Genetic Gains: Enhancing Technology Adoption Across the Angus Genetic Improvement Pipeline
In the competitive world of cattle breeding, innovation and technology are crucial to staying ahead.
From 2018 – 2022, a project, “Enhancing Technology Adoption Across the Angus Genetic Improvement Pipeline,” has been driving significant advancements in Angus and Angus-influenced cattle breeding across Australia. The initiative, a collaboration between Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company (MDC) and Angus Australia, has not only met but exceeded its goals, promising a bright future for the beef industry.
Aiming High: The Project’s Goals
The project had a clear and comprehensive set of objectives:
- Educational Empowerment: Develop and deliver educational programs to help breeders understand the immense benefits of genetic improvement.
- Innovative Tools: Create and implement decision support tools for better breeding decisions.
- Proof-of-Concept: Conduct analyses to showcase the benefits of genetic improvement, especially for new traits.
- Northern Support: Aid breeders in Northern Australia with adapted and improved Angus genetics.
- Skill Development: Enhance the capabilities of young breeders through collective learning focused on commercial beef production.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Establish effective consultative processes to address industry needs.
- Quantitative Surveys: Measure practice and attitude changes resulting from education and extension investments.
Remarkable Achievements and Industry Impact
The project’s success is evident in its impressive results:
The project has not only increased the annual rate of genetic improvement by 12.3%, but it has also ensured significant knowledge transfer, skill development, and practice change within the Angus breeding community. These advancements translate into a projected additional genetic gain valued at $38.4 million by 2032 and an astounding $200.1 million by 2052 for the Angus-influenced beef value chain.
Shaping the Future: Recommendations and Continued Investment
To sustain and further enhance these gains, the project emphasizes the need for ongoing investment in extension methods and technology adoption. Key recommendations include:
- Education and Extension Through Breed Societies: Utilizing trusted sources to provide information and support.
- Specialty Programs for Specific Groups: Tailored extension programs for seedstock producers, commercial producers, and key industry stakeholders such as stock agents or young members.
- Catalyst for Broader Industry Information: Breed societies should act as information hubs for the broader beef industry beyond their regular member base.
Advancing Angus: Extension campaigns hit home
The Angus cattle industry in Australia has experienced significant advancements in genetic improvement thanks to a series of targeted workshops, advisory sessions, and innovative online events spearheaded by Angus Australia.
These initiatives have played a crucial role in enhancing knowledge, fostering practice change, and driving genetic improvement within the Australian Angus herd.
Here are some of the various activities and their outcomes.
Southern Service Provider Workshops
A key highlight has been the five Southern Service Provider workshops held in Southern Australia. These workshops aimed to keep genetics and service providers abreast of the latest developments in Angus Australia’s programs, including Breed Development and Strategic Projects.
- Goal: 5 workshops
- Achieved: 5 workshops
- Attendees: 84
- Average Value Rating: 9.2
- Average Likelihood for Practice
Change: 8.65
One-on-One Advisory Sessions
Despite significant disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 61 personalized advisory sessions were conducted. These sessions were pivotal in increasing understanding and encouraging genetic improvement practices among influential seedstock breeders across Australia.
- Goal: 150 sessions
- Achieved: 61 sessions
- Average Value Rating: 9.2
- Average Likelihood for Practice
Change: 8.8
Online Events
General Online Events
Angus Australia adapted swiftly to the pandemic by hosting 23 online events. These events focused on disseminating the latest research outcomes and upcoming enhancements to the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation.
- Goal: 5 workshops
- Achieved: 23 workshops
- Online Attendees: 2,349
- Online Views: 10,533
- Average Value Rating: 7.9
- Average Likelihood for Practice
Change: 7.64
Selection Intensity – Semen Sires
Five Spring Bull Night events were held online, aimed at raising awareness of available Angus bulls and enhancing selection intensity within breeding programs.
