L7

• Breeding programme


  The goal or target of a breeding operation and the means to achieve these targets
• Breeding programme design


  1. Development of a breeding objective

  2. Choice of selection criteria

  3. Development of a pedigree and performance recording scheme

  4. Genetic evaluation of cattle

  5. Use of selected animals
• Breeding objectives


  Incorporate a list of traits for improvement together with their relative economic worth
• Developing a breeding objective

  1. Specify the breeding, production and marketing system

  2. Identify sources of income and expenses

  3. Determine biological traits influencing income and expense

  4. Derive (relative) economic values for each trait (in the future)
• Future profit


  Determined by both biological and economic contributions
• Future Profit Flowchart


  1. Carcass Value

  2. Number of Carcasses

  3. Feed Costs

  4. Non-feed Costs

  5. Feed Required

  6. Timing of Feed

  7. Growth

  8. Meat Quality

  9. Reproductive Rate

  10. Survival Rate

  11. Heifer Fertility

  12. Cow Reproductive Lifetime

  13. Maintenance Gain

  14. Disease Prevention
• Future Profit Timeline: Spring 2024 selection and mating in bull breeding herd, 2025 bull calf born, 2027 bull sold to commercial herd, 2028 first commercial progeny born, 2029/2030 first crop male progeny harvested, 2030 first crop female progeny produce offspring
• Where will bulls be used

  • Yearling Bulls (Beef 5%, Dairy 26%, 2yo Bulls (Beef 49%, Dairy 16%), Older Bulls (Beef 4%, Dairy 0%)
  • Beef x Beef (Angus 54%, Hereford 40-50%, Simmental 70-80%)
  • Beef x Dairy (Angus 87%, Hereford 80-90%, Simmental 100%)
• Angus breeder survey responses (all progeny slaughtered)

  • Calving ease
  • Dressing %
  • Postweaning gain
  • Saleable meat yield
  • Fat colour
• Angus breeder survey responses (some heifers retained)

  • Calving ease
  • Postweaning gain
  • Saleable meat yield
  • Bull serving capacity
  • Preweaning growth rate
• Simmental breeder survey responses (all progeny slaughtered)

  • Serving capacity
  • Bull libido
  • Calving ease
  • Semen production
  • Liveweight gain
• Simmental breeder survey responses (some heifers retained)

  • Cow fertility - get in calf
  • Cow fertility - rebreeding
  • Calving ease
  • Calf survival
  • Maternal ability
• Hereford breeder survey responses (all progeny slaughtered)

  • Bull fertility
  • Short gestation length
  • Calving ease
  • Bull temperament
  • Cow fertility - rear a live calf
• Hereford breeder survey responses (some heifers retained)

  • Bull fertility
  • Liveweight gain to sale age
  • Cow milking ability
  • Bull temperament
• Summary of terminal traits

  • Angus: Calving ease, Dressing %, Postweaning gain, Saleable meat yield, Fat colour

  Hereford: Bull fertility, Short gestation, Calving ease, Bull temperament

  Simmental: Serving capacity, Bull libido, Calving ease, Semen production
• Summary of replacement traits

  • Angus: Calving ease, Postweaning gain, Saleable meat yield, Bull fertility, Bull temperament, Bull serving capacity, Preweaning gain

  Hereford: Bull fertility, Bull temperament, Liveweight gain, Cow fertility, Cow milking ability

  Simmental: Calving ease, Postweaning gain, Cow fertility, Cow fertility (rebreeding), Calf survival, Maternal ability
• Clear pricing signals from consumers to farmers (through grading and classification) are required to encourage selection for carcass and meat quality traits. Currently few financial incentives exist to improve meat quality through selection.
• Selection objectives will differ when bulls are used in different roles (maternal vs terminal sire capacity), for different production systems, for different industry perspectives (registered breeder vs producer vs processor), and for beef targeted at different markets.
• Industry breeding structures


  Determine the difference in genetic merit between seedstock and "commercial" animals, influence cost-effectiveness of applying genetic and reproductive technologies, are determined by farmer practices and market forces (not scientific ideals)
• The beef cattle industry is comprised of individual breeders, commercial farmers, bull breeding (nucleus and multiplier) and bull buying sectors. Selection decisions in the bull breeding sector influence production and meat quality aspects of all sectors.
• Genetic lag in commercial tier


  Commercial farmers lag behind bull breeders in genetic merit
• Economic benefit from selection will be greatest when: a breeding programme is oriented toward improving cattle for traits of economic importance, the relative economic worth of traits are identified, genetically superior individuals are selected, and genetic gains are quickly transferred to many commercial farmers.