Barzona Bulletin Spring 2024

Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force Continued from page 1

President’s Message

“We call this the cold start problem,” says Tom Brink, CEO of the Red Angus Association of America and one of the task force founders. “Sellers need to begin offering genetic informa tion before buyers will pay attention and start to use it. Buyers need to request it to encourage sellers to step up and obtain genetic information on their cattle. Both sides need to take action if we are going to make progress down this road.” The task force also discussed the need for more genetic “proof of concept” data, and helping both cattle sellers and buyers understand that the genetic tools available today – EPDs, $Indexes and commercial DNA tests – are useful in identifying better performing cattle. David Trowbridge, task force member and manager of Gregory Feedlots in Tabor, Iowa, believes more people need to become convinced that various genetic metrics work effectively in the real world. “There are people who are still skeptical about EPDs, but there is ample research to support their predictive accuracy, especially on the highly heritable growth and carcass traits,” Trowbridge says. The next quarterly meeting of the Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force is scheduled for May 7-8 in Denver, Colo. BB

By Matthew Heinz, Golden Hz Farms, BBAA President

S alutations from the greening pastures of Iowa. So far, our winter has been dryer than usual and fairly uneventful. I am hoping for some moisture in the near future. We have started checking the cows in every pasture as we are get ting close to calving season and do have a few cows starting to make bag and show signs that a calf will be coming soon. As we gear up to start having this year’s calf crop, I begin to think about their future as either replacement heifers/bulls or market calves. As you know, the Barzona Breeders Association of America (BBAA) has been encouraging its members to utilize the DNA testing available to us through Neogen and GeneSeek. I am proud to say we are finally on target with what the association has been aiming for! I recently learned of a task force that is centered around the potential use of genomic testing for price discovery in feeder calves and fat cattle. The Genetic Merit Pricing (GMP) Task Force is headed up by Tom Brink, CEO of the Red Angus Association. It is made up of members representing almost every aspect of the industry, in cluding cow-calf operators, seedstock, feeders and processors. The task force’s goal is to present educational programs, de velop initiatives and anything else they think will help convince the market to use genetic information. The seedstock side has been using things like EPDs, statistics and, most recently, genetic testing to help define and refine their portion of the market. This information is also fairly available for the produc tion side of the industry but is barely used. Currently, health records hold a large portion of price dis covery in feeder cattle, such as weaning time, vaccinations and overall animal appearance. The GMP is looking to add genetic merit as an influencer in pricing as well. This is going to help us as Barzona breeders get back into the market world above and beyond the “red calves” descrip tion at the sale barn. The BBAA is asking to become an “on-re cord” supporting organization of the task force, and I truly hope we will be able to reap the benefits of our hard work with in just a few years. The data coming in from our feedlot tests will help confirm the accuracy of our DNA scores and confirm our place, even among the popular breeds. As a reminder, please make sure you are scheduled to join us in Alabama for this year’s BBAA Annual Meeting. Everyone has enjoyed the September dates in recent years, and it looks to continue to be a fall get together. Your input and participation is critical to make sure the association is serving you and your herd. Until we meet again! Adaptable, Sustainable, Profitable! It’s Barzona. BB

Task Force Participants • James Barrett, Texas • Dave Daley, California • Dave Delaney, Texas • John Grande, Montana • Rob Gill, Oregon • Randy Heflin, Kansas • Scott Howard, Ph.D., Colorado • Danny Herrman, Kansas • Sam Hands, Kansas • Jennifer Houston, Tennessee • George Kempfer, Florida • Larry Kuehn, Ph.D., Nebraska • Dennis Metzger, Nebraska • Grant Morgan, Kansas • Kevin Miller, Colorado • Mark Nelson, Nebraska • John Nalivka, Oregon • Austin Paul, Kentucky • Trey Patterson, Wyoming • Jake Parnell, California • Dustin Puhrmann, Iowa • Darrell Peel, Ph.D., Oklahoma • Ryan Rice, Kansas • Don Schiefelbein, Minnesota • Wade Small, Idaho • Nolan Stone, Colorado • Matt Spangler, Ph.D., Nebraska • Jason Timmerman, Nebraska • Brent Thiel, South Dakota • David Trowbridge, Iowa • Will Townsend, Montana • Craig Uden, Nebraska • Janie VanWinkle, Colorado

Supporting Organizations/ Funding Partners • American Hereford Association • American International Charolais Association • Santa Gertrudis Breeders International • International Brangus Breeders Association • Allied Genetic Resources/ All Beef LLC • American Simmental Association • Neogen Corporation • Beefmaster Breeders United • Red Angus Association of America Other On-Record Supporters • American Gelbvieh Association • Colorado Cattlemen’s Association • Livestock Marketing Association • North American Limousin Foundation • North American Piedmontese Association • American Shorthorn Association • American Brahman Breeders Association • Florida Cattlemen’s Association • Idaho Cattle Association • Alabama Cattlemen’s Association • Kentucky Cattlemen Association

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