Reproductive Performance:
When You Neet to Know More
WICHITA, Kan. (Oct. 3, 2012) — Speaking during the 2012 National Angus Conference in Wichita, Kan., Oct. 3, American Angus Association representatives Sally Northcutt and Brian Brigham talked about new selection tools to help breeders improve reproductive performance.
"[MaternalPlus] provides a reference for key EPDs, including calving ease, birth weight and weaning weight, but it will also be a resource for what we need to do in selecting for reproductive traits," said Sally Northcutt, Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) director of genetic research.
Northcutt, the director of genetic research, explained MaternalPlus™, a voluntary inventory-based program designed to capture reproductive trait data. Ultimately, said Northcutt, individual reproductive information on breeding, calving and pregnancy will be used to develop tools to aid selection for cow productivity and longevity.
According to Northcutt, breeders may enroll online to enter and update female and sire inventories. To date, 47 breeders have completed enrollment of more than 5,400 cows.
“[MaternalPlus] provides a reference for key EPDs, including calving ease, birth weight and weaning weight, but it will also be a resource for what we need to do in selecting for reproductive traits,” said Northcutt, referring to development of an expected progeny difference for longevity.
Brian Brigham, AGI director of genetic systems, explained that Angus Genetics Inc. is developing a new EPD that looks at a cow's length of productive life.
Despite the availability of 17 EPDs and a suite of selection indexes, the Angus breed has no evaluation for cow longevity. Brigham, director of genetic systems for Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI), said some beef breeds offer a “stayability” EPD, which evaluates the probability that a cow will stay in the breeding herd until six years of age, and the dairy industry utilizes a selection tool for “length of productivity.” The Angus breed is working toward an evaluation of longevity more like the dairy model.
“We prefer to evaluate length of productive life, which can utilize data collected during a cow’s whole lifetime,” explained Brigham. “It doesn’t set a benchmark of six years, which often means a sire is eight years old before any of his daughters reach that age. It should allow for earlier characterization of sires, with accuracy.”
The Angus selection tool for longevity will be based on reproductive performance, but also allows “partial credit” for females that leave the herd for reasons other than reproductive failure, such as drought-forced destocking. Brigham said the MaternalPlus program will allow for rapid data collection and brings the possibility of a female productivity index.
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