When most ranchers describe unforgiving conditions, they often think of high-mountain cattle or those hunkering down for a long, drawn-out winter.

In America’s cattle regions, a revolutionary change is happening that might transform the feedlot industry. It’s centered around a special kind of probiotic, a tiny hero in the world of biology.

Some 400 attendees from across North America gathered in Loveland, Colorado, to hear the latest in beef cattle research from some of the industry’s leading experts from government, academia and industry.

Utilizing omega-6 fatty acids as a management strategy to mitigate early embryonic loss, a major cause of reproductive and economic losses to the U.S. beef industry, is the focus of a new project led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research researchers.

Known as the “six essentials,” selection for these traits can improve profitability of any herd, of any breed, in any location: disposition, fertility, weight, conformation, hardiness and milk production.

Efficiency of production, quality of product and sustainability are the intuitive goals of the cattle industry. Producers and consumers alike are interested in the economy of scale and acceptance of beef.