Facts inform future opportunity.

“It is often believed today that successful breeders have some mysterious method of which others are ignorant. Instead, the principles of the successful breeder have been exceedingly simple. The difficulty lies not so much in knowing the principles as in applying them.”

Tom Field shared that quote from early geneticist, Sewell Wright in 1920, as he set the stage for the two-day American Hereford Association (AHA) Educational Forum, which continued Friday with focus on current research and real-world data serving as its foundation.

Genetic melting pot

“The AHA National Reference Sire Program (NRSP) is simply unrivaled in the data collected and the resource it provides as a major breed improvement tool,” says Shane Bedwell, AHA director of breed improvement and chief operations officer. “It was developed to collect unbiased, large contemporary group data in a commercial setting.

More specifically, the NRSP enables Hereford breeders to test young sires in real-world commercial settings — commercial cow-calf operations, anchored by the mainstay test herd, Olsen Ranches at Harrisburg, Neb.

More than 400 Hereford sires have been tested since the NRSP began in 1999. These sires influence 7% of all AHA performance pedigrees, which number more than 2 million.

Proving sustainable worth

NRSP data leverages the value and potential of AHA cooperative research, such as the current project being conducted with Colorado State University (CSU) and AgNext to evaluate heritability of methane emission rate, blood urea nitrogen and feed intake along with their relationships with other traditionally measured performance traits. The project aims to create genetic selection tools for improvement in traits related to environmental sustainability.

“There are genetic differences within the AHA population for both methane emissions and blood urea nitrogen concentration. If selection pressure is applied, we will see genetic change in those traits,” according to Mark Enns, CSU geneticist.

Documenting efficiency advantages

Likewise, NRSP data helps fuel the efficacy of the ongoing multi-year research project with the University of Illinois-Champagne to explore the efficiency differences between breeding Hereford bulls to commercial Angus cows or Angus bulls across generations and retaining the F1 Hereford-sired replacements or straight-bred black replacements.

Utilizing data from the study thus far, Greg Thoma conducted a lifecycle assessment of differences between commercial black cows bred to Hereford or Angus bulls. Thoma is director for agricultural modeling and lifecycle assessment with AgNext and CSU.

Generally speaking, the model considered a 1,000-cow commercial herd retaining its own replacement heifers. Based on preliminary results, carbon intensity was 8% less is the modeled herd employing Hereford bulls.

“Achieving the performance metrics documented for the Hereford breed in this trial by any means – genetic or management — shows clear benefits,” Thoma says.

Carrying the tradition forward

Jack Ward, AHA executive vice president, notes results of current AHA research supports the Association’s Strategic Plan with its crystalline vision to make Hereford an essential component of the U.S. beef cow herd.

“We’re focused on continuous genetic improvement within the Hereford breed to increase profitability for the commercial industry,” Wards says. “Every time we sell Herefords and Hereford-sired there’s got to be a level of success for the buyer, whether that’s a commercial cow-calf producer, a stocker operator, feedlot, beef packer or the beef consumer.”

With the future in mind, Ward also emphasizes the importance of youth leadership development, as the AHA is doing with its Hereford Seedstock Academy.

“It was also exciting to hear the country reports and see how important each of you are taking the opportunity to develop youth and the next generation of producers and leaders,” Ward told participants. Australia, Ireland, Estonia and Uruguay provided country progress reports on Friday, following those given by other countries the previous day.

Similarly, Chris Cassaday, explained the commitment of BioZyme^® Inc. to supporting youth and helping develop the next generations of producers and leaders. He is director of beef technical solutions for the company. Cassaday provided informative and inspirational remarks during the Young Breeders Competition and Hereford Youth Foundation of America Scholarship and Awards Luncheon.

Harkening back to the Forum opening: “One of the great founders of this nation, Thomas Jefferson, believed that the best citizen was the one who worked the land. You are the centerpiece of civilization. Never forget that responsibility nor that privilege,” Field shared.

Celebration Gala

The AHA Educational Forum was held in conjunction with the 19^th World Hereford Conference (WHC) Oct. 22-26 in Kansas City, Mo. The WHC welcomed more than 700 Hereford breeders from 20 countries, including the United States. Six hundred WHC participants celebrated the breed and the conference during the Global Celebratory Gala at Arrowhead Stadium.