Ron Hoffman thinks including DNA data in his toolbox of performance records will help him select cattle to better meet those challenges. “You have these things that come along and if it’s beneficial to your program, you’ve got to do it because you can’t afford not to do it,” he says....More

Similar pregnancy rates in yearling beef heifers can be obtained by various fixed-timed artificial insemination (TAI) estrus synchronization protocols. Researchers at four universities evaluated three different CIDR-based TAI synchronization protocols in 801 heifers....More

The effects of heat stress on reproductive performance of  beef cows has been discussed by many animal scientists in a variety of ways.  After reviewing the scientific literature available up to 1979, one scientist (Christenson, R.K. 1980, J. Anim. Sci. 51: Suppl II: 53.) wrote that the most serious seasonal variation in reproductive performance was associated with high ambient temperatures and humidity. He further pointed out that pregnancy rates and subsequent calving rates of 10 to 25% were common cows bred in July through September.  ...More

A good crossbreeding program takes some background in genetics, a big enough herd and land base, good bull suppliers and time to figure all that out. Producers looking for a simpler route to heterosis often opt to use a composite bull....More