By Sandy Johnson, Extension Beef Specialist, Colby
The start of a new year is a common time for people to make resolutions to start or stop actions that are intended to make life better. If you reflect back on the cow herd, did you have the necessary information to make management or financial decisions? Is there room for improvement? Continue reading “Tally Time – Data for Decisions”
By Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist, Colby, KS
The recent Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Conference marked the organization’s 50th meeting, and this landmark provided a good opportunity for reflection. Over the years, BIF has sought industry cooperation in applying science to improve beef cattle genetics. When the first performance data was collected, a hot topic was if anything other than visual phenotypic selection was appropriate for the industry. While phenotypic evaluations for traits not easily measured are still part of selection, collection of data and development of EPDs have allowed the industry to make significant changes in animal performance. A key role that BIF has played is the standardization of performance records and procedures to do so. Continue reading “Tally Time – BIF meeting provides more evidence: you can’t manage what you don’t measure”
