CALF_News_February_March_2020

33 CALF News • February | March 2020 • www.calfnews.net Gatherings  CALF COMMUNITY Arizona Fair Board “I read CALF News, ” Red Bull says, “because I am in the last issue.”  An Avid Reader The Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association held their annual steak dinner with a standing-room-only crowd.  The reward for hard work on the range is a great “free” lunch.  rid of this. Trich is costing producers a lot of money. Once a herd is infected, it costs a lot to get it clean. We need to eradicate Trich, not just control it.” Genetics and visual appraisal needed In a switch in production categories, long-time beef cattle specialist John Paterson, Ph.D., addressed herd improve- ment issues during the convention. Now a specialist for Neogen and Igenity® Beef in Montana, Paterson said commercial cow- calf producers “need to look under the hood” when selecting breeding stock. “It’s important to keep in mind that the genetic progress you’re going to make is through the sire,” he said.“The com- mercial producer’s best use of genomics at this point is to make sure EPDs [expected progeny differences] of the bulls they con- Cowboy Lunch in Sonoita, Ariz. world. Greenhouse gases are of concern to many. Beef production contributes to only 1.9 percent of those emissions. Even if we eliminated all beef production, it wouldn’t be a drop in the bucket toward eliminating greenhouse gases. The day wrapped up with dinner and a barn party. Friday consisted of speak- ers Ethan Lane and Alisa Harrison from National Cattlemen’s Beef Association discussing how National Beef Check- off dollars are being used in marketing efforts to ensure that plant-based and cell-cultured products are not substitutes for beef. KLA membership elected cow-calf producer fromWheaton Harry Moser as president during the group’s annual business meeting. The membership chose Jerry Kuckelman, a cattle feeder from Manhattan, as KLA president-elect.  NEW MEXICO CATTLEGROWERS Continued from page 23 KANSAS LIVESTOCK ASSOCIATION Continued from page 22 sider are genomically enhanced (GE). “With current technology, produc- ers can screen for all traits and look at the accuracies of EPDs. Depending on the trait, GE EPDs for yearling bulls are similar to bulls for which performance from up to 20 or so calves has been documented.” He noted that the five leading traits producers look at are milking ability, weaning weight, docility, marbling and gain. That’s where “genetics and visual appraisal go hand in hand,” he concluded. With a booming casino just a short walk from the convention venues at the beautiful Sandia resort, there was a good bet the convention attendees had a great pre-Christmas celebration of the New Mexico cattle industry. And some will likely double down on their animal health management. 