Since its establishment in 1968, the primary purpose of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) has been to bring standardization to performance testing and evaluation. In keeping with this mission, BIF unveiled the latest version of its Guidelines for Uniform Beef Improvement Programs. After nine printed editions, the guidelines have been reinvented in a web-based Wiki format, which can be found at http://guidelines.beefimprovement.org.
“The overall result is a more dynamic set of guidelines that 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. Overall, these re-imagined guidelines will again make BIF the first place people will go when looking at enhancing their breed improvement program,” Darrh Bullock, BIF eastern regional vice president and chairman of the guidelines committee, said.
The new Wiki-based BIF Guidelines are divided into three principal sections: Data Collection and Processing, Genetic Evaluation, and Selection and Marketing.
Examples of new traits and methods that need standardization include novel traits like feet and leg scores, udder scoring, hair shedding and pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP). Feed efficiency trials, predictions for sustained fertility and whole herd reporting are other examples where best practices and uniformity between performance organizations is needed. This urgency for standardization has become even more magnified with the implementation of multi-breed EPDs by a number of organizations.
“Reinventing the guidelines was a three-year project, which started when Drs. Lauren Hyde and Bruce Golden approached the BIF board of directors with the idea of switching the guidelines from the books that had been printed in the past to the new web-based format. Although the guidelines use Wiki software, they differ from Wikipedia in that suggested updates pass through a section editor for review before inclusion in the guidelines,” Bullock said.
The writing of the guidelines involved a large number of people, including a coordinating subcommittee comprised of 11 people and a drafting committee of another seven people. They then recruited approximately 40 additional people whose expertise was used to write the draft of the various aspects of the guidelines. Dr. Merlyn Nielsen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor emeritus of animal genetics, then served as overall editor.
BIF will host its 52nd Annual Beef Improvement Federation Symposium — Online the week of June 8 starting at noon CDT each day. The new Wiki format will be discussed during the Advancement in Producer Applications breakout session on Friday at 2 p.m. For a complete schedule and to register for the free online symposium visit, BeefI mprovement.org/symposium.
For more information on the new BIF Guidelines for Uniform Beef Improvement Programs, contact Bullock at dbullock@uky.edu.