Program
Printable symposium program
Monday, December 18, 2023
| 12:00 pm | Registration opens, pre-event social time | |
| 1:00 pm | Welcome and opening comments - Dr. Randie Culbertson, assistant professor and extension cow-calf specialist, Iowa State University, Ames, IA | |
| 1:15 pm | Bull stud panel - Moderator: Patrick Wall, extension beef field specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Knoxville, IA
Panelists: Cody Sankey; Aaron Arnett, director of beef genetics, STgenetics, Galion, OH; Marty Ropp, executive officer, Allied Genetic Resources, Normal, IL; Ben Lohmann; Jon Herrick, beef sire analyst, Select Sires, Amherst, NE |
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| 2:00 pm | Break | |
| Concurrent session A (select one topic) | ||
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| 2:15 pm | Increasing the accuracy of selection decisions - Dr. Matt Spangler, professor of animal genetics and extension beef genetics specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
This presentation will focus on tools and methods to increase the accuracy of genetic selection decisions made by commercial bull buyers. This will include discussion of increasing accuracy of EPD through the use of genomics. Increasing the accuracy by which buyers match bulls to their unique goals through the use of economically optimal selection indexes and decision supports tools will also be covered. |
Development of male fertility selection tools in beef cattle - Dr. Megan Rolf, associate professor, Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
This presentation will cover updates on a currently funded USDA project to develop selection tools for male fertility in beef cattle. |
| Concurrent session B (select one topic) | ||
| 3:00 pm | Follow the money: Analyzing bull buyer spending - Matt Woolfolk, owner, MRW Cattle Resources, Adair, IA
Using a compilation of bull sale data from across North America to determine trends in how the bull buying customer is spending their money on herd sires. The analysis studies an array of components, from genetic parameters to physical traits, to find what kind of bulls have the best chance to succeed on sale day. |
The importance of data collection - Lane Giess, geneticist, American Simmental Association & International Genetic Solutions, Bozeman, MT
Beef cattle producers make decisions everyday and rely on tangible metrics to make those decisions. Some of these decisions are deciding which replacement heifers to keep, or which bull to buy this Spring. An abundance of high-quality data are needed to identify the genetic worth of an animal, and this presentation will explore how different data are used in a genetic evaluation and why continuous data collection is a crucial component for genetic improvement. |
| 3:45 pm | Adaptability of beef cattle and selection - Dr. Milt Thomas, professor, Beef Cattle Systems, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Beeville, TX
Genetic tools to improve beef cattle are commonly used across the industry. The process has been greatly improved with quality data recording and genomics. New traits are being developed for sustainability and adaptability, which will expand the thought processes of multi-trait selection. |
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| 4:45 pm | Break - cash bar and social time | |
| 5:00 pm | Keynote presentation: The behavioral economics of bull buying - Dr. Troy Rowan, assistant professor and state extension beef cattle specialist, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN; Dr. Charles Martinez, assistant professor, Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee
This presentation will discuss the importance of EPDs as a risk management tool for commercial producers investing in genetics. It will also show results from cutting-edge behavioral economics research on how producers use sources of information when purchasing bulls. |
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| 6:00 pm | Online bull sale | |
| 6:45 pm | Dinner (provided) | |
| 8:30 pm | Adjourn for the day | |
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
| 7:00 am | Morning refreshments |
| 7:45 am | Morning announcements, instructions for animal demonstrations - Dr. Randie Culbertson, assistant professor and extension cow-calf specialist, Iowa State University, Ames, IA |
| 8:00 am | Live animal demonstrations
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| 9:45 am | ICA Bull Evaluation Program |
| 10:00 am | Bull buying: Results from mock bull sale - Dr. Charles Martinez, assistant professor, Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN |
| 10:45 am | Producer panel: Bull selection seedstock perspective - Moderator: Dr. Randie Culberton, assistant professor and extension cow-calf specialist, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Panelists: Ross Havens, marketing coordinator, Nichols Farms, Bridgewater, IA; Brian McCulloh, Woodhill Farms, Viroqua, WI; Shayne Wiese, herdsman, Wiese & Sons Hereford Cattle, Manning, IA |
| 11:45 am | Closing comments - Dr. Randie Culbertson, assistant professor and extension cow-calf specialist, Iowa State University, Ames, IA |
| 12:00 pm | Symposium adjourns |
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