Selecting your Replacement Heifers to Meet Long-term Herd Goals-Feb 2023

Feb 23, 2023

By Carolyn Ihde

Selecting replacement heifers using production records, herd goals, and available resources can ensure the correct females are staying in the herd.

beef

As the seasons come and go, the production cycle of the beef herd also changes. Cows calve, calves grow, and replacement heifers are selected. Selecting replacement heifers using production records, herd goals, and available resources can ensure the correct females are staying in the production system.

Just as purchasing a new herd bull can directly impact genetic improvement, selecting replacement heifers that match your production goals and available resources can impact the bottom line. Production records are one tool in the selection process. Maintaining herd records on cow productivity could include; calving date, birth weights, weaning weights, calving assistance, calf survivability, cow BCS, cow characteristics, calving intervals, and temperament. Heifers born from dams needing assistance with calving and nursing because of teat or udder defects or poor temperaments should not be retained. Knowing 50% of a replacement heifer’s genetics come from the dam, analyzing the dam’s collective data before you head out to . . .

Source : osu.edu

Video: What Drives Pork Eating Quality - Dr. Ben Bohrer

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Ben Bohrer from The Ohio State University discusses what shapes consumer experience with pork. He explains why juiciness and flavor matter, how stunning and chilling affect pork quality, what consumer research reveals about pork chops, and why education and guidance on pork preparation are critical to improving demand. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Consumer education may be one of the pork industry’s biggest opportunities to improve eating experience."

Meet the guest: Dr. Ben Bohrer / ben-bohrer-57b35bb2 is an Associate Professor of Meat Science and Muscle Biology at The Ohio State University and Owner/Operator of Meat Science Solutions, LLC. He earned his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his M.S. and B.S. from The Ohio State University. His work connects animal science, food science, meat quality, processed meats, and consumer eating experience. Learn more from Dr. Ben Bohrer on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.