Cow-Calf Corner

Knowledge is Power When It Comes to Genetic Defects
Glenn Selk, OSU Extension Cattle Reproduction Specialist 

audio/video clip of this topic
Those of us that grew up in the ‘50’s and 60’s remember “snorter dwarfism”.  Dwarfism was a recessive genetic defect that struck fear in commercial and purebred breeders alike.  The only way a bull was tested for dwarfism was to mate him to about 20 of his own daughters.  In other words bulls were several years old, before they could be absolutely be determined to be free of the genetic disorder.  Over the last decade, numerous genetic defects have been documented in several cattle breeds.  Today, there are testing tools available that make managing around these genetic defects quite possible.  Learning about these genetic defects and testing tools should reduce the concern of producers.  There are opportunities to bring yourself up-to-date on these issues coming very soon to your computer.  I urge producers to take advantage of these “webinars”. 

The eXtension Beef Cattle Clearinghouse Community of Practice will conduct 2 webinars in February 2010. The dates for the webinars are February 11 and Feb 25; starting at noon Central time for 1 hour each. Speakers will be Dr. Bob Weaber, University of Missouri and Dr. Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska. 

Dates and associated titles:

 February 11, 2010:  Managing genetic defects in beef cattle: practical advice for protecting your herd and investment.   

Topics covered will include a review of the mode of inheritance common to many genetic defects, understanding inbreeding, the importance of pedigree analysis, common genetic defects, practical advice for selection and culling to avoid or eliminate genetic defects in your herd.  

 February 25, 2010: Mating systems to solve problems and add value to beef production systems: crossbreeding and the power of heterosis. 

Topics covered will include a review of the fundamentals of heterosis (hybrid vigor), the power of crossbreeding to improve production efficiency, breed complementarity, simple and effective crossbreeding systems for large and small herds and why there’s been a surge in popularity of hybrid genetics.

 Webinar Connection Instructions: 

At the meeting time, simply click on the following link or copy and paste it into your browser to enter the meeting:  

http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/beefcattle/    

When you go to that URL you will find yourself at a login page.  Simply enter your name under the "Enter as a Guest" heading.  Click on "Enter Room."  The instructions that detail how to join the integrated phone audio conference will be on the screen when you join the meeting.      

Anytime before the meeting you can visit the following URL to confirm your ability to connect to the Connect server:

 http://www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect/  

This webinar is being presented by the Beef Cattle Clearinghouse eXtension Community of Practice.  

These webinars will be made available on these eXtension website for later viewing after the dates of the original presentations. 


                    
        
     
     

    		  
     
    		 
       
       
       
       


     

 
                                   

 

     
  
 
 

  

 

  
   
   

 

  

 

  
 
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