When the Rex Ranch approached the University of Nebraska in the mid-1990s looking for ways to reduce production costs associated with heifer rebreeding, animal scientists jumped at the chance to collaborate on a solution.

Long interested in the problem, researchers lacked enough cattle or manpower to tackle it. The Rex Ranch had both – and an eager willingness to work with researchers. The ranch near Ashby, Neb., runs about 1,900 heifers, far more than are available for most university studies.

"It was an ideal situation. It allowed us to accomplish a lot of things we couldn't have otherwise done," IANR Animal Scientist Don Adams said. "We were problem-solving for them and at the same time for everyone else in the beef cattle industry."

Because the research was done on a commercial ranch, results have more credibility with ranchers, Adams added.

Burke Teichert, Rex Ranch manager, called the collaboration a win-win situation. "By our participating in these kinds of projects, we can be recipients of the new knowledge that's gained at universities," he said. Teichert has applied results of the rebreeding study in his ranch practices and is participating in additional NU studies.

"They're just excellent," Teichert said of the IANR researchers. "For us, it's a privilege to be able to work with them."

– Gillian Klucas