Martinez, Charley

September, 2023

By: Smith, Katy V. ; DeLong, Karen L.; Griffith, Andrew P.; Boyer, Christopher N.; Martinez, Charley; Jensen, Kimberley L.
Genomic enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) combine expected progeny differences (EPDs) with DNA information to improve EPD accuracy values. In 2020, Tennessee cattle producers completed a between-subjects choice experiment for bulls marketed with either EPDs or GE-EPDs. Panel Tobit regression results indicate that, on average across all considered EPDs, producers were not willing to pay significantly more for GE-EPDs than for EPDs. However, producers were willing to pay more for the calving ease direct EPD if it was genomic enhanced. This is the first known study to evaluate producersÕ value of improved accuracy scores associated with GE-EPDs.

May, 2021

By: Boyer, Christopher ; Burdine, Kenny ; Rhinehart, Justin ; Martinez, Charley
We simulated beef cattle producersÕ returns to shortening a 120-day calving season to 45 and 60 days by replacing late-calving cows for two herd sizes. We developed dynamic simulation models to consider production and price risk. We explored outcomes from annually replacing 10% or 20% of the late-calving cows to reach the desired calving-season length. The optimal scenario depends on herd size and whether the producer wants to maximize profits or certainty equivalent. The smaller herd benefited more from shortening calving season relative to the large herd.