DENVER 鈥 The Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force held its third meeting May 7-8 in Denver. Since convening in late 2023, the industry-based group has been working to help the cattle industry transition toward widespread use of genetic information in pricing feeder cattle and calves. More than 95% of U.S. feeder cattle change ownership without the benefit of shared genetic information. Therefore, objectively determined genetic information plays no meaningful role in the value-discovery process in today鈥檚 feeder market.
Task force members recognize that, to get the ball rolling, more commercial producers must obtain and communicate genetic information on their feeder cattle and calves at the time they offer their animals for sale. If producers do not have this information, they obviously can’t share it with prospective buyers. However, as a greater number of producers begin including genetic information in the description of the cattle they are selling, buyers will become accustomed to using this data as they formulate their bids.
To help move producers in this direction, the task force voted unanimously to create a Genetic Discovery Pilot Project focusing initially on 100 commercial cow-calf producers. Supporting breed associations were directed to voluntarily enlist five to 10 of their association members (seedstock breeders) that are progressive-minded and committed to genetic improvement.
Association personnel will work with each of their selected seedstock members to identify two to three bull customers that are interested in learning about the genetics in their own herds. Once commercial producers are identified, association personnel will assist the participating seedstock breeder and their bull customer in obtaining the registration numbers and average EPD ranks on bulls that sired their 2024 calf crop. By the end of this discussion, participating producers will have a better understanding of the genetic merit of their calves. The goal is to have at least half of these genetic-discovery evaluations completed by the next Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force meeting in September 2024.
Lance W. Bauer, Ph.D., director of breed improvement, Beefmaster Breeders United said, 鈥淭he third meeting of the GMP task force was productive, after great presentations and breakout sessions discussing tools for identifying genetic merit, the task force voted to ask supporting breed associations to reach out and help educate commercial producers on the genetic merit of their current bull battery and discuss how they can use such data to help market calves.鈥
“It is great to see such a diverse group come together and openly discuss the issues of value discovery in cattle based on their genetic merit,鈥 added Chris McClure, executive director, Santa Gertrudis Breeders International. 鈥淲hen you have every segment of the industry 鈥 from seedstock to packer 鈥 represented in the same room, discussing the challenges of appropriately valuing cattle based on their genetic potential, it is unprecedented.聽Now that we are moving into establishing concrete goals and methodology for more accurately conveying the potential performance metrics of feeder cattle to interested buyers, we can advance the industry by leaps and bounds over traditional methods of price discovery.聽It is exciting to see what is happening.”
The next meeting of the Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force will be held in Kansas City on September 17-18.
Appendix 1: Task Force Participants
路聽聽聽聽聽聽James Barrett, Texas
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Dave Daley, California
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Dave Delaney, Texas
路聽聽聽聽聽聽John Grande, Montana
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Rob Gill, Oregon
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Randy Heflin, Kansas
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Scott Howard, Ph.D., Colorado
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Danny Herrman, Kansas
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Sam Hands, Kansas
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Jennifer Houston, Tennessee
路聽聽聽聽聽聽George Kempfer, Florida
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Larry Kuehn, Ph.D., Nebraska
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Dennis Metzger, Nebraska
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Grant Morgan, Kansas
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Kevin Miller, Colorado
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Mark Nelson, Nebraska
路聽聽聽聽聽聽John Nalivka, Oregon
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Austin Paul, Kentucky
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Trey Patterson, Wyoming
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Jake Parnell, California
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Dustin Puhrmann, Iowa
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Darrell Peel, Ph.D., Oklahoma
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Ryan Rice, Kansas
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Don Schiefelbein, Minnesota
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Wade Small, Idaho
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Nolan Stone, Colorado
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Matt Spangler, Ph.D., Nebraska
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Jason Timmerman, Nebraska
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Brent Thiel, South Dakota
路聽聽聽聽聽聽David Trowbridge, Iowa
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Will Townsend, Montana
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Craig Uden, Nebraska
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Janie VanWinkle, Colorado
Appendix 2: Task Force Supporting Organizations
Funding Partners
路聽聽果冻直播 Hereford Association
路聽聽果冻直播 International Charolais Association
路聽聽Santa Gertrudis Breeders International
路聽聽International Brangus Breeders Association
路聽聽Allied Genetic Resources/All Beef LLC
路聽聽果冻直播 Simmental Association
路聽聽Neogen Corporation
路聽聽Beefmaster Breeders United
路聽聽Red Angus Association of America
Other On-Record Supporters
路聽聽聽聽聽聽果冻直播 Gelbvieh Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Colorado Cattlemen’s Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Livestock Marketing Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽North 果冻直播 Limousin Foundation
路聽聽聽聽聽聽North 果冻直播 Piedmontese Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽果冻直播 Shorthorn Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽果冻直播 Brahman Breeders Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Florida Cattlemen’s Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Idaho Cattle Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Alabama Cattlemen鈥檚 Association
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Kentucky Cattlemen鈥檚 Association