Renae Sieck: Identifying the Root of Inherited Cattle Birth Defects

Renae Sieck was the 2020 Beef State Scholarship Recipient. Renae has been doing research at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in beef cattle genetics. 
"My passion for livestock genetics was initiated growing up in a family that raises beef cattle. In my time showing heifers in 4-H and FFA, my parents ensured I was a part of the mating decisions for my animals. Through this, I found I enjoyed looking at bull sale catalogs and learning about expected progeny differences. 
This interest led me to major in animal science when I enrolled in college at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL). I was hired as an intern with Neogen Genomics, where I got to further my experience with livestock genetic testing. After undergraduate graduation, I enrolled in a master’s degree program in the UNL Animal Science Department with a focus on animal breeding and genetics. During this time, I was fortunate to be selected as the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Beef State Scholarship recipient. This scholarship has allowed me to continue in my master’s program and focus on performing research that I hope will help the beef industry. In this article, I will describe some of the research I did as part of my master’s degree program where I worked to identify the root of an inherited cattle defect. "
Read Renae's article in the 2021 June/July Nebraska Cattleman Magazine (page 36) here.