Looking Back at Fall Focus 2022

by Lilly Platts

Fall Focus 2022, held in Roanoke, Virginia, August 26–30, was a successful gathering of Simmental enthusiasts from across the country. The event featured area tours, a day-long educational symposium, and a productive board meeting. The Virginia Simmental Association (VSA) co-hosted the event and gave everyone an informative glimpse into the state’s beef industry, and the role Simmental plays. A huge thank you to everyone at the VSA for their help organizing and hosting.

One highlight of the weekend was an early morning meeting of ASA’s SimSpecialists team. Many members of the team were present, and spent time getting up to date on association programs, sharing experiences, and discussing ways their team can be better utilized. The combined years of experience of the SimSpeciaists is unmatched; from attending bull sales and helping potential customers understand indexes to presenting at educational field days, they offer a lot to the Simmental breed and are dedicated to expanding their reach. After a quick lunch in downtown Roanoke, we hopped on buses and drove to Hillwinds Farm, owned and operated by Tim and Cathy Sutphin. The Sutphins have been using Simmental genetics in their commercial operation for some time, and have built a profitable family business. Tim discussed the genetic and management decisions that have allowed them to build their herd, and how Simmental genetics have been a major part of their success. From there we jumped back on the buses and drove to Blacksburg for a tour of the Virginia Tech campus. The university’s Beef Cattle Center runs a herd of cows, including Simmental, and holds a student-run bull sale — the Hokie Harvest Sale — each year. After that, we drove just outside Blacksburg to Bill McDonald’s historic farm, which was established in 1763. During the Revolutionary War the farm served as a depot, and early in its history it also housed a grist mill, a tannery, and was used for producing

“McDonald Surefire” gunpowder. Today, McDonald Farm raises Simmental seedstock, utilizing the abundant grass available in the Virginia hills. Bill and his family graciously opened their home, served ham and biscuits and mint sweet tea, and showed us all a great deal of hospitality. We then headed back to the buses and drove out to Virginia Tech’s Kentland Farm. Their newly constructed hay barn served as a beautiful setting for dinner, live music, and socializing. The Virginia Junior Simmental Association served a brisket dinner, and we heard from VSA president Mark Campbell, and Dr. Dan Eversole and Chad Joines with the VT’s beef cattle program. Pouring rain threw a hitch in the schedule, but we were eventually able to head outside to watch Lane Giess’s live feet and leg scoring demonstration.

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Laura, Tim, Cathy, and Heath Sutphin. Opposite page: Fall Focus attendees gathered inside the Sutphin’s barn to look at a group of heifers.

Bill McDonald and his girlfriend, Amy.

Bill McDonald told the story of his family farm and how he became involved with the Simmental breed.

Pine Ridge Ranch

Pine Ridge RanchPine Ridge Ranch

LLC ATHENS, TX Jane and Bill Travis

billtravis@simbrah.com

www.simbrah.com

9876 PLANO RD. DALLAS, TX 75238 Cell: 214-850-6308

Phoenix Cattle Company

Fleckvieh and Fleck x Black and Red Angus

Roger Schager

PO Box 596 Louisville, CO 80027 303-550-5592 cows_1@q.com

Jessie & Sherry Driggers Glennville, GA • 912-237-0608 www.driggerssimmentalfarm.com

• Producers of Red and Black

Simmental and SimAngus™ Genetics • Annual Bull Sale held Saturday before Thanksgiving

CLRS Guardian 317G

Owner: Jim Berry Commercially Targeted Seedstock

Cattle Manager: Ben Lehman 563-920-0315 6502 Rt. 84 South Hanover, IL 61041 815-297-5562 www.wildberryfarms.net

Jeff & Lynda Springer Michelle, Todd, Eli & Noah Christensen Steve, Bri, Paisley & Porter Springer 3119 310th St • Cresco, IA 52136 641-330-6654 sprinsim@iowatelecom.net WWW.SPRINGERSIMMENTAL.COM

Cow Camp Ranch

Kent, Mark and Nolan Brunner 3553 Upland Rd. Lost Springs, KS 66859-9652 785-466-6475 Kent 785-466-1129 Nolan 785-258-0173 Mark nolan@cowcampbeef.com

Spring Bull Sale – Friday, February 3, 2023

Carol Dixson, Kevin Dixson, & Lyle Dixson, D.V.M.

