AMARILLO Anyone in the cattle business will be interested in the 1997 Ranch-to-Rail North Day set for May 6 at the Amarillo Civic Center. The program is open to the public, and registration begins at 8 a.m.
Besides reviewing the results of the 1996-97 Ranch-to-Rail program, which seeks to help participating ranchers optimize the quality of beef production, speakers will address improving carcass traits of beef cattle.
“In the past, we’ve tended to focus on herd health and the performance of calves in the feedyard,” says Dr. Ted McCollum, Extension beef cattle specialist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in Amarillo.
“But recently several producers suggested we give them some ideas for evaluating and improving herd genetics to produce cattle that ultimately provide a higher quality beef product.”
This year, the program will focus on selection and evaluation tools that producers can use to measure and improve carcass merit. Speakers in the morning will address conventional means for improvement, such as sire selection based on breed complementarity, cow size, and expected progeny differences.
Recent developments in the application of ultrasound technology to evaluate sires and feeder cattle will also be discussed. The morning will conclude with a presentation on the bovine gene mapping project at Texas A&M. Scientists will discuss the future of genetic marker-assisted selection to improve carcass merit.
Following a lunch sponsored by Texas Cattle Feeders Association, representatives with the Texas Beef Council will report on their activities. The afternoon session will close with a briefing to assist producers with interpreting Ranch-to-Rail data.
For more information, contact your Extension Service county office or McCollum at 806-359-5401 in Amarillo. Anyone planning to attend the meeting is encouraged to call McCollum or Susan Booth to reserve a plate for the noon meal.
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