Proof of Profit from EBV based selection

Summary

While there are several existing products which relate genetic progress to financial outcomes for beef producers, gaps remain for the estimation of the contribution of genetics to productivity gains.

This project aimed to improve breeding in northern beef enterprises by developing a tool to quantify the trend and spread on productivity gains attributable to genetic improvement, which would make the use of genetics easier for producers.

The results show that genetics has contributed to productivity gains over recent decades and that there is a considerable spread of genetic merit for productivity within years. The contribution of individual traits depends on either their relative importance in governing productivity in a given region, the magnitude of change in genetic trend, or a combination of both

Objectives

The project aims were to:

• develop a spreadsheet decision support tool that would allow inputs and return a response to selection and productivity gain estimate that differ for southern and northern production systems
• enhance existing models developed by Bush Agribusiness, by incorporating genetic selection practices to illustrate how reproductive rate may be improved.

Key findings

• An excel-based tool has been developed to demonstrate the productivity gain attributed to genetics based on region, herd structure and size, and breed (Hereford or Brahman). The tool predicts the average productivity gain attributable to genetics for the top 25% and breed for the bottom 25%.
• Results show that genetic improvement has made an overall contribution to productivity gains in Brahmans and Herefords in recent decades and can be expected to do so into the future.
• On average, genetic gain for the Brahman breed generated an additional $12/AE in gross profit/AE for commercial producers in Victoria River Downs and Katherine from 2003 to 2018.
• Producers following Hereford breed average trends in the NSW Tablelands received a $3/DSE ($25/AE benefit in gross profit/AE over the same period).
• There is considerable variation in the level of improvement within each breed as demonstrated by the difference between top and bottom 25%. Cumulative improvement in gross profit/AE was up to 1.5 times greater for the top 25% than the bottom 25% for Herefords.

Benefits to industry

This project produced an excel tool that demonstrates the productivity gain that can be achieved if a commercial producer follows along the genetic trend for three important traits: reproductive rate, mortality rate and sale weight. Key service providers have been trained to understand and utilise the tool to further benefit industry.

MLA action

MLA will house the tool for access by industry service providers. The key messages from the development and use of the tool will be integrated into current MLA extension material and workshops where appropriate.

Future research

Currently, the tool only includes Herefords and Brahmans, but there is an opportunity to expand the tool to include other breeds.

While the tool has used the best available data and methodology, improvements in financial, production, and genetic performance recording could be expected to enable more rigorous methods to be applied in the future.