UNL Heifer Development Center Year 1 Meeting

UNL Heifer Development Center First Year Wrap-Up  (Oct 2)

With the U.S. cowherd at historic lows, the University of Nebraska—Lincoln is focusing on how to grow the cowherd while advancing the quality of female genetics that are the foundation of the U.S. beef industry.

The Great Plains Heifer Development Center at UNL’s Haskell Ag Lab near Concord was launched in the winter of 2023 as part of that effort and is wrapping up its first year. Anyone interested is welcome to join a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Haskell Ag Lab to review what researchers and enrolled producers learned and to discuss the program and related topics.

The heifer development program gives producers game-changing genomic, performance, and reproductive data about their replacement females years ahead of traditional on-the-ranch data tracking. It is a platform for testing cutting-edge technologies while aligning with Beef Improvement Federation genetic goals to advance industry standards.

The Heifer Development Center had a great impact in its first year and Biehler and others at UNL are excited to continue working with producers to focus on female genetic improvement in the U.S. cowherd.

The enrollment period for 2025 opens Tuesday, Oct. 1. More information and enrollment criteria are available online at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/hal/unl-heifer-development-center-first-year-wrap-up/. Register for the meeting or request more information by contacting Connor Biehler at 402-624-8030 or . Please RSVP by Friday, Sept. 27.