By Angie Stump Denton, BIF communications Coordinator, KSU
Registration is open for the 2017 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Annual Meeting and Research Symposium. This year’s event will be May 31 to June 3 at the Athens Classic Center in Athens, Georgia.
Early registration deadline is May 1. Attendees can save $100 by preregistering. Online and pdf registration options are available at http://www.beefimprovement.org.
This year’s BIF symposium features two and a half days of educational programming and a full day of tours. The first morning’s general session — “The Current Value and Future Promise of Genomics for Beef Improvement” — will feature Keith Bertrand and Daniela Lourenco, University of Georgia; Tom Lawlor, Holstein Association USA; Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska; and Alison Van Eenennaam, University of California – Davis. The second day’s general session, “Profitability Using the Tools We Have,” will include presentation by Todd Thrift, University of Florida; Darrh Bullock, University of Kentucky; Donnell Brown, R. A. Brown Ranch; Larry Keenan, Red Angus Association of America; Justin Rhinehart, University of Tennessee; and Gary Fike, Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity Cooperative.
The afternoon breakout sessions will focus on a range of beef-production and genetic-improvement topics. The conference also features a Young Producer Symposium on Wednesday afternoon, designed to network and equip young cattle producers with essential knowledge as they grow their role in the business. Wednesday evening following the kick-off reception is the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) Symposium.
For more conference details, including registration information, complete schedule and lodging information visit http://www.beefimprovement.org or contact University of Georgia host Ronnie Silcox at rsilcox@uga.edu or 706-542-9102.
Each year the BIF symposium draws a large group of leading seedstock and commercial beef producers, academics and allied industry partners. The attendance list is a “who’s who” of the beef value chain, offering great networking opportunities and conversations about the issues of the day. Program topics focus on how the beef industry can enhance value through genetic improvement across a range of attributes that affect the value chain.
