Texas A&M AgriLife and the Beef Reproduction Task Force will present the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle Conference Aug. 30-31 at the Westin San Antonio Riverwalk, 420 S. Market St., San Antonio.
Participants must register by Aug. 19 at https://tx.ag/BeefCattleRepro. The cost is $300, students are $200.
The Beef Reproduction Task Force is a multi-state Extension group made up of specialists from Texas A&M University, Kansas State University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Idaho, Iowa State University, Virginia Tech University and University of Wyoming.
Learn the latest in beef cattle reproductive strategies
The meeting has a long history of providing the latest information on the application of reproductive technologies and includes a range of topics related to cow herd reproduction such as nutritional interactions, herd health, management and male fertility, said George Perry, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research cattle reproductive physiologist and associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, Overton.
“The meeting is an opportunity to hear from experts on how to implement reproductive technologies into your herd and will cover topics of interest for producers, veterinarians and artificial insemination technicians, as well as anyone interested in beef cattle reproduction,” Perry said.
The program has been approved for 10.25 hours of approved continuing education, ACE, continuing credit in jurisdictions that recognize the American Association of Veterinary State Boards Registry ACE.
The Beef Reproduction Task Force has invited graduate students to attend and share research posters reporting current findings focused on improving reproductive performance of beef heifers, cows and bulls. These will be on display during the event. A tradeshow will also be held during the two-day event featuring industry leaders, equipment and booths
Aug. 30 topics and speakers
The Aug. 30 schedule will feature morning presentations and then concurrent sessions for participants to choose between. The day’s events will start at 8:15 a.m. The day will conclude with an awards presentation at 6 p.m.
- Use of Reproductive Technology to Improve Your Herd – Vitor Mercadante, Ph.D., DVM, professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg.
- How My Herd Has Benefited from Reproductive Technology — to be announced.
- Current Status of Controlling Estrus – Estrous Synchronization of Bos Indicus and Bos Taurus Cows and Heifers — Ky Pohler, Ph.D., Department of Animal Science associate professor and chair of the Pregnancy and Developmental Programming Area of Excellence at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Mario Binelli, assistant professor of physiology, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville.
- Herd Health – Implementing a biosecurity and reproductive health program — Lee Jones, DVM, associate professor of beef cattle production medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, and Dan Goehl, DVM, Canton Veterinary Clinic Inc., Canton, Missouri.
- Management of Replacement Heifers — Management Practices to Improve Reproductive Performance in Your Replacement Heifers: Bos Taurus and Bos Indicus — Shelby Rosasco, University of Wyoming Extension beef specialist, Laramie, and Philipe Moriel, Ph.D., associate professor, beef cattle nutrition and management, University of Florida, Ona.
- Bull Fertility: Understanding a Breeding Soundness Evaluation and Factors that Impact Bull Fertility — Chance Armstrong, DVM, Elgin Veterinary Hospital, Elgin, and Jennifer Koziol, DVM, associate professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University, Lubbock.
- Management of the Cow Herd – Management Decisions to Improve the Reproductive Performance of Your Herd: From Calving to Rebreeding — Perry and Sarah Moore, assistant professor, reproductive physiology and genomics, Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
- Controlling Estrus for the Less Experienced: Estrous Synchronization of Bos Indicus and Bos Taurus Cows and Heifers – Pohler and Binelli.
- Beef on Dairy: Supplying Beef to the Consumer — Jeremy Howard, sales and marketing manager, Simplot Animal Sciences, New Plymouth, Idaho.
- Branded Programs — 44 Farms representative.
Aug. 31 topics and speakers
The Aug. 31 program will begin at 8 a.m. with a concurrent session followed by two final presentations. The event will wrap up after the final speaker at 11:30 a.m.
- Herd Management Lite – Highlights of take-home messages from Aug. 30 speakers.
- Determining pregnancy status in large and small herds – Pedro Fontes, Ph.D., assistant professor, beef cattle reproductive physiology, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens.
- IVF and ET, What to Expect, Implementing It and Considerations for Success – Jeremy Block, Ph.D., assistant professor, Animal Science Department, University of Wyoming, Laramie.
- An Animal Breeders View of Under-Utilized Tools to Improve Fertility in Beef Herds — Matt Spangler, Ph.D., Extension beef genetics specialist, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
- Has Selection for Milk and Growth Impacted Reproductive Performance? — Darrh Bullock, Ph.D., professor and Extension specialist, beef cattle, breeding and genetics, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
- What Role Does the Sire Play in the Success of a Synchronized Breeding Program? – Perry, Pohler and Joe Dalton, Ph.D., Extension dairy specialist, University of Idaho, Caldwell.
- Current State of Gene Editing and What it Means to Beef Producers — Alison Van Eenennaam, Ph.D., Extension specialist, Animal Biotechnology and Genomics, University of California-Davis.
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