- Goal: 5 events
- Achieved: 5 events
- Online Views: 12,200
- Average Value Rating: 7.2
- Average Likelihood for Practice
Change: 8.3
Educational Modules
The Angus Education Centre saw the release of 11 new learning modules, surpassing the initial goal of 10. These modules cover a range of topics from genetic conditions in Angus cattle to best practices for performance recording.
- Average Views per Year: 55,000 unique views
Communication and Extension Campaigns
Angus Australia’s communication efforts led to a significant growth in engagement, with over 280 campaigns across social media platforms, doubling our follower base.
- Goal: 200 campaigns
- Achieved: 280 campaigns
- Result: More than 100% increase in social media followers
External Presentations and Staff Training
Ten external presentations and 16 staff training sessions were conducted, exceeding the original goals. These efforts have been instrumental in spreading knowledge about new breeding and genetic technologies.
- Goal for Presentations: 5
- Achieved: 10
- Goal for Staff Training Sessions: 5
- Achieved: 16
New Printed Resources
Sixteen new printed educational resources were developed, well beyond the target of 4. These resources address various aspects of genetic improvement and performance recording.
Member Enquiries and Support
The project also excelled in resolving member enquiries, addressing 1,512 queries related to genetic improvement, surpassing the goal of 1,000.
Decision Support Tools
Innovative decision support tools have been a cornerstone of the project.
The AngusSELECT suite, including tools like SaleSELECT and SemenSELECT, has been expanded with 15 new features, exceeding the goal of 10. These tools assist breeders in making informed breeding decisions.
- Angus Mating Predictor: Helps estimate the genetic outcomes of mating combinations, with over 5,000 scenarios evaluated monthly.
- Angus Mobile App: Provides a convenient database search tool for use in the field.
The comprehensive suite of workshops, advisory sessions, online events, and educational resources developed by Angus Australia has significantly advanced the genetic improvement of Angus cattle. These initiatives have not only increased knowledge and skills among breeders but have also led to measurable improvements in breeding practices, promising a prosperous future for the Angus cattle industry in Australia.
What they said: The Beef Breeding Stakeholder Survey
The Beef Breeding Stakeholder Survey, conducted over the past four years, offers a revealing look into the evolving practices of cattle breeders. With a particular focus on the use of genetic information and its impact on breeding decisions, the study sheds light on self-assessed genetic knowledge, the importance of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), and the perspectives of cattle producers, especially within Angus Australia. This survey also explores the role of EBVs in cattle production outcomes and the preferred sources of information influencing breeders’ decisions.
Self-Rated Genetic Knowledge
- Steadfast Knowledge Levels: Producers’ self-assessment of genetic knowledge has remained largely consistent over the past four years. Notably, there has been a slight increase in the proportion
of participants rating their knowledge as 9 or 10 out of 10, rising from 25% in 2019 to 28% in 2023. This suggests a steady confidence in genetic understanding among breeders.
- Knowledge Enhancement Trends: A significant 68% of respondents reported an improvement in their understanding of genetics over the past five years. Angus Australia members showed an even higher rate
of knowledge growth at 75%. This trend spans across various age groups and experience levels in cattle production.
Notably, 35% of producers who improved their genetic knowledge had attended an Angus Australia event or accessed its resources. Half of these producers made changes to their bull selection or breeding decisions based on this new knowledge.
Importance of Selection Criteria and EBVs
- Key Selection Criteria: The survey identified temperament as the most highly rated selection criterion, scoring 9.3 out of 10. This was followed by visual appraisal, polledness, BULLCHECK, genetic conditions, coat colour, and EBVs.
- EBVs in Bull Selection: The role of EBVs in bull selection has grown, with 60% of producers consistently considering them in their selection criteria. Among Angus Australia members, this figure jumps to 79%, underscoring the importance of EBVs in making informed breeding decisions.
- Increased Utilization of EBVs: Compared to five years ago, 46% of survey respondents reported increased use of EBVs, while 52% maintained a consistent level of usage. This shift highlights a growing recognition of EBVs’ value in improving breeding outcomes.
