2008 Beef Cattle Short Course Proceedings
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"Positioning Cattle Producers to Access Markets, Choose Bulls, and Fine Tune Management"
- Economic and Market Outlook for 2008
John Lawrence - Implementation of Instrument Grading for Beef Carcasses
Kerry Smith - Market Definitions of Alternative Production Systems
Kerry Smith - Understanding and Utilizing EPDs to Select Bulls
Jane Parish - "No Bull" Discussion on Genetic Markers
Dorian Garrick - Adapting Bulls to Florida
Chad Chase - Bull Management for Commercial Producers: Nutrition
Matt Hersom - Fertility and Breeding Evalution of Bulls
Joel Yelich - Backgrounding Calves on Co-products
Matt Hersom - Forage-Based Replacement Heifer Management
Brad Austin - Utilization of Biosolids for Pasture Fertilization
Maria Silveira - Utilization of Limpograss for Grazing
Joao Vendramini
Biographies
AUSTIN, BRAD
UF/IFAS, Department of Animal Sciences; Gainesville, FL
Mr. Brad Austin is a native of Florida. He received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Florida, with his M.S.
focusing on the use of liquid supplements in yearling cattle. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. under Dr. Joel
Yelich and Dr. Matt Hersom, focusing on replacement heifer management systems.
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CHASE, CHAD
USDA - STARS; Brooksville, FL
Dr. Chad Chase is a Research Animal Scientist at the Subtropical Agricultural Research Station for 19 years. Dr.
Chase received his B.S. from Colorado State University, M.S. from Oklahoma State University, and his Ph.D.
from Texas A&M University.
GARRICK, DORIAN
Iowa State University; Ames, IA
Dr. Dorian Garrick was appointed to the Jay Lush endowed Chair in Animal Breeding & Genetics at Iowa State
University in August 2007 following five years at Colorado State University. He received a First Class Honors
degree in Agricultural Science from Massey University in New Zealand and a Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Since 1994 Dr. Garrick has held the A.L. Rae Chair at Massey University. He has been integrally involved in the
development and implementation of national animal evaluation programs, performance recording databases and
breeding schemes. He has worked in the design of experiments to detect major genes and to exploit them in
breeding programs. Dr. Garrick views animal breeding in a systems context, involving the integration of
knowledge and understanding of business goals, production systems, processing and marketing, in concert with
quantitative and molecular genetics. He has worked with a variety of genetic improvement programs, including
beef cattle, dairy cattle, dual-purpose sheep, fine-wooled sheep, pigs, elk, salmon, and tree breeding.
Dr. Garrick works well with other researchers and equally enjoys working with enthusiastic producer and industry
groups that seek to include animal breeding approaches in the attainment of their farm or ranch business goals.
Dr. Garrick is a Director of the US National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium.
HERSOM, MATT
UF/IFAS, Department of Animal Sciences; Gainesville, FL
Dr. Matt Hersom began at the University of Florida, in January 2004 as an Assistant Professor and Extension
Beef Cattle Specialist. His specific area of emphasis includes development of strategic nutritional and
supplementation programs to optimize beef cattle performance utilizing forage and roughage based diets and
evaluation of calf production and growing practices to improve animal performance in integrated beef production
systems. Extension areas address expanding education experiences in beef cattle nutrition, implementation of
optimal supplementation strategies for Florida cow-calf production, and development of increased pasture and
forage utilization and management.
LACY, CURT
The University of Georgia; Tifton, GA
Dr. Curt Lacy is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the
University of Georgia. Dr. Lacy received his B.S. in Agricultural and Extension Education, M.S., and Ph.D. in
Agricultural Economics, all from Mississippi State University. Dr. Lacy's extension interests include
Agribusiness, Agricultural Marketing and Consumer Demand, Production and Marketing in Livestock, Farm
Management and Production Economics with Emphasis in Livestock, and Production Economics and Policy.
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LAWRENCE, JOHN
Iowa State University; Ames, IA
Dr. John Lawrence was raised on a crop-livestock farm in southwest Iowa and operated the farm before attending
college. Dr. Lawrence received his B.S. in Animal Science and M.S. in Economics at Iowa State University and
Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri. After one and a half years at the University of
Minnesota, Dr. Lawrence joined the Iowa state University in 1991 where he serves as the Extension Livestock
Economist and Professor in the Department of Economics. His primary responsibilities include: farm level costs,
marketing and risk management for cattle and hog producers and production and processing industry structure,
and conducted applied research in livestock economics state and regional competitiveness issues of beef and
pork production. He writes a regular newsletter, has published extensively in magazines and has over 25 peer
reviewed articles, has made over 600 formal presentations in 22 states and 5 Canadian provinces, Mexico, and
South Korea, and consults directly with producers, policy makers, and industry leaders on livestock issues. Dr.
Lawrence also serves as the Director for the Iowa Beef Center and the Assistant Director of the Iowa Agricultural
and Home Economics Experiment Station.
