Agricultural News
Advances in Cattle Genomics Allows Beef to Compete with Pork and Chicken
Tue, 05 Jan 2016 15:28:44 CST
The genomic advances the cattle industry has made over the last few years have been dramatic. That's according to Ryan Ruppert, U.S. Sales Director for GeneSeek Igenity. He said this is allowing the cattle industry to be on a level playing field with competing meat sources.
"In the past, groups like chicken and pork have been incorporating genomics at this same level where they are looking at commercial females and their commercial males at the same time with genomics," Ruppert said. "Now beef producers can do the same and it takes a generation interval that used to be around ten years to make these changes to now we can do it in two or three years. So that really puts us in the driver's seat now to start going to our consumer and meeting some of the demands that they have."
Ruppert said major beef customers like Wal-Mart and McDonald's have often requested certain attributes. Previously that would have taken 15 years to deliver on those requests. With genomics, he said the beef industry will be able to make those changes in three to five years. That could mean significant dividends to the beef industry. Ruppert said by improving feed efficiency by two pounds on feeder cattle that could save the beef industry $1 billion annually.
Igenity is using its fourth generation of their high-density product for seedstock producers to use. The company has also upgraded the Igenity profile for commercial producers to select commercial heifers with. Ruppert said the most powerful change is the ability of the industry to address fertility traits in cattle. Fertility traits have been the least accurate and have taken the longest to acquire. He said genomics allows producers to test young bulls to get accurate stayability or heifer pregnancy information. Females can also be tested and the information will evaluate if she will be fertile enough to remain in the herd.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays featured Ruppert on the Beef Buzz feature. Click or tap on the LISTEN BAR below to listen to today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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