Over the past few years, genetic testing has become more readily available and used by commercial cattlemen. Information that was once used mainly by registered cattle producers is being utilized to make improvements on commercial operations and produce higher-performing cattle by making decisions with more information.

To remain competitive in today’s beef industry, commercial producers must identify and implement technologies that have favorable impacts on their beef cattle enterprises, and crossbreeding is one such technology.

The usual suspects (expected progeny differences [EPDs], genomic testing, heterosis) were covered, as were some issues (beef-on-dairy, methane emissions, cardiac health) that may have been a bit more of a surprise to the uninitiated at an event ostensibly dedicated to beef cattle genetics.

Studies by scientists at the University of Minnesota and their USDA-ARS collaborators indicate that a unique herd of unselected Holsteins, maintained at the University of Minnesota since the mid-1960s, has a very strong potential to help reduce mastitis in future generations of Holstein cows.

Using new fitness traits like heat tolerance and grazing behavior, Milt Thomas, a department of animal science professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is determined to help improve beef cattle systems in South Texas.

PJ Budler founded a successful cattle operation in South Africa and now consults on operations all over the globe. Learn from his international perspective in our latest article. 

Ranching brings rewards, but it’s not all “sunshine and rainbows.” With drought and high input costs in the balance, it takes sharp management decisions to keep black ink on the bottom line.

The foundations for beef cattle genomic testing began over a century ago, when forward-thinking breed associations started collecting pedigree and phenotypic data on registered animals. Breeders studied pedigrees, aspiring to create matings that would yield more valuable animals with desirable physical traits.