Beef Genetic Survey

Mar 07, 2014

By Warren Rusche

Numerous technologies are available to make effective genetic changes in beef cattle. Selection programs need to be balanced based on sound economics. However, setting production goals are critical to identifying the appropriate direction associated with beef cattle breeding and genetics.

Specialized marketing programs are requiring producers to develop strategies to meet the market demands, which utilize the base cowherd to successfully produce a desirable end product. The South Dakota cowherd varies across the state. However, the goal is typically the same “producing a calf with optimal market value”.

There has been an explosion of technologies which have become available in recent years to assist producers in making more informed genetic selection decisions. EPDs, selection indexes, and genomic markers are just some of the latest tools in the toolbox, with more on the horizon. But given the tremendous amount of information now available, applying these tools to make the best selection decisions can be a daunting task.

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Video: Season 6, Episode 7: Takeaways from the Second International Conference on Pig Livability

This year’s conference fostered open, engaging conversations around current research in the swine industry, bringing together hundreds of attendees from 31 states and six countries. Two leaders who helped organize the event joined today’s episode: Dr. Joel DeRouchey, professor and swine extension specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University, and Dr. Edison Magalhaes, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Iowa State University. They share key takeaways from the conference, including the importance of integrating data when evaluating whole-herd livability, building a culture of care among employees and adopting new technologies. Above all, the discussion reinforces that this industry remains, at its core, a people business.