Livestock Breeding and Genetics News and Trends
Learn what's new in livestock breeding and genetics
Livestock breeders are always looking for ways to improve their herds. Whether it’s by improving the birth weight or ease of delivery, or by increasing the average daily rate of gain, there are many factors that go into breeding livestock. Each type of livestock has its own genetic quirks that farm animal breeders try to build on to improve their herd.Cattle breeding is one area of livestock production where technology plays an active role in improving the genetics of the species. Long gone are the days of turning the bull into the pasture with a herd of cows and hoping for calves nine months later. Today’s cattlemen often do one or more of the following:
1. Use the services of semen collection agencies.
2. Use cattle breeding equipment for insemination.
3. Use special tools to cycle a cow’s estrus.
If you have livestock, it’s important that you stay on top of livestock breeding and genetics news and trends. While the remainder of this guide focuses on the cattle industry, similar advances are happening in other areas of livestock production.
Read articles about livestock breeding and genetics
Many university websites offer informative pieces about genetic research on livestock. You can also track livestock breeding and genetics news and trends through industry journals.
Try: The University of Illinois Extension offers articles on dairy cattle breeding. The Louisiana State University AgCenter has a number of articles to keep you informed of livestock breeding and genetics news and trends. Many of these articles focus not only on the scientific aspects of breeding livestock, but also on practical tasks like finding the right cattle semen and embryo collection companies and bull breeding supplies.
Sign up for newsletters about livestock breeding and genetics
Some agricultural universities offer newsletters on livestock breeding. You can also find newsletters offered by companies that provide the tools to do this research. Often the information in these newsletters is available to you at no cost.
Try: Cattle Network has a number of articles on livestock breeding and genetics. You can also sign up for BEEF Magazine; it offers current news about successful livestock breeders, as well as information about cattle semen suppliers.
Find blogs that pertain to breeding livestock
Often these blogs contain personal observations that you might not find elsewhere. By signing up for a free RSS feed, you receive news about livestock breeding as soon as the writer publishes it.
Try: You can stay current with information about breeding farm animals and livestock genetics by subscribing to the RSS feed for eXtension. This is a service that encompasses 74 universities in the United States. It highlights the most recent studies in livestock breeding, conducted using the newest livestock breeding equipment available. For practical information about cattle breeding, read Jim Church’s Cattle Blog.
Copyright © 2011 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
