Links Purpose Genetic improvement of beef cattle is a process that has been occurring for many years. However, in recent years use of genetic resources to improve reproduction, growth and efficiency, and carcass characteristics has reached a much greater importance in the beef cattle industry. The genetic improvement of beef cattle is a very complex issue for many reasons.
Beef cattle produce high quality protein and other nutrients for human consumption.
However, beef cattle produce this food by utilization of land and forage that is typically unavailable for use in direct human food production. These lands and forages occur in highly variable environments, requiring cows with different genetic potentials for optimum production. Adding complexity to the problem of genetic improvement is a high degree of segmentation of the industry from the seedstock producer to the consumer of nutritious and tasty meat. The myriad of potential owners of an animal during its life compete with one another and do not all place value on the same traits. The purpose of this committee is to develop improved methods of genetic improvement, to disseminate new information, and educate the industry on genetic improvement methodologies.