American Hereford Association staff has been busy representing the Hereford breed this month at numerous industry events.

Shane Bedwell, AHA chief operating officer and director of breed improvement Stacy Sanders, director of records and Laura Loschke, education and information services coordinator, attended the 2017 Breed Council Forum at GeneSeek in Lincoln, Neb.

The event allowed attendees to learn about exciting developments regarding new products, and additional tools to make DNA processes more efficient. it also gave Hereford staff the opportunity to interact one-on-one with GeneSeek staff.

“It was really good to hear how other breeds handle things with GeneSeek,” Sanders said. “We were able to get some ideas of how and where we can tweak things.”

At the National Association of Animal Breeders meeting in Manhattan, Kan., AHA Executive Vice President Jack Ward and Bedwell spoke with several major artificial insemination (AI) stud companies.

Bedwell said this meeting allowed AI stud representatives to learn more about current AHA projects and goals for the future.

“We updated NAAB attendees about Hereford’s strong fiscal year and the use and growth of AI and embryo transfer (ET) within the breed,” Bedwell said. “Keeping a working relationship with these companies is critical for the continued growth and success of the breed.”