Speech Topic: Using Beef Efficiencies to Refuse Registrations

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CCWA

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Jan 7, 2011
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My advisor said that this would be a good place to get some public opinion on a speech that I am doing on beef efficiencies.  I am trying to really put an edge on my topic and was wondering what you all thought about breed associations denying registrations based off of a lack of efficiencies such as......DMI vs ADG and ME EPD's.  I have noticed that there are many different ways to calculate "efficiencies" in beef cattle and how they relate to profitability.  I have also been told the Steerplanet group is very knowledgeable and is never afraid to give an "HONEST"  opinion.  Looking forward to hearing any replies whether they are good....bad....or ugly!  Thanks in advance! 
 

knabe

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Feb 7, 2007
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consult mary sanger, peter singer, paul erlich who are/were for the same thing you are talking about with people.

for more edge, watch soylent green.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green

for more edge, how much revenue would be lost from not registering cattle that shouldn't be registered?  perhaps there should be no breeders and everything owned by the association which would then have total control.  man, i would love to be in school.  it's such a waste of money and effort getting breeders to do what they are told.  risk should be eliminated and/ or penalized.  perhaps unions could control the situation, then they could create a pyramid scheme.  i don't know how i could stay focused with a project like this.



 

CCWA

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Jan 7, 2011
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I just wanted to start by saying thank you for responding in the first place.  I have contacted a couple people on the list you gave me and not one has given me a direct response to my question but rather giving me articles written that just talk about beef efficiencies in general.

I totally agree that revenue is very important but my question becomes "What is the future of our industry as we try to provide ____% more beef for ____% more population?"  All the while doing this on less and less acreage.  This problem may be further away than we realize but shouldn't we be concerned about genetics that are out there that are converting at an extremely poor rate just because it looks good phenotypically?

I appreciate your EXTREMELY honest response...and your reference to Soylent Green made me laugh
 
 

Mill Iron A

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Jul 12, 2011
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1. You are assuming that we have been able to take in the full picture with RFI

2. Genetics cannot solve everything. The more I see the industries ignorance when it comes to nutrition and management will do 10 times to improve efficiency than a flawed measurement.

3. Breed associations are at risk of becoming a dinosaur. There are a few that will make it but many are falling behind badly.
 

ZNT

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Apr 25, 2007
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Rhome, TX
There are a few reasons why associations will not set specific criteria for registrations. 

1.  DIVERSITY - Genetic diversity is a good thing in any breed.  This diversity is what allows the same breed of cattle to be raised in lush green pastures of Iowa, to the mountains of Wyoming, to the deserts of New Mexico. No one kind of cattle works in all environments.  Plus, just have cattle have changed over the past 50 years, they will continue to change.  Genetic diversity is what will allow these changes to happen.

2.  ACCURACY - EPD's are only as good as accuracy of the person submitting the data.  For the most part, EPD's are founded around the honor system, so establishing a threshold may reduce the accuracy of the data on cattle that are below or on the bubble of being able to be registered.

3. MONEY -  Breed associations are looking for ways to register more cattle, not less.  The more registrations means more income for the association, and like has been stated earlier, many of the associations are not in the best financial shape, so reducing registrations is a touchy subject.  This is the same reason why many associations were slow to address the issues of genetic defects.  Tough rules could have been put in place to eradicate many of these defects, but these tough rules would have reduced the number of registrations and would have impacted the association's bottom line significantly.
 

librarian

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Knox County Nebraska
Giving breed associations the power to control registration status based on expected economic performance would be an example of top down oppression of the farmers ability to make original improvements in breeding stock based on real experience with real cattle in the real world.
Your scenario opens the door to a genetic dictatorship,  efficient only in narrowing the marketing field and increasing profit of the rulers.
If you outlaw diversity, only outlaws will be diverse.
 

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