SDSU College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences

BROOKINGS Using genetic technology to improve cattle herds with an improved payday captivates cattle producers. Those willing to learn will have a unique opportunity to acquire the latest in this specialized technology via a program offered in Rapid City by the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management in May.

Sessions on Application of Advanced Genetic Technology in Beef Cattle will be offered May 11-12 at the Rushmore Inn and Suites in Rapid City. The South Dakota State University West River Ag Center is co-hosting the lectureships.

This is exactly the information that many producers are looking for, Kristi Cammack, director of the West River Ag Center in Rapid City said. We hear many of our producers are beginning or wanting to use genetic technology to improve their herds. Some question if they are using it correctly; some feel it is information overload.

As the technology develops, those in the industry have gone from reluctance to acceptance. Many have observed others who are using it and are eager to implement the practices. Keeping up with genetic selection and evaluation innovations can be challenging. Cammack sees two groups of cattle people who will learn from the sessions. There are the early adopters who have been trying the technology and the second group are those who are interested but dont know where to start.

The sessions are meant to strengthen the understanding of the genetic principles and help attendees build on the information. Faculty contracted by the King Institute will share how to apply advanced genetic technologies in the real world of seedstock and commercial cattle production.

Instructors will be Bob Weaber, Ph.D., Extension specialist animal sciences and industry from Kansas State University and Matt Spangler, Ph.D., beef genetics Extension specialist in the Animal Science Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Along with the basics, they will look at the application of advanced genetic tools including genomically enhanced expected progeny differences and marker assisted management in genetic advancement.

Cammack expects that the sessions will appeal to both commercial and seed stock producers from across the state, region, and throughout the country. Many in the cattle industry know and respect the King Ranch and the expertise provided by SDSU and its staff.

Information will focus on developing breeding objectives for the herd and determining the economics relative for each operation as that may vary within a region. Owners want to know what will work for them at their location, taking into consideration different feedstuffs and different markets.

The tools have advanced so they are producer friendly. Cammack said the speakers will share knowledge that producers can apply and use in their operation, including an applied understanding of how to use genomic selection tools. Cattle producers will get a lot out of the 1 -day program. Learning will come from Interactive Sire Selection Scenarios where attendees will break out into groups and practice how to pick sires.

We hope the result is that cattle producers will learn to use advanced genetics. Applying these tools, in the correct way, will pay off with improved genetics. Producers will find it advancing herd genetics really pays it forward, Cammack said.

Contact Cammack at 605-394-2236, or email [emailprotected] To see the agenda and make a reservation, go to: http://bit.ly/2peuHmS.

Reservations for rooms: Rushmore Inn and Suites, 605-646-4690 (Group Rate: $79/night for reservations made by April 18; Event name: Beef Cattle).

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Producers invited to advanced genetic training offered by King Ranch Institute at Rapid City - Farm Forum

PAT DEAVOLL

Last updated10:26, April 13 2017

CASEY TRELOAR

Two-month old holstein calf Gigi sold for a quarter of a million dollars in Australia in January. She may be cute, but she is worth every cent.

Importer of US dairy genetics, Christchurch based World Wide Sires New Zealand (WWSNZ) has seen a 42 per cent increase in straw sales over the last year.

General manager Hank Lina said New Zealand farmers were increasingly interested in different genetic options to produce more profitable dairy cows and heifers.

"Farmers are starting to shop around as they are realising that semen is a huge investment, not a commodity," he said.

Ben Curran

Hank Lina: Breeding worth tends to be the currency for dairy breeding in this country but it's not the only way to judge great genetics

This was strikingly demonstrated in January when a two-month-old holstein heifer, Lightning Ridge-CMD Jedi Gigi-Imp-Et (or Gigi for short) was sold for NZ$263,850 at the WWS evolution sale in Victoria, Australia, smashing the previous Australasian record.

READ MORES:Best price heifer! Gigi the A$251,000 calf off to America after breaking record

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Hank Lina: The measure that speaks most loudly to farmers is what they see in the paddock, in the vat and in their bank balance.