PARISH, JANE
Mississippi State University ; Starksville, MS
Dr. Jane Parish is a native of northeast Texas and was active in showing livestock in FFA as a youth. She earned
a B.S. in Animal Science and Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University (College Station), a M.S. in
Agricultural and Applied Economics from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. in Animal Science with emphasis in
forage systems for beef cattle from the University of Georgia. Dr. Parish is highly involved with beef cattle
associations serving as secretary and advisor for the Mississippi Beef Cattle Improvement Association, board
member for the Mississippi Hereford Association, and advisor for the Mississippi State University Collegiate
Cattlemen's Club. She recently co-chaired the Beef Improvement Federation annual convention hosted in
Mississippi in 2006. Dr. Parish writes for the Cattle Business in Mississippi magazine and also the Angus
Journal as the Mid-South Atlantic region Angus Advisor columnist on a monthly basis. She is currently an
associate professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at
Mississippi State University. Dr. Parish supervises management of the beef cattle research herds at the Leveck
Animal Research Center on the Mississippi State University campus that include Angus, Charolais, and Hereford
cattle. In addition, she is involved with Clear Water Cattle in Aberdeen, MS, a purebred Charolais operation with
her husband Jimmy Ray Parish.
SAVELL, JESSE
UF/IFAS, Department of Animal Sciences; Gainesville, FL
Mr. Jesse Savell received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Florida, in Animal Science. Jesse has
managed the UF/IFAS Beef Teaching Unit for the past four years and has recently accepted a position at the
University of Florida as Academic Coordinator of on-campus teaching facilities.
SILVEIRA, MARIA
UF/IFAS, Range Cattle Research and Education Center; Ona, FL
Dr. Maria Silveira, Soil Scientist, received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Soil Science from University of Sao
Paulo, Brazil. After earning her Ph.D., Dr. Silveira worked as a Post Doctoral and Research Associate at the
University of Florida and Texas A&M University. Her research and extension programs at the UF/IFAS Range
Cattle Research and Education Center focus on soil fertility and environmental nutrient management practices
for sustainable forage production. Research interest includes nutrient management strategies that result in
optimum forage production and profitability, while protecting Florida water resources. Dr. Silveira is a member of
the Soil Science Society of America, America Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and
Brazilian Soil Science Society.
SMITH, KERRY
USDA/Agricultural Marketing Service ; Washington D.C.
Dr. Kerry Smith is a Livestock and Meat Marketing Specialist of the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural
Marketing Service, Livestock and Seed Program, Standards, Analysis and Technology Branch.
Kerry received her B.S. and M.S. from the University of Florida, in Animal Science, with her M.S. having a meat
science and muscle biology emphasis. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in Animal
Science, also with a meat science and muscle biology emphasis. Specific Program areas and projects include
the development of marketing claim standards such as grass fed and naturally raised; instrument grading
initiatives task force; microbiological/food safety advisor for the National School Lunch Program; and review of
meat purchase specifications.
THRIFT, TODD
UF/IFAS, Department of Animal Sciences; Gainesville, FL
Dr. Todd Thrift received his B.S at the University of Kentucky in Animal Science, an M.S. at Oklahoma State
University in Ruminant Nutrition, and a Ph.D. at Texas A&M University in Physiology of Reproduction. Dr. Thrift
has been with the University of Florida's Department of Animal Science for seven years in a 70% teaching, 30%
extension position in Beef Cattle Management. His teaching appointment has him teaching Cow/Calf
Management, Beef Cattle Nutrition, and Stocker/Feedlot Management. His extension appointment has him
focusing as a Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator and with the National Animal I.D. Prior to coming to the
University of Florida; Dr. Thrift worked for Texas A&M University, as a beef cattle specialist for five years.
VENDRAMINI, JOAO
UF/IFAS, Range Cattle Research and Education Center; Ona, FL
Dr. Joao (Joe) Vendramini, Forage Specialist at the Range Cattle Research and Education Center, Ona, FL,
received his M.S. in Animal Science from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and a Ph.D. in Agronomy from the
University of Florida. He has been closely involved with animal production and worked as a Farm Manager in a
large-scale beef cattle operation in Southern Brazil, which collectively maintained more than 10,000 beef cattle;
2,400 acres of sugarcane; and 1,200 acres of soybean and corn. After he earned his PhD, Dr. Vendramini
worked as Assistant Professor - Forage Specialist at Texas A&M University. His research program at the UF/
IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center in Ona, focuses on management of warm-season grasses,
different aspects of the plant-animal interface in grazing systems, and effects of supplementation on forage
utilization and animal performance. He is a member of the America Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society
of America, America Society of Animal Science, and Professional Animal Science.
YELICH, JOEL
UF/IFAS, Department of Animal Sciences; Gainesville, FL
Dr. Joel Yelich is an Associate Professor with the UF/IFAS, Deparment of Animal Sciences,in a 60% research,
40% teaching in Reproduction Physiology. Dr. Yelich’s research is centered on the application of the advanced
research technologies to enhance and optimize reproductive efficiency in beef cattle. Current research interests
include: manipulation of follicular growth and development to control ovulation in beef cattle to maximize the
effectiveness of estrous synchronization and timed artificial insemination; the effect of nutrition on the onset of
puberty and fertility in pre-puberal and puberal yearling beef heifers; characterization of early embryonic loss that
occurs between day 30 to 60 of gestation in beef cattle; and the influence of nutrition on follicular development,
return to estrus, and rebreeding efficiency in postpartum beef cows.