Speakers

Aaron Arnett
director of beef genetics, STgenetics, Galion, OH

Dr. Aaron Arnett is Director of Beef Genetics for STgenetics, the world's premier supplier of sex-sorted genetics for the livestock industry. He is responsible for genetic procurement and creation of beef cattle genetics for the company where they focus on economically relevant traits for commercial and seedstock operations. His responsibilities also include supporting a global sales force and the rapidly growing beef on dairy market in the U.S. Aaron has worked in the livestock genetics industry for 15 years and has degrees from The Ohio State University, University of Kentucky, and Kansas State University. He and his family own and operate Arnett & Sons, a small Angus seedstock operation in Ohio.

Presentation title: Bull stud panel

Randie Culbertson
assistant professor and extension cow-calf specialist, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Randie Culbertson spent her childhood on her family’s cattle ranch in New Mexico. She received her B.S. in Animal Science at New Mexico State University and pursued her graduate degrees at Colorado State University, earning her M.S. and Ph. D. in Animal Breeding and Genetics. Upon completing her Ph. D. in 2019, she accepted a position as the lead geneticist with the American Simmental Association and International Genetic Solutions (IGS), where she worked on a multi-breed genetic evaluation for beef cattle and was involved in the development and validation of new EPDs. In November 2022, Randie joined the faculty at Iowa State University as the Cow-Calf Extension Specialist.

Presentation title: Welcome and announcements, Producer panel

Lane Giess
geneticist, American Simmental Association & International Genetic Solutions, Bozeman, MT

Lane Giess is a native of central Minnesota, where he grew up on a South Devon seedstock operation marketing commercially-oriented purebred and composite bulls. He attended Kansas State University and received a BS and MS in Animal Sciences, where he worked on a Red Angus and Simmental joint-funded project to develop a prototype feet and legs scoring system and genetic evaluation for his Master's project. After graduation, Lane accepted a position as the Director of Nontraditional and Commercial Data Programs for the American Simmental Association (ASA) where one of his core responsibilities was developing programs to help ASA members collect more rare and meaningful data for the ASA genetic evaluation. Presently, Lane is a PhD candidate at Colorado State University working to develop a multi-breed heifer pregnancy EPD for the International Genetic Solutions genetic evaluation.

Presentation title: The importance of data collection

Ross Havens
marketing coordinator, Nichols Farms, Bridgewater, IA

Ross joined the Nichols Farms team in 1994 with a wealth of experience in the integrated swine business. As Nichols’ Marketing Coordinator, much of his time is spent selling bulls and females. Ross is also responsible for customer service and adding value to their cattle through Nichols Farms’ marketing programs, which include Nichols Genetic Source Feeder Calves, and Nichols Genetic Source Replacement Heifers. Ross served as President of the Cass County Cattlemen Association, Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Plus he served as it’s President. Currently he serves on National Cattlemen Beef Board and the United States Meat Export Federation Board. Ross and his wife Lisa, reside in Atlantic, Iowa. They enjoy camping in their vintage 1964 Shasta Camper and spending time with their grandchildren.

Presentation title: Producer panel

Jon Herrick
beef sire analyst, Select Sires, Amherst, NE

Jon is a Kansas State University graduate that is based out of Amherst, NE and has held numerous positions in the beef AI business over the last 20 years for ABS Global, Accelerated Genetics and now Select Sires. Jon travels the US for us acquiring bulls in multiple breeds including Angus, Red Angus, Simmental, Hereford, and Charolais. What makes Jon unique is that he also consults with and implements AI programs for some of the largest and most progressive commercial producers in his home state of Nebraska so has a unique perspective on our business in terms of what’s important to commercial cattlemen. He also continues to put on AI schools multiple times a year for AgTech in Manhattan, KS. For me, the best input comes from the folks closest to the customer, and that’s part of Jon’s role on our team.

Presentation title: Bull stud panel

Charles Martinez
assistant professor, Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Dr. Charley C. Martinez is an Assistant Professor and Extension Economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee. He also serves as the Director of the UT Center of Farm Management. His research and Extension programming involves the fields of farm and financial management, experimental economics, livestock and meat market economics, and policy. Charley received his BS in Agricultural Business-Ranch Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and his PhD in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University.

Presentation title: Bull buying: Results from mock bull sale

Brian McCulloh
Woodhill Farms, Viroqua, WI

Brian McCulloh was born and raised at DeWitt IA on a diversified family farm. He graduated from Iowa State in 1981 with a degree in Animal Science. Brian has been managing partner of Woodhill Farms Viroqua WI for the last 40 years. Woodhill sells 160 Angus bulls a year and runs 285 registered cows in southwest WI.

Brian has served from 1996-2002 as a director on the American Angus Association Board as well as the Certified Angus Beef Board of Directors. He is past president of the Beef Improvement Federation and has judged numerous Angus shows both nationally and internationally.

Presentation title: Producer panel

Megan Rolf
associate professor, Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Megan Rolf was raised on a cow/calf operation in east central Kansas and has been involved with livestock her entire life. She received a bachelor’s degree in animal science at Kansas State University and a M.S. degree in animal science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She also earned her Ph.D. in Genetics at the University of Missouri, where her research focused on the implementation of genomic evaluations in crossbred beef cattle. After graduation, Megan was on faculty at Oklahoma State University for four years, where she served as a State Extension Beef Specialist. She joined the faculty at Kansas State University in 2016, and is currently an Associate Professor of Animal Breeding with a 70% research and 30% teaching appointment. She currently teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in genetics and animal breeding while maintaining an active research program in the use of genomics for genetic improvement in livestock and novel trait development for genetic evaluation.

