Some may think it’s hard to be a cattleman when you can’t get to the barn. However, Dr. Alex Williams is proving that to be false. This Gray, Tennessee, man is carving his legacy in the Angus breed, being a leader in genomic testing.

In the early 1980s, producers who raised Herefords and other breeds with red hides were hit with a significant discount at feedyards and sale barns.

As we near the feedlot fall run and cow-calf producers market their calves at the highest prices received to date, every additional pound of gain has greater profit potential.

Cattle producers select their breeding stock variably, using an assessment of parentage production, price, expected progeny differences (EPDs), genetic testing or a simple eyeball test. A few swear by the oft-forgotten linear measurements, which gauge numerous body parts with uniquely designed calipers.

Exposure to wildfire smoke might elicit an inflammatory response, potentially leading to reduced cattle performance.

In anticipation of the cattle industry’s inevitable rebuilding of the national cow herd, AngusLink, the American Angus Association’s USDA process-verified program, has introduced a new tool for objectively describing the genetic potential of replacement females. 

Fink Beef Genetics owns about 200 head of mother cows. Each of those, presumably, raises about one calf per year. Yet, somehow, in 2023, the Finks managed to sell more than 600 bulls carrying their herd’s genetics to customers across the country.

In high school biology, we were introduced to the fact that a phenotype is a function of genetics and environment. As cattle producers, we are constantly trying to optimize these two pieces.

Understanding and identifying genetic mutations allows beef producers to make breeding decisions that avoid producing cattle affected by those mutations. Working toward that goal, researchers have spent years studying genomics, identifying mutations and developing tests to help producers make those decisions.