“No animal is perfect; every animal has multiple genetic defects in it. So do we, all of us have them,” Matt McClure of ABS Global stated during the Undesirable Genetic Factors and Genomics’ Role in Discovery panel discussion, held during the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) annual meeting.

Crossbreeding isn’t a new technology. We’ve known about it and have been doing it for ages. Yet, crossbreeding remains a severely underutilized tool industrywide, with less than 50% of commercial operations using it meaningfully.

The Functional Longevity (FL) research EPD was released by the American Angus Association for breeders on Oct. 25. The trait’s purpose is to help further characterize relevant maternal traits and increase the long-term success of breeders and profitability of cow-calf herds.

The American Simmental Association presented the Golden Book Award to Hart Simmentals of Frederick, South Dakota, at the ASA’s Fall Focus event Aug. 26 in Denver. Recipients of the Golden Book Award are recognized for being lifelong promoters of the Simmental breed.

The study will focus on cattle’s mitochondria, cell components whose biochemical activity produces most of the body’s energy for cell function. The researchers hope the project will expand the range of genetic tools used by animal breeders.

Over the past few years, genetic testing has become more readily available and used by commercial cattlemen. Information that was once used mainly by registered cattle producers is being utilized to make improvements on commercial operations and produce higher-performing cattle by making decisions with more information.

To remain competitive in today’s beef industry, commercial producers must identify and implement technologies that have favorable impacts on their beef cattle enterprises, and crossbreeding is one such technology.

The usual suspects (expected progeny differences [EPDs], genomic testing, heterosis) were covered, as were some issues (beef-on-dairy, methane emissions, cardiac health) that may have been a bit more of a surprise to the uninitiated at an event ostensibly dedicated to beef cattle genetics.