Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series from Missouri Ruralist where we visit with next-generation researchers who will impact your farm’s future.

by Joann Pipkin

Jamie Courter’s mindset is simple: Make a difference.

As the new University of Missouri Extension state beef cattle genetics specialist and MU assistant professor, Courter embodies a true passion for her field. She has come to embrace the nuances of the career and thrives in its “every-day-is-different” environment.

A first-generation beef cattle producer, Courter says her passion is to help cattlemen and women foster a greater understanding of genomic testing and beef cattle breeding.

But she wasn’t born into the beef industry. Rather, she chose it.

On a cattle quest

Raised in Henderson, N.C., along the Virginia border, Courter is a self-professed horse girl.

“Growing up, my thought was I’ll keep cows as my job and horses as my hobby,” Courter says. “Somewhere along the line, that got blurred, and I learned more about the people in the cattle industry and what they stand for. I’ve developed a love for the industry in general.”

She first cultivated a passion for cattle and genetics as an undergraduate student at North Carolina State University. From there, she was asked to work on a master’s program at South Dakota State University in beef cattle genetics looking at different methods of predicting expected progeny differences in cattle and trying to make them better.

FUN CAREER: Jamie Courter says working with cattle and cattle producers makes her new role fulfilling.

Her next road led to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she would earn a doctorate in beef cattle behavior. That’s where she met her husband, Donny, who was working in the Nebraska Sandhills.

After graduation from UNL, Courter worked as the beef product manager for a genetics company. She likens it to an Extension agent, just for a company.

“My job was to educate people on the products and the technology and explain why it was important,” Courter says.

She held that role for five years before accepting a position as MU Extension state beef geneticist in September 2023. Now, Missouri is the couple’s home, along with their 2-year-old son, Wyatt, and daughter, Caroline, who will be 1 in October.

Build better beef herds

Beef cattle genetics can be intense and daunting to producers. Courter even calls some of the field’s technology polarizing.

“People either understand technology and are using it, they see value in it and want to understand it, they just don’t know how to implement it, or they don’t see value in it at this time,” she explains.

Her job is to explain how adopting new beef tools or practices benefits farmers and ranchers.

“My research projects are really geared toward proving the value of genomic technology,” Courter says. “Commercial producers can get predictions of genetic merit in their cow herds, even if the cows aren’t registered.”

Courter is currently assessing if commercial predictions of genetic merit represent the performance of the calf crop. She also plans to design crossbreeding experiments for producers.

“I’m just honored and very excited to have the opportunity to have this job,” she says. “I have a passion for educating, and somewhere along the line, that went from educating students to educating producers.”

Jamie Courter at a glance

Favorite truck? Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD

Favorite sports team? U.S. women’s soccer team, but generally I root for specific athletes instead of teams.

Favorite movie? Top Gun

Favorite music? ’90s and early 2000s country music, or red dirt country

Favorite beef breed? All of them!

Best decision you ever made? When I graduated from college with my animal science degree, I had an acceptance letter to vet school and an acceptance letter to graduate school. Making the decision to attend graduate school was the best decision I could’ve ever made. It set me on the path to where I am today!

Pipkin writes from Republic, Mo.