2019 marks 10 years of genomic selection. Most livestock genetics conferences that are held this year will have a scientific seminar celebrating this milestone. It’s been a decade since our cattle genetic industry changed like this only once before – with the invention of A.I.

Have you chosen to put your breeding strategy in high gear? If so, that means beef semen may be a part of your genetic planning process.

In recent years, many U.S. producers have adopted use of a custom index. This index is used for sire selection or sorting females for culling or strategic breeding programs. These custom indexes are used in place of standard selection indexes such as Net Merit (NM$), Cheese Merit or breed-specific indexes (TPI, JPI, etc.).

There is a widespread misconception that dairies must wait to see financial returns from genomic testing – that cash-strapped dairies can’t justify the investment for potential long-term gains. A close look at the numbers produced from a carefully considered genomic testing plan tells a different story – one of increased efficiency and more immediate returns. But how?

Crossbred dairy beef is big news as dairy producers seek to diversify and capture the most value from their bull calves, heifers that aren’t needed for the milking herd or cows which are no longer going to be bred for replacement purposes yet still have a productive milking life.

Operating a business without a plan is like going on a road trip without directions. A wanderlust attitude might lead to some interesting paths, but it will not get you to your destination quickly or efficiently. Taking such a whimsical approach could ultimately jeopardize your livelihood.

The following is a summary from the Dairy Genomics Workshop series on the value of genomic testing females, presented in Idaho, Washington, Florida, Texas and California in late 2018.

Current commodity prices have some dairy farmers looking to capture additional revenue by feeding out dairy steers or the growing number of dairy-beef calves that are more common due to herd breeding decisions.

Now more than ever, it is important to make sure each stall on your dairy is occupied by the most profitable cows. One way to improve profit per stall is to change the makeup of your herd and milk a higher percentage of older cows, as they are typically the best producers.

I belong to an internet service called ResearchGate. ResearchGate keeps track of the research articles one has published and who is reading them. As an old school extension person, my list of peer-reviewed scientific publications is not massive, but I have been involved in several interesting research projects.