Start Date
10-30-2019 9:30 AM
Description
Cattle are ruminants and capable of utilizing various forages to support body maintenance and production. However, the major question that needs to be answered “is it possible to select animals that allow for optimal production per acre of land without supplying purchased feedstuffs to supplement the pasture that is provided?” As I have pondered over this issue for many years, it has become quite clear that “environmental and forage adaptability trumps every other criterion that may be used in selection”. This does NOT mean that quantitative genetic values are not available to aid in the selection process, but it is necessary to make a concerted effort to ensure animals are selected for adaptability before considering any other factors. A major problem for the fescue belt is that most semen that is marketed is from bulls that were grown and developed in other regions of the US. This problem results in progeny that are marginally adaptable at best. Consequently, the paradigm for selecting bulls and purchasing semen should be based much more on adaptability than on the genetic values (EPDs and Index values) of the bulls. Once again, this does NOT mean that EPDs and economic Index values should not be considered.
Included in
Selecting Cattle for Optimal Production in Pasture Settings
Cattle are ruminants and capable of utilizing various forages to support body maintenance and production. However, the major question that needs to be answered “is it possible to select animals that allow for optimal production per acre of land without supplying purchased feedstuffs to supplement the pasture that is provided?” As I have pondered over this issue for many years, it has become quite clear that “environmental and forage adaptability trumps every other criterion that may be used in selection”. This does NOT mean that quantitative genetic values are not available to aid in the selection process, but it is necessary to make a concerted effort to ensure animals are selected for adaptability before considering any other factors. A major problem for the fescue belt is that most semen that is marketed is from bulls that were grown and developed in other regions of the US. This problem results in progeny that are marginally adaptable at best. Consequently, the paradigm for selecting bulls and purchasing semen should be based much more on adaptability than on the genetic values (EPDs and Index values) of the bulls. Once again, this does NOT mean that EPDs and economic Index values should not be considered.
Speaker's Bio
Gordon F. Jones grew up on a small swine and tobacco farm in Tennessee where he was active in both 4-H and FFA activities. As a high school senior, he won the award as the FFA Star Farmer in Tennessee. Dr. Jones received a BS degree in Animal Husbandry from the University of Tennessee in 1966 and a PhD degree in Animal Science in 1970. He joined the faculty at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in the fall of 1970. He taught various animal science classes during his 40-year tenure at WKU and served as faculty advisor for approximately 100 undergraduate animal science and pre-vet students each year.