REGINA – The world’s Hereford producers are going global.
Jan Wills, general secretary of the World Hereford Council, says with its Hereford Global Evaluation program, the council intends to be the first of the major beef breeds to have an international database of genetics that will allow worldwide exchange of semen and genetics with full interchangeability and predictability for progeny development.
“We need to be able to compare Hereford cattle anywhere in the world on an objective and equal basis and take advantage of the best breeding traits from anywhere for anywhere,” said Wills, who attended Canadian Western Agribition Nov. 21-26 in Regina to promote the breed in Canada and talk to producers about the new genetics plan.
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Wills said Canadian breeders have produced some of the most competitive animals in the world and will benefit from this new initiative.
“Your cattle are bred to withstand extremes of climate, a wide variability of feed and they must be fast gainers in the feedlot. You are already exporters, so this will only build on your advantages and likely open new markets for genetics.”
Wills said comparing cattle internationally often involves a little science and a lot of visuals.
“Dairy cattle already have this type of system, but beef have fallen a little behind on this issue,” she said.
The Hereford research is taking place in part at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit of the University of New England in Armidale, Australia.
Previous research compared the performance of link-sire progeny groups generated from reciprocal matings of North American and Australian sires.
Eight link sires were used in the project’s early testing. So far 608 progeny have been reared on seven co-operating herds, including one in British Columbia, one in Alberta and one in Nebraska. The rest were in Australia.
At each of the co-operating farms the calves born into the program were raised in groups.
Birth weights, weaning and yearling weights were recorded, ultrasounds taken of the fat, rib-eye size and intermuscular fat dispersal and feedlot performance was analyzed.
Steer carcasses were evaluated and heifer progeny will also be examined when they are available.
Once the data is fully assessed, it can be added to information that is coming from individual national herd organizations.
Wills said global events have repeatedly delayed the project.
“Foot-and-mouth in the United Kingdom and Argentina, BSE in North America, record heat and drought in Australia. But we’re back on track now,” she said.
The Hereford council’s goal is to provide breeders with a logical, scientific link between performance characteristics and genetics independent of location, she added.
