NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
February 17, 2000
A national expert on using ultrasound to help beef producers make management decisions will speak in Bismarck on Friday, Feb. 25.
The free session, sponsored by the North Dakota State University Extension Service and the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, begins at 7 p.m. at the Doublewood Inn and is open to all interested producers. The speaker is Bill Beal, an animal scientist at Virginia Tech.
"Ultrasound technology has advanced dramatically in the past few years," says Charlie Stoltenow, NDSU Extension veterinarian. "Consumers want better products, and producers want to become more efficient. Ultrasound has become a tool to help us meet both those demands."
Where ultrasound was primarily used to pregnancy check cattle, it is now used to determine the sex of unborn calves, to detect reproductive abnormalities and to diagnose reproductive difficulties, Stoltenow says. Those new uses allow producers to make informed management decisions sooner and keep herd productivity on track.
Ultrasound can also be used to manage carcass traits in beef by measuring backfat, ribeye area and marbling. "We used to have to wait until slaughter to measure those traits. Now we can use measurements in live cattle to improve marketing decisions or make breeding selections," Stoltenow says.
Beal will discuss the use of ultrasound for reproductive management and for carcass evaluation. His research focuses on applied reproductive physiology in beef cattle including estrous synchronization methods and embryo transfer techniques. He is an expert in the use of ultrasound for monitoring ovarian function and pregnancy in cattle. He also directs the operation of a purebred herd at Virginia Tech, and he and his family raise Angus cattle.
Beal will also be conducting a continuing education course in advanced ultrasound techniques for veterinarians on Saturday, Feb. 26.
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Source: Charlie Stoltenow (701) 231-7522
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 23-9629