Beef Genomics Is Providing Speedy Accuracy In Genetic Selection For Cattle Producers

Feb 17, 2016

With the rapidly developing world of genomics in beef cattle breeding- improvements in the information that a cattle producer can see about their cattle is amazing. That's the takeaway from a conversation that Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays had with Ryan Ruppert of Neogen at the recent Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego. Ruppert says that when he was in school not that many years ago- genomics was not even a word.

The world of genomics as it relates to the Beef Cattle business really began in 2007, when the bovine genome sequence of the Hereford Beef Cow Dominette was finished. Ruppert says that now "genomics is a major part of cattle producers everyday life- and that if you havn't been doing anything with genomics- you will be."

Ruppert says in today's Beef Buzz that this is all about the accuracy on the production information a cattle producer can learn about their animals at an earlier age than ever before. It results in "the kind of accuracy of data that it used to take years to get on your cattle."

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If you want a look inside a people-driven, purpose-driven, quietly elite pork system, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.