Reading Time: 2 minutes Purebred cattle have a leg up on their crossbred cousins — at least as far as genomics is concerned. “The purebred industries are the ones that are really using genomically enhanced selection indexes,” said Dawn Trautman, technology translator at Livestock Gentec. “In the purebred industry, you can get validated markers a lot faster because you’re […] Read more
Genomics proving its worth for purebred cattle
Genomically enhanced selection is catching on with purebred producers, but crossbreds pose more of a challenge
Maximize pregnancy rates when artificially inseminating livestock
There are several steps producers can take to improve AI success
Reading Time: 4 minutes Artificial insemination (AI) offers cattle producers the opportunity to use semen from high-accuracy, genetically superior sires at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a herd bull with similar genetics. “In addition, using estrus synchronization and AI can increase the number of calves born earlier in the calving season and increase weaning weights of calves,” […] Read more
The last thing you want to see in a prized bull
Beef 911: Injuries that prevent a bull from breeding can be successfully treated, and about 50 per cent of cases will heal
Reading Time: 3 minutes Numerous times during the breeding season, calls come in to veterinary clinics in regards to swellings along the sheath of bulls. In many instances, a favourable outcome is highly attainable. And with today’s bull prices this may be good news. The location of the swelling says a lot about its cause. Generally if the penis […] Read more
Breeding for carcass quality has a payoff
Using genomics to improve carcass quality can greatly improve profitability, study says
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sourcing quality breeding stock has the greatest impact on carcass quality — and having carcass data is “integral” to that process. But too many producers are flying blind, according to Tom Lynch-Staunton, director of industry relations for Livestock Gentec. “Most people sell their calves in the fall at weaning and really have no idea how […] Read more
The fearless researcher who revolutionized cattle breeding
Roy Berg was once the most reviled cattle researcher in the country — until he proved that crossbreeding could produce spectacular productivity gains
Reading Time: 4 minutes He was an intrepid man whose controversial work earned him scores of critics — but his name will now live on as the research station where Roy Berg conducted much of his revolutionary work on beef cattle. Nearly 300 people — friends, colleagues, former students, industry specialists, and family members — travelled to the Kinsella […] Read more
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