Genomics for commercial Angus cattle
| Project start date: | 20 June 2020 |
| Project end date: | 25 June 2026 |
| Project status: | In progress |
| Livestock species: | Grass-fed Cattle |
| Relevant regions: | NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania |
| Site location: | North east Victoria: Mudgegonga; Rosewhite; Charleroi; Biggara; Tintaldra; Bringenbrong |
Summary
This Producer Demonstration site aims to demonstrate the value of genomics as a tool to improve the selection of replacement heifers; improve the selection of sires; make faster genetic gains and better achieve stated breeding objectives.
Objectives
By June 2026, across six beef producers in the north east of Victoria:
1. Demonstrate the benefits of genomic profiling on heifer selection including:
(a) That it is a useful objective indicator of genetic merit that is not influenced by environment
(b) That it provides insight into a range of traits that are otherwise invisible to most commercial heifer selection processes.
2. Undertake analysis to evaluate:
(a) The genetic merit of each herd compared to the producers own breeding objective.
(b) That genetic progress is reflected in the performance of steers on farm and in feedlot.
3. Conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine the financial impact on genomic profiling on:
(a) Better bull purchases to correct deficient traits.
(b) Earlier decision making about which heifers to select as replacements.
(c) Older cows in the herd to be culled/retained on genetic merit rather than simply age (2025 & 2026).
4. As a result of a variety of extension and communication activities:
(a) 100% of core and 80% of observer producers have increased their skill, knowledge and confidence in the use of genomics in cattle breeding.
(b) 100% of core producers and 40% of observer producers will have adopted or intend to adopt genomic profiling to increase the rate of genetic gain in their herds.
Progress
“Genomics for commercial Angus’ is evaluating the usefulness of a genomic tool to increase the rate of genetic progress in commercial herds. The six core producers have just sampled their third cohort of heifer calves, have selected and joined the second cohort of heifers and have just calved the first cohort of heifers.
An emerging purpose of the trial is to discover what other decisions can be better informed with the genomic data and how the data can be used to create a return greater that the cost of collecting and managing it. This is an emergent process over time, as further generations of females have a TBV and future known and currently unknown decisions may or may not be informed by the data.
The project has generated enthusiastic discussion on the role and function of genetics and collecting and managing data in commercial beef enterprises. At this stage, the focus has been on using the data to inform heifer selection and to measure the herds genetic potential compared to the producer’s breeding objective. We are also beginning to measure the effect of retaining low liveweight / high TBV heifers that would have been culled if selection was based on liveweight alone.
