ASA FALL FOCUS Above: 2017 ND Simmental Board, Standing (L to R): Secretary, Kim Myers; Tyler Kinn, David Doll, Todd Finke, Doug Bichler, JR Aufforth, Patrick Thorson. Seated (L to R): Derik Samuelson, President, Tim Clark; and Dusty Kunkel.
AMERICAN SIMMENTAL ASSOCIATION AND NORTH DAKOTA SIMMENTAL ASSOCIATION CO-HOST FALL FOCUS
T
he fourth annual American Simmental Association (ASA) Fall Focus was held in Bismarck, ND, September 17-21. The program featured an educational session, during which several industry professionals and scientists spoke about subjects focused around beef cattle breeding. The ASA Board of Trustees held meetings during the event, and attendees participated in interactive meetings and staff presentations. There were over 220 people in attendance, and among North Dakota dignitaries were Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. The educational program included the following speakers: Dr. Greg Lardy, North Dakota State University (NDSU), presented an overview of the state’s agricultural industry; Dr. Lauren Hanna,
6 | SD SimmenTeller & ND Simmental Scene
Printed with permission from American Simmental Association
NDSU, explained the basics of animal breeding and genetic selection; Dr. Rick Funston, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), spoke about increasing productive efficiency in cattle; Dr. Matt Spangler, UNL, discussed genetic advancements which can be used to create an ideal system for beef cattle breeding; and Dr. Mitch Abrahamsen, former Vice President of Research and Development at Cobb-Vantress, spoke about the poultry industry, highlighting the rapid genetic advancement the industry has seen, and how beef cattle breeders can apply those principles to keep up with a growing population. A panel of breeders addressed the use of economic selection indexes to aid in genetic selection for profitability in beef cattle. ASA staff provided project updates, including progress on the International Genetics Solutions (IGS) Feeder Profit
CalculatorTM, cow herd DNA roundup, the genetic evaluation using Biometric Open Language Tools (BOLT), state association programs, and more. Videos of the educational presentations can be viewed at fallfocus.org. Claye Kaelberer serves on the ASA Board of Trustees, and with his family, owns Kaelberer Simmentals in New Salem, ND. Kaelberer received positive feedback from many of the producers in attendance. “Breeders were impressed by the amount of information they received, and by the balance of the speakers,” Kaelberer reflects. Three new ASA programs were highlighted: the DNA Cow Herd Roundup, IGS Feeder Profit Calculator; and ASA Learning Library. These programs, like ASA, are focused on the commercial producer and relating the genetics seedstock breeders produce to