Speakers and program

Casey Jentz, chief operations officer of the American Angus Association, will provide a GeneMax program overview and updates.

As part of a panel discussion, Angus breeder Paul Bennett of Red House, Virginia, will talk about how GeneMax Advantage fits into customer conversations.

One of Bennett’s customers and GeneMax user Shelton Miles of Gladys, Va., will speak about data-driven decisions as a commercial producer and how he’s leveraged GeneMax Advantage to make notable genetic progress. 

Miles operates River Bluff Farm and focuses on raising commercial Angus cattle, with a particular emphasis on selecting for traits like tenderness, marbling and feed efficiency using genomic data from GeneMax Advantage. His breeding program is exclusively natural service. 

Shelton uses several marketing channels. He develops and sells bred heifers; sells feeder steers in pot loads through tele-auction, often to repeat buyers; and runs a freezer beef program, selling directly to customers in his local area as well as in Southside, Central, Southwest and Tidewater Virginia. He also serves as a full-time Baptist minister in his community and has served on state boards related to water management.