Three animal science doctoral students, under the direction of Drs. Clare Gill and Andy Herring, made presentations in Radzicz, Poland on July 25, 2017 at the Karmowski Ranch.

Bailey Engle of Big Timber, Mont., Kaitlyn Sarlo Dávila of Fort Myers, Fla., and Kathy Sciencki of Cape Girardeau, Mo., were invited to speak by Jacek Karmowski and his son, Łukasz. The Karmowski’s manage one of Poland’s largest beef cattle herds, consisting of approximately 400 Limousin cattle.

The Karmowski herd has been extremely influential within the country, as the ranch is among the first within Poland to import semen and implement artificial insemination.

Raising beef cattle is nothing new to Poland, however, commercial production has only been in place since the early 1990s. Beef cattle producers have been seeking new technologies and observing how the United States beef cattle industry operates in order to obtain a better grasp on managing and operating their herds. In addition, increasing desires for higher quality meat and new export opportunities have recently surfaced. Hence, knowledge on improving growth and meat quality is being highly sought within the country.

Given these factors, the three students delivered two presentations: “Tools for the Selection of Beef Breeding Animals” and “Crossbreeding.” Engle and Dávila delivered the information to the audience in English, while Scienski translated each slide to Polish.

The first presentation focused on performance records, pedigrees, and estimated breeding values (EBVs). Although much of Europe relies on EBVs, Poland does not currently have a system in place. The second presentation strived to elucidate the many benefits of crossbreeding cattle and crossbreeding systems. A hesitation to crossbreed remains within Poland, as the majority of beef cattle producers rely on purebred stocks. Consequently, great interest was shown and many inquiries were made relating to this presentation.

Although originally anticipated to be a small gathering, the meeting’s attendance flourished as the presentation topics attracted beef cattle producers and curious individuals from all corners of the country. There were approximately 50 attendees, including representatives from the Polish Beef Association and Schaumann, a large European-based company focused on improving livestock production. Those from the Polish Beef Association especially showed interest, as they strive to develop and improve their managerial tactics nationwide.

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For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Maggie Tucker at maggie.tucker@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.