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Gigi ranked fourth in the world genetic total performance index out of more than a million calves. Her sister Yahoo, which ranked second in Australia in the genetic total performance index, sold for A$37,000 to an Australian breeder.

Gigi's owner, Declan Patten, of Lightning Ridge Holsteins, said the aim was to breed cows that were more efficient by producing more milk while being fed the same amount as ordinary cows.

FIONA HANKS

Owner Declan Patten (front left) with his prized calf Gigi after the record sale.

"We're trying to make a more profitable cow, " he said. "It's also better for the environment."

Lina said WWS was formed in the US 45 years ago and was now one of the largest distributors of dairy genetics around the world. It was owned by two of the largest farmer-owned AI cooperatives in the world Select Sires and Accelerated Genetics - with 51,000 farmer members and sales exceeding 19 million straws.

Lina has worked with Maffra Herd Improvement and NZ Genetics in Australia, has been an AI consultant in Ireland and acting general manager of a large dairy operation in Missouri, US, before returning to New Zealand as a CRV Ambreed regional sales and service manager. He was appointed World Wide Sires' NZ general manager late in 2015.

"WWSNZ has been in New Zealand for at least 30 years so we're part of the industry. I believe now, with the volatility we're seeing in the dairy payout, that the company's genetics have more relevance for Kiwi farmers than ever," he said

"I believe the big player in the genetics market has hedged itself into a one-size-fits-everything position in breeding worth, limiting the amount of choice for New Zealand farmers.

"We're saying there is another way which will help you reduce head count and improve production.

"Breeding worth tends to be the currency for dairy breeding in this country but it's not the only way to judge great genetics.

"Many farmers with moderate-to-high BW herds are saying they're not seeing this translated into milksolids, fertility, longevity or strong, functional conformation. They quite rightly ask why herds producing well over the national average of 370kgMS have low to very low BW.

"Most of our customers produce well over the national average and they focus on what works best for them which, nine times out of 10, is very good type (capacity, legs, feet, udders and moderate stature) transmittable components and fertility.

"BW is a measure of profitability but it's not the only measure. The measure that speaks most loudly to farmers is what they see in the paddock, in the vat and in their bank balance," Lina said.

The company's WWS mating service is a scientific programme which utilises advanced computer technology to improve each cow and take the guess work out of mating.

"The programme is the world's largest and most successful mating programme. We minimise inbreeding, boost fertility, have moderate size cows, and keep things simple," he said.

WWSNZ breeding consultant for North Canterbury Hannah Wentworth said the company imported semen from America to sell to dairy farmers in New Zealand. The majority of the bulls were kept in the US, she said, but the Tahora Holstein Friesian Stud at Tai Tapu, North Canterbury, provided semen to the company.

Wentworth said her job was to help farmers with their genetics.

"I consult with farmers on their breeding programmes and put together breeding guides. I help them to know what bull to use on what particular cow," she said.

"We are a global company. We market in 90 different countries. Last year WWS sold 19.3 million doses in 93 countries."

-Stuff

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Dairy genetics importer sees 42 per cent increase in sales - Stuff.co.nz

Genetic information from Kennewick Man shows the Bering Land Bridge may not have been the only route humans used to migrate to North America more than 10,000 years ago.

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences uses genetic data from four skeletons found along the coast of Northern British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Scientists compared that information to Washingtons Kennewick Man and Montanas Anzick child.

Kennewick Mans only certain relatives come from Washington state and include members of todays Colville Indian Tribe as well as people who lived in Interior British Columbia, but not people who migrated across the Bering Land Bridge.

The Montana remains are linked to indigenous groups from Central and South America, thats one possible migration route, according to Professor Ripan Malhi of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Or it could be that there was another movement from northeast Asia later on in time, Malhi said.

Scientists studied the nuclear genome from the ancient skeletons that range in age from 1,500 to 10,000 years old.

The nuclear genome is the vast majority of the DNA that you have in a cell and it provides you information about all of your ancestors, Malhi said.

