A better carcase, through better EBVs
Improving carcase quality is something achievable with EBVs and a recent project examined how well the EBVs of sires entered into the ASBP predicted the performance of their progeny. The work found that the EBVs of sires in cohorts 5,6 and 7 provided an accurate prediction of their carcase genetics,
Improve Growth with EBVs
EBVs enable breeders to increase the genetic merit of their herd through the selection of individuals with better growth genetics. A recent project examining how well EBVs predicted the performance of progeny by sires in the ASBP,
Birth and Fertility reliably predicted by EBVs
How well EBVs describe the performance of progeny was part of a recent project examining bulls and their progeny involved in the Angus Sire Benchmarking programs cohorts 5,6 and 7.
Collecting structural scores on Angus animals
Structure can be an important component of a breeding program, with structural scores accepted for animals less than 750 days of age, for inclusion in TACE, or mature females as part of recent work into Research Breeding Values (RBVs).
Understanding Management Groups
Breeding values allow breeders to compare the genetic merit of animals raised in potentially very different environmental conditions. These environmental factors are not genetic and so cannot benefit a breeding program through the progeny.
Collecting Mature Cow Weights
Mature cow weight has been a topical trait in 2020 and whether your breeding program aims to increase, decrease or remain constant the genetic merit of the herd for the trait,
Common performance recording problems
The term “rubbish in – rubbish out” is often used when discussing the requirements of performance recording with the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE). In other words, the reliability of the Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) that are produced for the animals in a seedstock herd is a direct reflection of the reliability (or quality) of the information that is submitted to Angus Australia.
Measuring docility to improve it
Docility measurements are typically taken at weaning, which has the advantage of all calves having had minimal handling and so can express variation in their temperament. This variation is important because a big part of the temperament we see in animals is the result of their past handling.
Understand what the EBV means in real terms
If I set a threshold of +4.0kg for birth weight and won’t use bulls with EBVs above this, then we will get a set of bulls that reflect this and any other EBV cut offs put in place.
Take care when setting EBV thresholds
The use of set thresholds when making breeding decisions is an important component of utilising EBVs within a breeding program, however if the thresholds are too tight they can impact the potential gains of the program.
