Displaying items by tag: Mulitibreed Genetic Evalutaion

Wednesday, 25 March 2020 08:26

Why Red Angus is Part of International Genetic Solutions

by Tom Brink, CEO | Red Angus Association of America

Accomplishing more together than we could individually is the reason 16 beef breeds, including Red Angus, are part of the genetic evaluation partnership operated by International Genetic Solutions (IGS). What started as a collaboration between Red Angus and Simmental in 2010, with the goal of creating the industry’s first multi-breed EPDs, has now grown to become the world’s largest genetic evaluation for beef cattle. Breed associations from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are working together to create a huge database of cattle performance records and genotypic information, and to share the cost of using cutting-edge software and technology to calculate the most accurate EPDs possible. What IGS is doing today is so large and sophisticated, it was little more than a dream five years ago.

To offer just one example of how working with multiple breeds directly benefits Red Angus, Ryan Boldt, RAAA Director of Breed Improvement, recently calculated that available data on Red Angus-sired calving events (and their associated calving-ease scores) is 20% larger through IGS than if Red Angus was conducting its genetic evaluation as a single breed.

IGS PARTNERS WITH NEOGEN

The world's largest multi-breed beef cattle evaluation partners with the industry's leading genomics company. Here's what it means for ranchers.IGS Feeder Profit CalculatorTM - Marketing Backed by Genetics.

"We're extremely proud of the collaboration we have with IGS. It really is the first of its kind in the world," says Stewart Bauck, vice president of Agrigenomics for Neogen Genomics. "We will, along with IGS, be developing and refining a set of tools that we can make available to commercial producers so they can select superior females in a multi-breed or crossbreeding operation."

Jackie Atkins, Ph.D., Director of Science and Education says, "The IGS database is the largest on the planet for multi-breed beef cattle, and not only do we have a lot of data, but we also have a lot of genotypes in that evaluation. Because of that critical mass, we can do a better job developing DNA markers and what those markers mean for a commercial test."

During the past decade, seedstock breeders have adopted genomics to strengthen genetic prediction tools and resulting selection decisions. The IGS-Neogen partnership accelerates the effort for commercial ranchers.

"Historically, all of these types of genetic profiles have been for a single breed. If we look at geneticists and the knowledge that we've gained from their research across the years, we know that crossbreeding leads to hybrid vigor, and so being able to have crossbred commercial cows should really be the goal for any commercial cattleman because, at the end of the day, they sell pounds," says Jamie Courter, Neogen Genomics Beef Product Manager.

"We'll be able to pull from all of the information that seedstock and commercial producers report back to IGS and fully support the Igenity® Beef Profile to make it stronger and better than it is today," she says. "So it'll be a two-way street. The sales reps at Neogen will be able to drive people toward reporting information and data back to IGS while Neogen is able to pull from that data and strengthen our own products."

In the end, more data on crossbred commercial cattle reduces risk.

"That puts a proactive management tool in the hands of the commercial producer," Bauck says. "For $30 and in three weeks, I can get the same information as I could by spending $2,000 in two years to develop a replacement heifer."

Kenny Stauffer, Neogen Genomics Director of Beef Genomic Sales, says, "If you're able to tag a calf, you're able to take a tissue sample. Put the capsule in the box and mail the box to us. You send your sample to us and in 21 to 28 days, you're going to have your results."

As producers make decisions on where to spend their time and money, DNA testing offers a valuable option in finding genetic answers.

"DNA testing is a valuable tool that can get to answers faster for commercial and for seedstock producers," Atkins says. "It will never replace data recording, that will always be important, but the fact that we can squeeze more out of any single DNA test in the future, that just gives commercial producers a more informed decision to make better, more profitable choices for them."

International Genetic Solutions (IGS) is an unprecedented collaboration between progressive organizations across the US, Canada, and Australia that are committed to enhancing beef industry profitability. The collaboration encompasses education, technological advancement, and genetic evaluation. Through collaboration, IGS has become the largest beef cattle evaluation in the world.

I G S S T A N D T O G E T H E R

WHY IGS?

Data Sharing for the Good of an Industry

Matt Spangler of the University of Nebraska says the future of the beef business will depend on information sharing.

IGS and the Pursuit of Better Cattle

IGS Feeder Profit Calculator ™ Highlights Profit, Reduces Risk

Using the IGS Feeder Profit Calculator, cattlemen are able to provide sire information, regardless of breed, as well as preconditioning, weaning and health data in exchange for a Total Relative Value that compares the profit potential of their calves to the industry at large. That value, indicated on a formal certificate, can be used for producer benchmarking and buyer insight.

Superior Livestock Representative Clint Berry says such technology is in line with what he sees for buyer demand. Continue reading.

A global collaboration of major beef breed associations seeks to empower commercial cattlemen with genetic insight and more powerful tools for better breeding decisions.

Modern-day ranching requires more information to produce better animals, and International Genetic Solutions is propelling the effort across multiple breeds. The aim is to provide more accurate selection tools that allow for head-to-head comparisons and maximum profitability — regardless of breed. “Tying all of that information together adds a lot of value to commercial and seedstock producers because it provides a set of EPDs that are comparable across breeds without doing a bunch of extra math to figure out how they compare,” says Bob Weaber, Kansas State University Extension Specialist. Continue reading.