Impact of EBVs and Breeding Outcomes
- Positive Impact on Businesses: A significant 64% of respondents noted that EBVs had positively impacted their cattle businesses. This figure was slightly higher among Angus Australia members at 69%, compared to 62% among other breed society members.
- Range of Benefits: Producers reported various benefits from incorporating EBVs, including increased calving ease (46%), higher average weaning weights (26%), improved market compliance (16%), enhanced growth rates (12%), lower birth weights (11%), and better temperament (10%).
- Key EBVs for Selection: The top five EBVs identified as crucial for selection criteria included temperament, Intramuscular Fat (IMF), 400-day weight, Eye Muscle Area (EMA), and Milk.
Sources of Knowledge and Learning Preferences
- Primary Sources of EBV & Technology Knowledge: Producers predominantly gained EBV knowledge from industry sources (32%), independent research (27%), and work experience (17%).
Angus Australia information, catalogues, workshops/seminars, and online content also played significant roles.
- Role of Angus Australia: Angus Australia emerged as a valuable source of EBV information, particularly for its members (27%) and other breed society members (14%). Conversations with key industry figures were the most influential source among Angus Australia members (32%).
Selection Indexes and Technological Adoption
- Selection Indexes and Utilization: Selection indexes were used sometimes by 39% of respondents and always by 31%, with higher utilization among Angus Australia members at 40% and 41%, respectively. Additionally, 43% of respondents reported using selection indexes more frequently than five years ago.
- AngusONLINE Adoption: About 34% of producers utilized the AngusONLINE suite of tools, with increased usage reported by 58% of users. This adoption was notably higher in southern states, indicating its positive reception and impact.
Catalyst for Change
The survey presents a detailed analysis of producers’ attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes related to knowledge acquisition, adoption of new practices, and the impact on cattle production over the four-year period from 2019 to 2023.
- Growing Willingness for Change: An impressive 97% of respondents expressed readiness to make changes to their farming practices after gaining new knowledge or skills, up from 87% in 2019. This indicates a significant openness to innovation and adaptation within the industry.
- Key Information Sources: Producers predominantly sought information from peers and industry experts, with popular sources including other farmers neighbors (56%), bull breeders (52%), and breed societies (52%). Angus Australia was a primary source for 83% of its members.
- Perceived Value of Sources: Bull breeders and breed societies were rated as the most valuable sources of information, each scoring 4.2 out of 5.
- Participation in Angus Australia Events and Resources: Around 30% of respondents attended Angus Australia events or used its resources over the past five years, with higher participation in New South Wales (36%) and Victoria (39%).
- Impact of Angus Australia Interaction: Of those who engaged with Angus Australia, 47% reported implementing changes to their bull selection and breeding decisions, with 34% highlighting increased utilization and understanding of EBVs.
- Resulting Impact on Productivity and Profitability: Changes from Angus Australia interactions led to improved breeding outcomes (24%), better quality animals (19%), and enhanced productivity and profitability (19%).
- Catalytic Role of Angus Australia: A significant 47% of respondents believed that changes in their practices would not have occurred without Angus Australia events or resources.
- Effective Learning Preferences: Producers preferred personalized learning experiences, with one-on-one discussions rated highest (4.1 out of 5), followed by reading materials (3.9), farm walks (3.6), and informal group discussions (3.3).
The survey response highlights a growing enthusiasm for change among cattle producers, emphasizing the importance of improving genetic knowledge and bull selection practices. Angus Australia’s role as a key source of information and catalyst for positive changes in the industry is evident.
Conclusion
The “Enhancing Technology Adoption Across the Angus Genetic Improvement Pipeline” project stands as a testament to the power of strategic collaboration and innovation. By effectively combining education, innovative tools, and industry engagement, it has set a new standard for genetic improvement in cattle breeding.
As the beef industry continues to evolve, the lessons and successes from this project will undoubtedly serve as a blueprint for future advancements, ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of global cattle breeding excellence.
– Jake Phillips, Extension Manager
