Genetics
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Pedro Fontes, Ph.D. With the fall bull sale season approaching, it is important to acknowledge that our sire selection this fall will shape the herd’s genetic merit for years to come, making it essential to invest in sires with proven genetic value. This article provides a practical review of how cattle producers can evaluate the…
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Pedro Fontes, Ph.D. – There have been considerable improvements in sexed semen products over the years and producers have been taking advantage of this technology. This short article provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the use of sexed semen in beef cattle.
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Pedro Fontes, Ph.D. -Like other assisted reproductive technologies utilized in the beef industry, the main goal of embryo transfer programs is to maximize the genetic merit of the herd. There are two main approaches utilized in the beef industry to produce embryos: (1) In vivo and (2) in vitro embryo production. In this article, Dr.…
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Francine Henry, Jason Duggin, Pedro Fontes, Lawton Stewart Over the years, commercial cattle producers have only had visual appearance and individual measurements known as phenotypes to use for heifer selection criteria. Now producers can evaluate the genetic differences known as Molecular Breeding Values (MBVs) between heifers well before their first potential breeding season. Having genomic…