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Economically Relevant Traits

Economically Relevant Traits. Mark Enns Colorado State University. Beef Producers’ Motivation. Hobby Property tax reduction Profit. Two basic tools of animal breeding. Selection EPD Mating Mate allocation Crossbreeding. Birth Weight Weaning Weight Milk Total Maternal

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Economically Relevant Traits

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  1. Economically Relevant Traits Mark Enns Colorado State University

  2. Beef Producers’ Motivation • Hobby • Property tax reduction • Profit

  3. Two basic tools of animal breeding • Selection • EPD • Mating • Mate allocation • Crossbreeding

  4. Birth Weight Weaning Weight Milk Total Maternal Yearling Weight Carcass Traits Actual REA, BF, etc Ultrasound REA, BF, et Calving Ease Mix of others… Typical Genetic Evaluation If you can measure it, we can produce an EPD for it

  5. Typical Genetic Evaluation • Proven • Accepted • Well-used • Assumption: • More EPD allow us to better characterize the genetic potential of animals • Should be able to make more profitable selection decisions • But …

  6. Birth direct Birth maternal Weaning direct Weaning maternal Total maternal Yearling direct 600 d direct Calving direct Calving maternal Carcass wt Rib fat Rump fat LMA Marb score Quality grade % Retail yield Lbs (kg) retail yield Yield grade Us LMA US rib fat Us % IMF Fat percentage Condition score Gestation length Days to calving Calving interval Stayability Heifer pregnancy rate Rebreeding rate Calf weaned/cow exposed Scrotal circumference Pelvic area Frame score Muscle score Udder score Docility Tick score Parasite egg count Mature weight Maintenance energy Feed efficiency Drop weight Type score Uterine score Tooth score Precocity score Sire Summary of the Future? Feedlot feed consumption Feedlot surv. Pre-wean surv. Serving capacity Serving proportion Semen volume Hip height Leg score Length productive life Doing ability Grand-maternal weaning Twinning rate Days to 11mm BF Days to 75% Choice Days to carc wt. Hair whorl score Average daily gain Wt. /day of age Liver weight Resting heart rate Pulmonary arteriole pressure Brisket disease rate Bravery Aggression Information Overload

  7. Proliferation of EPD • An ever-increasing list of traits • Many EPD indirectly related to economic goals • Methods for using EPD to make financially sound selection decisions

  8. EPD and Profitability • We can combine genetic evaluation to make • Genetic progress in multiple traits simultaneously • Increase profitability

  9. Genetic TrendsEconomic Breeding Objective

  10. Goal • Produce tools that can make the producer more profitable

  11. Terminology • Economically Relevant Traits: traits that are directly associated with a revenue stream or cost of production of a commercial operation.

  12. Indicator Traits:traits that add accuracy to the prediction of ERT by pleiotropy (e.g. genetic correlation).

  13. ERT • Does selecting on a trait directly effect your income or cost?

  14. Economically Relevant:Probability Of Calving Ease • Indicators: • Birth Weight • Pelvic Area • Gestation Length • Calving Ease Score ?

  15. Practically • Sire A • Average birth weight of calves is 80 pounds • Sire B • Average birth weight of calves is 90 pounds • Is there a difference, if all offspring are born unassisted?

  16. Double counting Birth weight vs Calving Ease EPD Getting rid of animals that are better calving than you expect for their birth weight How do we make sense of these EPD to increase profitability?

  17. Economically Relevant:Heifer Pregnancy • Indicators: • Scrotal circumference • Pregnancy observations ?

  18. Unexpected results Indirect = indicator direct = ERT B.L. Golden

  19. Carcass EPD Carcass Attributes of Progeny Ultrasound EPD Relationships between Carcass and Ultrasound Information Observed Carcass Data Observed Ultrasound Data True Carcass Attribute

  20. Our desire is that producers use EPDs objectively in the context of their business goal(s) Profit = Income – Expense

  21. In our vision… • Have EPD for ERT that allow producers to better associate value/cost with genetic improvement

  22. In the Current Situation • Must distinguish between traits that are economically relevant (ERT) and traits that are indicators • Focus on ERTs for valuing animals • Use indicator EPD to support ERTs • Need decision support models to allow us to objectively interpret ERTs in a system context

  23. Examples • Application (under development) • Charolais Sire Selector

  24. Weaning Direct Weaning Milk Yearling Weight Carcass Weight Mature Weight Cow Maintenance Feed Requirement Docility Stayability (LPL) Prob of Heifer Pregnancy Prob of Calving Ease Calving Ease Maternal Days to Finish Target EPDs For The Future

  25. Different approaches for development of ERT for the finishing phase • Universal (constant) target endpoint • Predetermined data adjustment prior to calculation of EPD • Different (variable) target endpoints • Random Regression • No predetermined endpoint (different endpoints can be constructed for different circumstances using the same st of random regression EPD)

  26. Why Days to Finish? • Accounts for costs • Time value of money • Yardage • Cost of feed ? • Can use existing carcass data • In concert with a value at finish EPD, will account for revenue and therefore overall profit

  27. Final System Producer • Web Delivered • Flexibility in the system • Not limited to one target endpoint • Feeding program • Marketing program • Evaluation of profitability • Prediction of phenotypic outcomes

  28. Web-based • 58% of all farmers have access to a computer (Drover’s and USDA-NASS) • Greater flexibility

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