There are steady advances in DNA testing of beef animals, and it has potential to improve the bottom line for cattle producers.
Steven James, director of research and development for Quantum Genetix, said genotype and phenotype information on bulls and replacement heifers can indicate whether a bull has the ability to impregnate heifers and pass on its quality traits and whether heifers have the ability to be bred and pass on their own quality traits to offspring.
“When you are deciding which bull to buy or keep or cull, and which heifers to keep or pull or buy, you’re probably already doing a phenotype appraisal,” James said during an online presentation at Ag in Motion Discovery Plus July 22.
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“How does the animal look? Is it the right colour? The right breed? Is it from a good lineage? Does the EPD (expected progeny differences data) look good? And so on. So that’s already checked off, and without DNA information this might be where the decision tree stops.”
However, more detailed genetic information can determine the likelihood that positive traits in both parents will be present in the calves.
James discussed the attributes of Q Select, a product that provides genotypes to determine genetic variance. It can reveal whether a desired trait may be passed on or whether it will definitely be passed on to offspring.
“This genotype information can improve decisions on which breeding animals to keep, sell and buy and which are the optimal mate pairings to have.”
The tool can also alert breeders on which bulls are breeding the highest number of females. Given that desirable bulls may cost a lot of money, it’s useful to know if the genetics producers paid for are in fact being passed on.
James referenced a study by the Western Beef Development Centre. Using a bull purchase price of $6,800 and used over four years, the siring of 35 calves calculates to a breeding cost per calf of about $78. If the bull sired only two calves, that’s a cost of $1,377 per calf.
“Just because you picked a bull that looks like a stud, is priced like a champ and has the right DNA, it may not give you your money’s worth,” said James.
“Q link reveals whether or not the bull is siring calves and passing on desired traits and helps you determine which calves you should keep.”