Presentation title: Development of male fertility selection tools in beef cattle

Marty Ropp
executive officer, Allied Genetic Resources, Normal, IL

Marty is the founder and Executive Officer of Allied Genetic Resources and All Beef LLC. Originally and currently from Normal IL, he has spent his life in the livestock genetic business starting with the swine industry before moving completely to the beef industry in 1998. Marty has a B.S. from Kansas State University and a M.S. in Genetics from the University of Missouri. Prior to starting the Allied businesses, he spent 12 years as the director of outreach programs for the American Simmental Association and served stints in Extension both in Missouri and for Michigan State.

Presentation title: Bull stud panel

Troy Rowan
assistant professor and state extension beef cattle specialist, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Troy Rowan is an Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist at the University of Tennessee’s Department of Animal Science. Troy grew up near Bedford, Iowa on a small seedstock Charolais. He received an undergraduate degree in Biology from Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Missouri. He joined the faculty at UT in January of 2021, where his research uses genomics to understand and predict complex traits in beef cattle. He is particularly interested in local adaptation, heterosis, and genetic approaches to increasing beef cattle sustainability. His work aims to deliver tangible solutions to U.S. beef cattle producers while answering fundamental biological questions. Troy’s extension program supports the Tennessee Master Beef Producer Program, breed associations, and other national organizations such as BIF, NCBA, and the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.

Presentation title: Keynote presentation: The behavioral economics of bull buying

Matt Spangler
professor of animal genetics and extension beef genetics specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE

Matt Spangler grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm in Kansas. He received degrees from Kansas State University (BS; 2001), Iowa State University (MS; 2003), and the University of Georgia (PhD; 2006) and is currently a Professor of Animal Genetics and Extension Beef Genetics Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). His research work focuses on quantitative genetics and genomics in livestock. As part of this effort he works closely with livestock industries, in particular beef, to implement improved genetic selection tools and methods.

Presentation title: Increasing the accuracy of selection decisions

Milt Thomas
professor, Beef Cattle Systems, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Beeville, TX

Dr. Milt Thomas was raised on farms and ranches in Texas and Missouri and received Animal Science degrees from University of Missouri and Texas A&M University. Dr. Thomas progressed through the faculty ranks in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at New Mexico State University (NMSU; 15 years) and served as the Gerald Thomas Chair in Food Production and Natural Resources in 2010-2011. In these years of service at NMSU, Dr. Thomas was involved in breeding Angus, Brangus, and Brahman cattle for the Chihuahuan Desert, which was great experience to prepare for breeding Angus cattle for tolerance to high altitude in Colorado and Wyoming. Milt served Colorado State University as Professor and John E. Rouse Chair of Beef Cattle Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Animal Sciences from 2012 to 2022. Dr. Thomas helped market > 1,000 yearling breeding bulls from these state agricultural experiment stations breeding programs during these 25 years. Dr. Thomas was also involved in using these types of resources to teach undergraduate students interested in learning about breeding and genetics and beef production and management as well as publish > 500 professional articles as abstracts, experiment station reports, extension articles, etc. Greater than 115 of these papers were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals with the help of 30 graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and numerous collaborations with beef industry partners, cooperating ranches, and international scientists. Because of these efforts, Dr. Thomas was recently recognized with the Distinguished Service Award of the Beef Improvement Federation. In 2022, Dr. Thomas returned to his Texas roots and moved to his family’s ranch in Goliad County. He leading a new research program in beef cattle systems at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Beeville. This research will be a collaboration with the USDA’s project known as germplasm evaluation (GPE). The project will focus on evaluating Brahman-crosses, Beefmaster, Brangus, and Santa Gertrudis cattle in a subtropical environment. The project also studies the genetics of grazing traits, which meshes with the forage agronomy program at the Beeville station.

Presentation title: Producer panel: Bull selection seedstock perspective

Patrick Wall
extension beef field specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Knoxville, IA

Presentation title: moderator, Bull stud panel

Shayne Wiese
herdsman, Wiese & Sons Hereford Cattle, Manning, IA

Shayne Wiese is a partner at Wiese & Sons Hereford Cattle. Wiese & Sons has raised quality Hereford genetics for over 110 years with a focus on balanced trait selection and environmental adaptability. Shayne and his older brother Chance are the 5th generation to be a part of the “Good Doin’ Bulls” Brand.

Presentation title: Producer panel: Bull selection seedstock perspective

Matt Woolfolk
owner, MRW Cattle Resources, Adair, IA

Matt Woolfolk carries a lifetime of involvement in the seedstock sector, both as a cattlemen and a professional. These experiences led him to found MRW Cattle Resources, a data analytic and genetic consulting business working to provide seedstock cattlemen with real-world, user-friendly tools that positively impact their operation's bottom line. Matt's a transplanted Tennessean who now lives in Adair, Iowa with his wife, Erika, son Lane, and daughter Clara on their Angus, Hereford, and commercial cattle operation.

Presentation title: Follow the money: Analyzing bull buyer spending