Kelley Speaks to Colombian Cattlemen

Dr. Stanley Kelley, Associate Professor of Animal Science, was invited by the American Brahman Breeders Association and AsoCebu to give a presentation at the National Cebu Show and annual conference, held this year in Medelline, Colombia. The title of his presentation was 'Performance Resources and Expected Progeny Differences.' His goal was to better educate Colombian beef cattle producers on how to use data collected by the breed associations to enhance the quality of their livestock through improved genetics.

"I was very impressed with the quality of the Colombian cattle and the producers are really interested in making better use of technological advancements in their breeding programs," says Kelley. Since Colombia is a foot and mouth disease area, cattle are unable to be exported into the states. However, the elite breeders in Colombia are making use of genetic resources from throughout the world and are continually importing cattle to make improvements in their herds.

While in Colombia, Kelley toured the national breeding show, local agricultural production systems and became familiar with the Colombian cattle and meat marketing programs.

"While the methods of raising cattle in Colombia for their markets are quite different from practices employed in the U.S., we share a common goal to put a desirable and consistent product in front of the consumer. That can only be accomplished through better employment of genetic information in our breeding programs," says Kelley.