K-State Research and Extension cow-calf specialist Jason Warner leads a discussion highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to sustainability in beef cattle production, incorporating genetic selection, methane emissions measurement and other factors.

“Genetics can play a really big role in getting some of those traits that are really important to sustainability, but really difficult to get without genetic selection tools,” said Megan Rolf, a geneticist and associate professor of animal science at K-State.

“When we think about sustainability from a broader perspective — and we think about the three pillars of economics, social implications and environmental implications – fertility can play a big role in the longevity of those animals because when they stay in the herd longer, the producer has more time to (recover) the costs they’ve spent in developing those females.”

K-State doctoral student Elizabeth Dressler has been using a system known as GreenFeed to measure methane emissions in cattle.

“What’s really nice about GreenFeed is that it’s portable, so we can take it out to the pastures to get those (measurements) on grazing animals,” Dressler said.

The full video is available online at https://youtu.be/t-JRWLHfLD8

More information on K-State’s work in beef cattle production is available at KSUbeef.org.VIDEO: Beef Cattle