Other studies previously made use of mitochondrial DNA, but that only shines light on an individuals maternal ancestry. Malhi said this new study provides a more complete picture of ancestry for native people along the Northwest coast of Alaska to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

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Kennewick Man's Genetics Suggest More Than One Route To North ... - KUOW News and Information

April 12, 2017 at 8:24 PM

More than 1,800 individuals carrying loss-of-function mutations in both copies of their genes, so-called "human knockouts," are described in the first major study to be published in Nature this week by an international collaboration led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues. The program, which has so far sequenced the protein-coding regions of over 10,500 adults living in Pakistan, is illuminating the basic biology and possible therapeutics for several different disorders.

The team has identified more than 1,300 genes completely knocked out in at least one individual. They first turned their attention for deeper analysis to genes involved in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. One gene in particular, APOC3, which regulates the metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in the blood, was missing in several dozen individuals in a small fishing village on the coast of Pakistan where first-cousin marriages are culturally prevalent. These APOC3-knockout individuals had very low triglyceride levels. The researchers challenged their system with a high-fat meal. Compared with family members who were not APOC3 knockouts, the APOC3 knockout family members did not have the usual post-meal rise in plasma triglycerides.

"These are the world's first APOC3 human knockouts that have been identified," said co-first author and the principal investigator of the study, Danish Saleheen, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Penn. "Their genetic makeup has provided unique insights about the biology of APOC3, which may further help in validating APOC3 inhibition as a therapeutic target for cardiometabolic diseases - the leading cause of death globally.

In addition to Penn, the team includes scientists from the Center for Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD) in Karachi, Pakistan, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and the University of Cambridge, UK.

Saleheen has been working for over a decade in Pakistan, in collaboration with the CNCD to collect blood samples from all over his country. This Pakistan-based study already includes more than 70,000 participants and the recruitment is rapidly being expanded to include 200,000 people. "We are continuing protein-coding region sequencing studies in the Pakistani population. If we are able to sequence 200,000 participants, we will be able to identify human knockouts for more than 8,000 unique genes." Saleheen said. "These observations provide us with a roadmap, a systematic way to understand the physiological consequences of complete disruption of genes in humans," Saleheen said.

"The Human Genome Project gave us a 'parts' list of 18,000 genes. We are now trying to understand gene function by studying people who naturally lack a 'part,'" said co-senior author Sekar Kathiresan, Director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. "We think that over the next ten to twenty years, with a concerted, systematic effort, it's possible to find humans who naturally lack any one of several thousand genes in the genome and understand what the phenotypic consequences are."

"The project highlights the value of looking at diverse populations, particularly for genetic analyses--you'll find variants in one ethnicity and not another," said co-first author Pradeep Natarajan, an associate scientist at Broad Institute and a postdoctoral research fellow in Kathiresan's lab.

Co-senior author Daniel J. Rader, MD, chair of Genetics at Penn, hopes that future dives into this rich dataset will bring even more novel insights into human biology and point toward new therapeutic targets for treating and preventing disease. "Linking DNA sequencing with deep phenotyping at scale in this population will be an incredible source of new knowledge about how gene alterations influence human health and disease," Rader said. In addition to a continued focus on the biology of heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, and stroke, the team will also be looking for clues for early-onset Parkinson's disease, autism, congenital blindness, and mental retardation, among many other conditions.

Penn scientists are now collaborating with CNCD researchers to conduct deep phenotyping studies in all human knockouts the project identifies. These studies will include detailed physiological and mechanistic studies to understand the biological and pharmacological consequences of both partial and complete disruption of genes in humans.

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'Human knockouts': Genetics in families reveals basic biology and ... - News-Medical.net

MARWAYNE, Alta. Art Wheat says it feels like Christmas when the bull catalogues start arriving at his farm in eastern Alberta.

I look for cattle that bend the curve, he said, referring to cattle with low birth weights and high weaning rates.

I want lots of weight in the fall because I get paid on pounds.

He, with his partner and kindergarten teacher Kathy Kent, combine forces to operate T-Bone Cattle Co., renting and owning eight quarters of land and calving 300 cows in their commercial herd.

