SG_USA_April_2022

PROJECT UPDATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32

Gertrudis genetics into a breeding program in the Inter- mountain West. As such we hope to continue our collabora- tion to generate more evidence of Santa Gertrudis benefits in a cow-calf operation, feedlot, carcass characteristics and female longevity. Utah State University has already made a breeding plan to use Santa Gertrudis genetics again this year and, due to the benefits to production and research, we can envision using Santa Gertrudis genetics well into the future.

F1 Santa Gertrudis-influenced heifers into the base herd. Unfortunately, due to drought and loss of leases last year, the USU herd was slightly reduced. However, our ultimate goal is to have 50 to 60 high-quality F1 females in the herd that we can track over time to evaluate environmental compatibility, cow effect on calf performance and longevity. Producer Buy-In and Incorporation of Santa Gertrudis Genetics When this project began, there were only one or two indi- viduals using Santa Gertrudis genetics in Utah. Producers were concerned about incorporating Santa Gertrudis genet- ics into their herds. Consequently, a concerted effort was made to incorporate this research project’s findings into Extension programs statewide and regionally. To date, this project has been presented in 16 counties and nine Zoom presentations at the regional or national levels. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the number of Santa Gertrudis bulls being brought into Utah and the number of producers incorporating Santa Gertrudis genetics into their herds. Summary The collaborative efforts of USU and SGBI have been very beneficial and productive. Not only have the collaborat- ing agencies benefitted, but producers in this region have also benefited by being re-introduced to heterosis and the benefits that Santa Gertrudis cattle can bring to their opera- tions. The current collaboration has addressed concerns producers had by producing and presenting scientific and empirical evidence of the benefits of incorporating Santa

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APRIL 2022 • WWW.SANTAGERTRUDIS.COM