A Steak in Genomics™

Figure 1 from Durbin et al. 2020. We recently posted a preprint (a research publication that has not yet been peer reviewed) to the bioRxiv server. You can read the article here:  https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.21.109553   *Update: Peer-reviewed, published paper is available open-access here:  https://gsejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12711-020-00584-0  "Development of a genetic evaluation for hair shedding in American Angus cattle to improve thermotolerance" This manuscript describes our work with Angus breeders and Angus Genetics Inc. to create a hair shedding EPD for the American Angus Association. We learned a lot of cool things about hair shedding in this paper. Including how hair shedding is related to other traits and how hair shedding is related to the environment. 1) Negative Relationship Between Milk and Growth Something interesting to me was to learn more about the genetic correlation between weaning weight direct and weaning weight maternal...

Adam Summers New Mexico State University What are some of the management things we do to help cows stay in the herd longer? Most literature says a cow needs to produce 3 to 5 calves to be profitable. This depends on your level of supplementation and inputs. Heifers that calve early stay in the herd longer. Cows that calve earlier produce more pounds of calf at weaning over their lifetime. Heifers that calve early produce 550 lbs more of calf over their lifetime. Calves that were in utero during good years (above average rain) had increased birth weights and weaning weights. Calves that were in utero during bad years (below average rain) had more calves when they became cows. Reduced body weight prior to breeding heifers did not change the rate at which those cows left the herd. We are not using estrus synchronization and artificial insemination as much as we should. Main concerns were labor, time, and facilities. However, we can use a PGF2 to increase the number of heife...

Eric Scholljegerdes New Mexico State University The number one limiting nutrient on rangeland, whether in a drought or winter, is going to be crude protein. We are feeding two organisms when we are feeding a beef cow. First is the rumen microbes. The second is the cow. We see improvement in low-quality forage intake in response to crude protein supplementation. However, in a drought year this can be an issue. When grass availability is limited, we don't want to waste that resource. This is when a conservative stocking rate comes into play. If forage crude protein is above 8%, we probably don't need to supplement protein as intake is not going to increase. If crude protein is above 8%, we may want to supplement energy instead. Increase in protein allows the bacteria in the rumen to more completely digest the fiber in the diet. By-pass protein provides key amino acids. Non-structural forms of energy, e.g. starch from cereal grains causes a substitution effect. Non-...

Eric Bailey University of Missouri Extension State Beef Nutrition Specialist Presentation at  Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference  Here is the contrarian view. Compared to other drivers of profit,  mineral has an extremely small impact on profitability. Here is a quote to illustrate this view. "Don't measure with a micrometer and cut with an ax!" -Dr. Tim Steffens. We don't give a cow a half a teaspoon of mineral, watch her eat it, and go about our day. No, we put out mineral and cows will eat as little or as much as they want. Bailey's philosophy: Mineral nutrition is an insurance policy. Minerals are not a cure or a key to improving production. What is the issue? Marketing vs. Science. If we are feeding cows 3 year old hay that is mainly buck brush and sumac, we have much bigger nutritional issues than mineral. In many situations we have energy and protein deficiencies before we have mineral deficiencies. Minerals are high profit margin prod...

Eric Bailey, MU Extension beef nutrition specialist , discusses winter nutrition for beef cows. One of the practices that we see commonly in Nebraska, but less so in Missouri, is grazing corn stalks. Dr. Bailey discusses opportunities and limitations of this practice. Recorded at the MU CAFNR  Thompson Research Center Field Day, September 21, 2017. Loading...

Dr. Dave Lalman Oklahoma State University Lalman points out that we have made tremendous change for post weaning growth. Right now finished cattle weights are increasing at a rate of 9.4 pounds per year. Carcass weights are increasing by 5.7 pounds per year. Marbling has also increased over time. Compared with 1995, we have seen fewer yield grade 1s and 2s, but we have seen more yield grade 4s and 5s. The number of yield grade 3s has increased from 34.2% to 46.7%. The cow-calf sector and the entire industry have responded for the need for increased post-weaning performance and carcass quality. The increase in calf prices has increased by $5.25 per hundred weight (cwt) per year. The increase in costs has increase by $5 per year. Profitability appears to not have changed that much. Lalman discussed analyses by Pendell and coworkers published in 2015, in which they analyzed Kansas Farm Management Association data. The data had information from 79 operations with data from 201...

Thompson Research Center , where beef breeding trials started in northern Missouri, will host a field day Sept. 15. The University of Missouri research center is located at the end of Highway C west of Spickard, Mo., off of Highway 65. The theme is "Management Strategies to Improve Beef Cattle Production." Rod Geisert is superintendent and MU professor in reproductive physiology, Columbia, Talks and tours start after registration at 8:30 a.m. Exhibits and lunch will be provided. Research at the farm led to nationwide adoption of artificial insemination (AI) protocols to breed all cows in a herd on one day. This brings uniform calf crops with less labor at calving time. At the same time, genetics for quality beef were added to gain premium prices at harvest. Now Thompson Farm steers fed out grade USDA choice and prime. Packers consistently pay highest prices for prime grade beef . At the field day the next step will be explained on using genomics to predict a calf...