13703 Beaver Creek Rd • Atwood, KS 67730 785-626-3744 • drlyle@live.com www.dixsonfarms.com DX

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u Free semen on the nation’s top herdsire prospects u Free genetic evaluation (EPD and Selection Indexes) on your cow herd u $65 paid per CMP sired carcass record u DNA tests performed on terminal calves *This is a structured young sire test so please inquire about qualifications and expectations. u Free 100K GGP DNA test on all sire-identified terminal calves with carcass data u DNA Parentage included u Tissue Sampling Units provided at no cost *This is an ongoing research project, participants are limited so please inquire about availability.

For more information regarding both programs,contact: cmp@simmgene.com for CMP inquiries lgiess@simmgene.com for CXP inquiries

Virginia Simmental Association president Mark Campbell, who was instrumental in organizing Fall Focus 2022, welcoming attendees to Virginia Tech’s Kentland Farm. ASA’s Lane Giess led a live feet and leg scoring demonstration.

Saturday kicked off the educational day, which was thoughtfully curated by ASA’s Dr. Jackie Atkins. Barry Wesner, board chairman, welcomed everyone to the event. Virginia Secretary of Agriculture, Matt Lohr, kicked off the speaker lineup discussing the importance of agriculture in the state, and the larger role he sees it play in communities across the state. New ideas and being at the forefront of developing science goes hand-in-hand with ASA’s mission, and the next speaker, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, discussed something that could change the beef industry and raising livestock as a whole. Van Eenennaam works as a Cooperative Extension specialist in the field of animal genomics and biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science at University of California–Davis, and her current research focuses on genome editing, which she discussed in detail during her talk. The technology to insert or remove individual genes, which could change any desired trait, exists but is not legal to practice in the US. Van Eenennaam explained the science, its effectiveness, how it can be used, and the regulatory framework that currently prevents scientists from fully utilizing it. The use of genome editing also poses a moral question for many, which attendees were challenged to consider. Dr. Troy Rowan, University of Tennessee, followed with his talk, “Laying the Groundwork for the Next Generation of Phenotyping, Genotyping, and Genomic Prediction.” Rowan discussed genetic progress, and how to speed up genetic improvement. The accuracy of genetic predictions and the ability to measure useful phenotypes are the two basic pieces of the equation, and improving each is necessary to speed up genetic improvement. Rowan discussed the role of genomics, showing how the implementation of genomic testing improves our ability to predict an animal’s genetic merit. He explained how Single

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam discussing genome editing.

Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) technology is currently used, and how Sequence Imputed technology could improve genomic testing. Rowan then presented possible steps that could be taken to implement sequencing strategies, which are currently being used through research. He also discussed traits that would be extremely useful to the industry if measured, including disease risk and greenhouse gas emissions. Traits like these are difficult to measure due to variations in animals, genetics, environment, and more. However, work is being done at the university level to measure these phenotypes, and that work should eventually help breed associations—and ultimately, producers—make selection decisions. The Virginia Simmental Association played a huge role in organizing Fall Focus, and the lunch on Saturday featured president Mark Campbell, and Virginia Cattle Industry Board member Paige Pratt. After lunch, Dr. Vitor Mercadante, a professor at Virginia Tech, discussed advancements in fixed-time AI technology. He began by discussing beef production efficiency in the US, using Brazil as a comparison. It takes fewer cattle to produce more beef in the US, thanks in part to reproductive efficiency. The goal is to optimize pregnancy rates and develop and select replacement heifers that are highly fertile at the lowest possible cost. This sounds simple, but because fertility is generally lowly heritable, producers can’t simply select females based on what their genetic merit should be for this trait. Mercadante broke down efficiency to include a combination of management, nutrition and animal health, selection pressure, and the use of reproductive technologies. Estrus synchronization is commonly used, and fixed-time AI can reduce the labor necessary to AI females since checking for heat isn’t necessary. It also increases the portion of females exposed to AI, and more females

Dr. Troy Rowan discussing future improvements to genetic prediction.

Dr. Vitor Mercadante presented tools for improving reproductive efficiency.

Purebred Simmental in past 20 years

Simmental genetics bring calving ease, early growth, and cow longevity while keeping feed costs at a minimum. Breed Mature Cow Wt. Hereford 1,419 Angus 1,410 Red Angus 1,409 Simmental 1,404

Source: USDA MARC

predicts cow herd profitability using valuable traits like cow longevity (STAY) and calving ease while keeping pressure on terminal traits.

