The aerial view of Adam and Sarah Wilson’s cow-calf operations in Abingdon and Lebanon, Virginia, reveals lush green pastures, tall trees and 300 cow-calf pairs in each location.

An opportunity to be a part of the exploding $2.5 billion Chinese beef import market was met with initial excitement and enthusiasm from the American beef industry, but experts say it will be a long, slow road.

Bob Sand is fond of the old saying “most ranchers know the EPDs of their bulls better than they know their wedding anniversaries,” but he says that if you ask a rancher about the composition of the mineral he feeds, chances are he won’t be able to tell you. “It’s not glamorous talking about nutrition within your herd,” says Sand, owner and president of The Beef Connection, a data-driven, multi-year breeding, production and marketing program for commercial cattle producers. “But bulls, bulls are glamorous, and people know their bulls.”

When it comes to “game changers,” the dairy industry has seen its fair share. The science behind creating a gallon of milk continues to change rapidly, thanks to new technologies and with the push for efficient and profitable operations in the current marketplace, nutrigenomics is today’s game changer producers need to consider.

When it comes to “game changers,” the dairy industry has seen its fair share. The science behind creating a gallon of milk continues to change rapidly, thanks to new technologies, and with the push for efficient and profitable operations in the current marketplace, nutrigenomics is today’s game changer producers need to consider.