They retain some heifer calves for breeding and steers, selling some of each in fall. As well, they favour low maintenance cows and avoid larger framed animals.

Art is very selective, Kathy said.

We dont want to touch anything if we dont have to.

An easy-care herd begins with good genetics.

This day, son-in-law Justin Hozack is preparing hair samples from his bulls for DNA testing. He and Arts daughter, Dr. Joan Wheat Hozack, have launched their own operation by buying land with Art and acquiring cattle.

Were trying to figure out traits on the bulls, good and bad. Then well know what well use on our calves, said Justin, who has worked on a sheep farm in New Zealand and a cattle farm near Calgary and has taken courses in artificial insemination.

Its early days in the Wheat farm succession plan, but the couple currently resides on an acreage closer to Marwayne and keeps their animals at the family farm.

Arts three daughters pursue careers off the farm. Kate is helping on the farm while doing an instrumentation apprenticeship, while Joan is an orthopedic surgeon in Lloydminster and Jill is a lawyer in Edmonton.

Kathy has two adult children who are not involved in the farm.

Over the years, family and friends have gathered to help with branding and cattle drives.

I like to move my cows slowly, said Art, who uses horses almost exclusively for cattle chores.

These days, Art trails cattle partway to distant pastures and trucks them the rest of the way because of increased traffic and lack of labour.

He shows off a double alley Bud Box handling area that allows for a good flow of cattle into the squeeze chutes and back out to the pens.

Art has his oats and corn custom seeded, harvested and silaged.

I dont have time, said Art, whose cattle graze standing corn in the fall and winter.

Kathy assists with farm chores, which can include checking cows, making ear tags, preparing medications and overseeing meals when large groups gather to help out on the farm or enjoy a barn dance and gymkhana.

The farms origins date back to Arts mothers uncle, who came here from Ireland in 1903. Without children of his own, he passed the farm on to Arts parents, Margaret and Frank, who operated a mixed farm here and raised six children.

When Art started farming, he chose the T-Bone Cattle name because its memorable.

When you hear it, you associate it with cattle and ranching, he said.

Keen to farm from an early age, he prepared by studying farm and ranch production at Olds College and briefly did artificial insemination work on hockey legend Bobby Hulls cattle farm near Winnipeg.

T-Bone maintains a website, http://www.tbonecattleco.com, selling cattle online and young steer calves to a small family feedlot. He previously exported semen from a commercial bull to Ireland.

The family is active in ranch rodeos and cow horse events such as reining, calf (chalk) branding, trailer loading of heifers and penning.

Art said its a way to hone their skills and promote the horses they raise, train and sell. They have 25 brood mares, colts and yearlings, of which eight are used in their operation.

Its all done with horses, we like to keep it that way, said Art, who grew up riding horses.

His daughters were also involved in 4-H light horse and cattle programs.

They knew more about horses than I did, said Art.

Kathy praised 4-H for instilling in participants a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility in caring for stock.

The last two years have been decent for cattle, said Art, who cited BSE, poor cattle prices and drought among the farms many past challenges.

He managed BSE simply by cutting spending.

It set you back, said Art, citing deteriorating vehicles, equipment and corrals as a result of such austerity. No new genetics were introduced, and animals were also kept longer than they should have.

Were still working our way out of it, he said.

Off-farm activities for Art have included sitting on Albertas Livestock Identification Services board, serving as president of a local community pasture and belonging to a grazing group.

Kathy said Art has much knowledge to impart to the next generation.

Its a time in Arts life when hes ready to pass that knowledge on, said Kathy.

That includes a good eye for cattle.

He knows how to read them, work them properly, she said.

The couple plan to be involved with the farm in some way for another five to 10 years, maybe with fewer cattle.

They took a warm weather holiday this winter and think more of that may be in their future.

We may holiday more because Justin is here and we are able to get away, said Kathy.

Its hard to leave this property. Old ranchers are all the same, said Art.

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Good genetics help make easy-care herd - Western Producer (subscription)