
  • Tell our story
  • Good science leads to a baseline
  • Supply chain focus in the right areas, e.g. food waste, for improvement

Sustainability is a journey, not a destination. We have multiple generation operations. This is sustainability!

Decker's Take Home Message:
By focusing on profit and new technologies, we can improve sustainability of our cattle operations. Breeding objectives and economic selection indexes help our operations be focused on profit, an important component of sustainability. Are you accepting of new technologies? 

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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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