A Steak in Genomics™

by Duane Dailey COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri beef producers have it good when it comes to feed resources, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension nutritionist. On Sept. 21 at the MU Thompson Farm, Spickard, he’ll share his good news. Bailey, new to Missouri, can tell what cow owners face in New Mexico, Texas and Kansas. “I’ve seen lots of prairie hay with no nutrient value at all,” Bailey says. “Missourians make top-notch hay,” he says. Also, Show-Me producers have access to many distillers byproducts and alternative feeds. Other speakers at the Thompson Farm event will talk genetic advances. They know the part nutrition plays in expression of genetic potential. Research on fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) will be updated. The annual event at the MU research farm west of Spickard will be held in the evening, a change. Sign-in starts at 3:30 p.m. with farm tours to follow. Talks begin at 6 p.m. and dinner is at 7:15. Last talk, on price premiums for selling qualit...

by Duane Dailey COLUMBIA, Mo. – Making profits from beef herds will be taught Sept. 21 at the University of Missouri Thompson Farm field day near Spickard, Mo. Genetics, breeding, feeding and selling improve profits, say MU Extension specialists. “For a change, the program will be in the evening,” says Rod Geisert, superintendent, Columbia. Sign-in opens at 3:30 p.m. and is followed by farm tours. “We hope farmers with off-farm jobs can attend,” Geisert says. Talks begin at 6:15 p.m., with dinner at 7:15. Speakers won’t talk just profits. They look at the big picture of beef production. Jared Decker, MU Extension geneticist, has a message for herd owners. “Profits are the most important trait for beef cows.” Calving ease, weaning weight, carcass merit and other traits improve a herd. “Dollars count most at the end of the year,” says the beef specialist. In the past, herd owners needed many EPDs (expected progeny differences) to guide breeding. Now one selection index, such as d...

Red Angus Announcement The Red Angus Association of America is excited to announce the release of Zoetis’ HD50K/i50K Version 2 genomic test along with the release of the Fall 2017 EPDs. Representing a recalibration of Zoetis’ original genomic test, Version 2 provides Red Angus breeders with a significant improvement in genetic prediction accuracy.   Made possible by Red Angus breeders’ adoption of genomic technology, the Version 2 test was developed using Zoetis’ growing volume of 50K data on Red Angus animals. As a direct result, the population of animals used for the development of the Version 2 test consisted of mostly Red Angus animals along with strategically selected Black Angus animals. This is a distinct improvement from the original “Global Angus” test, which was developed using a higher percentage of Black Angus animals. Thus, the Version 2 test represents a significant improvement in RAAA’s ability to provide accurate EPDs on HD50K/i50K-t...