One of the primary reasons the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) was founded in 1968 was to bring standardization to performance testing. This started out with straightforward items like how many days to adjust weaning records, and evolved into the complicated formulas used to calculate genetic predictions.
Up until this new web-based wiki document—wiki is software that allows a group of users to edit and share information on a website—there had been nine editions of the BIF Guidelines published as paper books. However, the content became stale quickly and had become more of a documentation of where the industry had been rather than where it was going.
In 2018, Dr. Lauren Hyde and Dr. Bruce Golden presented to the BIF board a new vision of the Guidelines that would be web-based using wiki software, so it could be continuously updated to keep pace with the state of the art.
However, unlike Wikipedia, BIF Guidelines revisions must go through the section heads to vet the recommendations. However, all users are encouraged to suggest additions and subtractions in order to keep the document current.
Lee Leachman was the BIF president when the three-year process of developing the new Guidelines was started. According to Leachman, the Guidelines are divided into three principal sections: data collection and processing; genetic evaluation; and selection and marketing.
“In addition, there are sections about BIF and a useful pages section that contains an invaluable essential reading list for those interested in delving deeper into all things related to beef cattle breeding.”
The writing of the wiki Guidelines was overseen by a committee that included Darrh Bullock, chair, Lee Leachman, Bob Weaber, John Genho, Mark Thallman, Dan Moser, Robert Williams, Bruce Golden, Megan Rolf, Donnell Brown and Kajal Devani. Underneath them were as many as 40 authors whose technical expertise was used for various aspects of the Guidelines. Other key people in the process included Lauren Hyde, Warren Snelling, Matt Spangler, and overall editor Merlyn Nielsen. To say the least, it was a big undertaking.
The result of these efforts is the new wiki version of the BIF Guidelines for Uniform Beef Improvement Programs (guidelines.beefimprovement.org). Dr. Bob Weaber, who will be taking over the role of BIF executive director in June, says that the need for standardization is as great as ever especially with multibreed EPDs (expected progeny differences) and novel traits.
An example of the lack of standardization can be seen in the various breeds’ Whole Herd Reporting (WHR) programs. Virtually every breed has a version of WHR, but they vary wildly in how inventories are established and what data reporting is required. In some breeds, they have no requirement for data reporting at all, which can be very misleading to customers making buying decisions based on the genetic predictions from the data normally gathered from a WHR program.
Golden feels the new more dynamic Guidelines will enhance and rejuvenate BIF’s contribution to the industry. It achieves the goal of returning the Guidelines to its role of standardization rather than just documentation. It is Golden’s hope that the Guidelines will again make BIF the first place people will go when looking at enhancing their breed improvement program. He also laments that too much gets forgotten over time, which leads to a lack of standardization.
Golden points out that calving ease maternal is a good example of a trait whose components have been forgotten over time. In reality, it is all of the genetics for a heifer to have her calf unassisted, as well as half the genetics for calving ease direct. The calving ease direct represents the genetics the dam passes to its calf for its ability to calve unassisted. Therefore, the EPD people evaluate is really calving ease total maternal.
Weaber feels the new wiki-based format will bring broader accessibility to the Guidelines, and make it more collaborative beyond just the committee. The new platform will make the Guidelines quicker and easier to update to keep pace with a rapidly evolving industry. He uses the industry focus on the measurement of novel traits such as feet and legs as a good example of where the Guidelines will need to keep pace with standardizing how these new traits are measured. It also provides more engagement of the end user rather than just academia.
Both Golden and Weaber emphasize how supportive all aspects of BIF leadership were in the process, including those that represented producers, academia and industry. It was a huge undertaking to update and convert the BIF Guidelines to the new wiki format, but the result is an altogether better, more useable document.
Summing up the effort, Leachman wrote, “As with all such efforts, the current contributors to this effort stand on the shoulders of industry greats who date back well over six decades. It would be impossible to thank all of those who have come before us, but to them we owe a debt of gratitude. On behalf of myself, the BIF board of directors, and the long line of contributors to these Guidelines, we hope that you find them useful, if not essential, to achieving your selection goals.” — Dr. Bob Hough, WLJ correspondent
“As with all such efforts, the current contributors to this effort stand on the shoulders of industry greats who date back well over six decades.”
