News Update
October 27, 2016
Benefits of Estrous Synchroniztion
Debating whether to turn the bulls out or to recharge the semen tank? Whatever you choose, more producers are turning toward an estrous management system, which, David Patterson at the University of Missouri says, can help increase reproductive efficiency amongst their herd.
“Primary benefits for controlling estrous for both heifers and cows are first and foremost to enhance, or increase use of artificial insemination of beef herds across the country,” Patterson says.
He explains that most synchronization systems consist of a progestin, which could be either melengesterol acetate (MGA) or controlled internal drug release (CIDR®).
“Those products have the added benefit for not only synchronizing estrous and ovulation in cycling cattle, but they also have the added benefit of inducing cyclicity in non-cycling females,” he adds.
Learn more on this week’s episode of The Angus Report online. You can also watch the show at 1:30 p.m. CST or 7:30 a.m. CST Monday morning on RFD-TV.
National Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarships
Two graduate students have been presented with W.D. Farr Scholarships for the 2016-2017 school year by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. Each $12,000 award recognizes superior achievement in academics and leadership and will allow the students to further their study in fields that benefit the cattle and beef industry. The awards will be recognized in February at the 2017 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn.
The recipients are:
- Brittney Bullard of Wellington, Colo., a doctoral candidate in meat science at Colorado State University. Her research focuses on pathogen reduction in beef systems and improving beef quality. She hopes to continue W.D. Farr’s legacy of beef industry improvement throughout her graduate work and her professional career.
- Megan Webb of Brookings, S.D., is a doctoral candidate in meat science at South Dakota State University. Webb’s dissertation addresses consumer responses to beef production methods, with the goal of gaining economic, marketing and consumer messaging techniques to improve brand differentiation.
For more information, view the NCBA news release online.
$3.6 Billion for Electric Projects in 31 States
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA is providing $3.6 billion in loans to fund 82 electric projects in 31 states. These loans will finance infrastructure upgrades, create jobs and improve system operations for rural electric customers nationwide.
The $3.6 billion will build or improve 12,500 miles of transmission and distribution line. It includes $216 million for smart grid technologies, $35 million for renewable energy, $26 million for environmental improvements and nearly $1.8 million for energy efficiency. The loans are being provided through the Electric Program of the Rural Utilities Service, the successor to the Rural Electrification Administration. Eighty years ago this spring, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the law that charged USDA to provide electric power to rural America.
For more information, view the USDA news release online.
Meyer Named Assistant Service Director for CSS
The National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) is pleased to announce that Rory Meyer is the assistant service director for Certified Semen Services (CSS) and the NAAB assistant technical director. Meyer will begin his duties in early December 2016.
Meyer will work closely with the CSS service director to carry out the business of the association with a primary focus on auditing programs and services, as well as technical aspects of the association. He will also work closely with the NAAB president and the CSS board of directors to identify, evaluate and engage in new opportunities to expand the CSS services to artificial insemination (AI) companies both domestically and internationally. Meyer will be working closely with USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to further develop import and export requirements for bovine semen.
Meyer brings a wealth of experience to this position having worked for Alta Genetics the past 8 years as staff veterinarian, overseeing the health and biosecurity of their production bulls in facilities located in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.
For more information, view the NAAB news release online.
Fire Summit Slated for Dec. 7-9
The Fire Summit 2016: Changing Fire Regimes, a regional conference on fire science in the Great Plains, is set for Dec. 7-9 at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center in Manhattan, Kan.
“This meeting is for all landowners, fire managers, firefighters and agency personnel who work with fire in the Great Plains,” said Brian Hays of Ardmore, Okla., an associate director for the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources. “Fire is an inherent component of grassland systems of the Great Plains, so there is a need to share current fire science and management with these individuals, as well as with rural fire districts and emergency managers.”
The summit is funded through a grant from the United States Geological Survey South Central Climate Science Center, awarded to the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M.
For more information, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
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