Compare the profit potential of two Simmental bulls using $API 1 2 3

Bull A’s $API = $120 and Bull B’s $API = $180 Breeding 25 females/year Used for 5 years

1 2 3

Bull $API # Females # years using Profit per year the bull Potential A $120 X 25 X 5 = $15,000 B $180 X 25 X 5 = $22,500 Difference = $7,500 Just like an EPD, compare two bulls to see the expected difference in profit. Bull B is likely to result in direct revenue and expense savings of an additional $7,500 over the course of five years. Plug in your numbers for , , and to compare your potential earnings. 1 2 3

Purebred Simmental in past 20 years

Trait Simmental rank compared to other Continental breeds Marbling First Carcass Weight Second Back Fat Second Post Weaning Gain First

Source: USDA MARC Simmental cattle bring marbling and growth without too much fat. Simmental genetics perfectly complement British strengths and weaknesses for an ideal carcass.

u According to the National Association of Animal Breeders,

Simmental ranks second for semen sales compared to all other beef breeds, and in recent years, the percentage of semen sold in the US from Simmental bulls has grown by 35%.

u $API increased 27% and $TI increased 26% in the last 20 years. This translates to an average increased profit of $3,375 per bull when used to sire replacement heifers and harvesting remaining calves or $2,000 when all calves are harvested.

Drs. Wade Shafer and Randie Culbertson presenting information on RFI and FI, and how accurate measurements can influence profitability.

are bred by AI in a shorter period of time. Mercadante then explained the financial impact of fixed-time AI on calving window, the number of cows that are bred, weaning rate, and weaning weights. Using the AI Cowculator, through beefrepro.org, he showed how fixed- time AI can increase profitability. He then discussed the management factors that affect the success of fixed-time AI pregnancy rates, and presented protocols producers may choose to use. The Beef Reproduction Task Force publishes detailed AI protocols for mature cows and heifers, which Mercadante broke down. Sexed semen protocols have also been added. ASA’s Dr. Randie Culbertson and Dr. Wade Shafer discussed genetic selection for Feed Intake (FI), and Residual Feed Intake (RFI). Feed represents 50 to 70% of total production costs, which increases dramatically when the cost of corn goes up. Balancing this cost with profitability can be tricky, as a decrease in feed inputs can decrease animal performance. Decreasing feed costs without sacrificing animal performance would lead to a dramatic improvement in animal performance and profit. There are a number of questions, including how to define feed efficiency, selecting which phenotypes should be used for selection, how these factors can be incorporated into a breeding program and genetic evaluation, figuring out how this selection would impact other performance traits, and whether FI or RFI measurements should be used. Culbertson then discussed the pros and cons of both RFI and FI, which differ in their measurement. In conclusion, breeding objectives shouldn’t only be the reduction of feed but to also increase the profitability of cattle. Saturday evening was a time for celebration, and to recognize Golden Book Award recipients and retiring ASA trustees. Due to Covid, last year’s Golden Book

Simmental producers eager to improve their operations through science fill the seats during the educational symposium.

Last year’s Golden Book Award recipients could be honored in person this year. L–R: Kevin and Lynette Thompson, Melissa and Gordon Hodges, and Parke and Nina Vehslage.

Gib Yardley, a 2022 recipient of the Golden Book Award, with wife, Denise, and past board chair, Randy Moody. ASA EVP Dr. Wade Shafer, a 2022 recipient of the Golden Book Award, with wife, Kathy, and past board chair, Randy Moody.

recipients were not honored in person. To make up for this, they were recognized at Fall Focus 2022. Sunday morning started off with a bull session, which gave Fall Focus attendees the opportunity to ask questions of board members. These exchanges sparked discussions that continued into committee meetings.

ST

Editor’s note: Scott Riddle, a 2022 recipient of the Golden Book Award; and 2021 recipients Tom Hook, Steve Reimer, and Fred Schuetze were not present at Fall Focus.

To learn more about the CMP visit www.simmental.org, then click Carcass Merit Program under the Commercial tab. Questions, contact cmp@simmgene.com for more information regarding this program. The American Simmental Association Carcass Merit Program (CMP) is the beef industry’s most demanding and informative young sire test. The program is a hallmark of ASA breed improvement for economically relevant carcass traits. Commercial producers play an integral part in this project.

u $65 for each AI-sired calf with carcass information u Free semen on top young herd sires u Free ASA Genetic Evaluation on your cowherd u Free genotyping on terminal progeny u Keep any or all replacement females Become a Carcass Merit Program test herd today

*The CMP is a structured young sire progeny test. Participating cooperator herds will random sample their cowherd with CMP semen, and the resulting male (or female) progeny will be harvested with individual carcass data gathered. ASA Staff will work with cooperator herds to provide bulls that fit the general criteria of your management program, however only bulls nominated into the CMP program may be used. Producers are encouraged to be somewhat proficient in Microsoft excel for accurate and consistent record keeping.