Impressive Education Series at BBU Convention!

The 2014 Annual BBU Convention promises to be a standout Educational event for Beefmaster Breeders. Two days-worth of useful information that can be taken home and applied to every member’s home operation are well worth the Convention Registration fee.

Thursday afternoon October 30 will kick off with Zoetis Animal Genetics who is sponsoring and will lead a workshop titled “Genomics in the Seedstock Sector”. Genomics is rapidly becoming the most important field in animal agriculture and it is creating the most accurate genetic selection tools known to man. DNA technology is not just for parentage anymore. Learn about the exciting, rapidly advancing world of Genomics. Attending this session will prepare you for the future of Beefmaster performance selection.

Emerging Selection Technologies will be the topic for Dr. Matt Spangler of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Dr. Spangler is regarded as one of the leading Animal Breeders in the world and is serving as BBU’s Consulting Geneticist where he is assisting in the development of Beefmaster selection indices, the latest, most accurate and comprehensive addition to EPD selection tools. Dr. Spangler is a guiding force for the Beefmaster breed as he helps BBU bridge the gap from traditional quantitative EPD’s over to Genomic Enhanced EPD’s.

The final workshop for Thursday will be Using Multi Media to Market Seedstock. Jeralyn Stephens BBU Communications Director and Matt Woolfolk, BBU Field Representative will lead this interesting discussion and have live, real time examples of effective uses for websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. A key emphasis point will be incorporating video into your marketing plans.

Halloween morning will kick off with Dr. Robert Wells of the Noble Foundation, Ardmore OK as he discusses “Utilizing Heterosis, Crossbreeding with Beefmasters”. One of the key demand drivers for Beefmaster bulls has been their use by commercial cattlemen on commercial Angus influenced females. Dr. Wells and the Noble Foundation have instituted a large scale, planned crossbreeding and marketing program for their Clients in OK and TX. Learning how progressive breeding and marketing programs such as the Integrity Program works gives valuable insight into the future of crossbreeding and how Beefmaster breeders can position their programs for success.

In keeping with the theme of Beefmaster Heterosis, Travis Brown, Cattle Manager of Lykes Bros. Inc. of Okeechobee FL will be discussing how this this top flight commercial operation capitalizes on Maternal Heterosis, which is enabled by Beefmaster bulls. A perennial Cattle-Fax Top 25 Commercial Herd, Lykes Bros. sets the standard for production and efficiency in cow calf production. After hearing how and why Lykes Bros. use Beefmaster genetics, you will be able to more effectively promote your herd to commercial cattlemen.

Halloween morning will conclude with a rapid fire panel discussion including all of the presenters from both Thursday and Friday. All topics are fair game and as everyone knows, panel discussions are the most entertaining and interesting way to quiz program presenters and engage them in discussion. This is a talented group on industry experts that can offer very sound advice for improving your program.