Adapting to New Cattle Industry Technology
I’m Susan Allen,, ranchers get a little chastising from a well known geneticist when Open Range returns. Amazing technology is used to raise cattle from breeding to birth. Matt Spangler University of Nebraska-Lincoln geneticist hit the nail on the head when he said that beef producers have more technology available to them than with any other species “. Spangler also pointed out that ranchers are very slow to utilize it. Being savvy about EPD’s is imperative today EPD’s for those of you listeners not in the beef industry, stand for expected progeny differences that provide estimates of the genetic value of an animal as a parent. EPDs are calculated for birth, growth, maternal, and carcass traits and are reported in the same units of measurement as the trait (normally pounds). A working knowledge of genetics and cross breeding are critical to a successful ranching operation . Genomics is another fast growing field that already is providing more en depth information about a cow. Pedigree-based EPDS can only go so far in determining a animals make up yet when genomics is part of the mix there is more accuracy in getting EPD;s at a younger age providing an added advantage for the seedstock producer because according to Spangler, they now are able to use younger animals when they have confidence about their genetic make-up. One rancher I met recently is even using using DNA to fight a legal battle over water rights .In his case DNA test’s proved it wasn’t cattle polluting the river it was an elk herd
