Agricultural News
Maternal Database Helps Angus Breeders Track Genetic Improvements, Increase Profitability
Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:31:59 CST
In the business of raising cattle, numbers matter. Ranchers who establish strong record-keeping habits are more likely to make positive breeding decisions and improve genetics. By documenting and analyzing herd data, producers can pick out animals that are working, and those that are not.
Dalebanks Angus in Eureka, Kan., is a prime example of an operation that is guided by information and technology. For more than 100 years, the ranch has been focused on improving Angus genetics and the consumers beef experience.
"If we're selling calves, our customer is a feedyard, but he has a customer who is a packer; and he has a customer who is the retailer or grocery store, who has to ultimately answer to the consumer," says Matt Perrier, current ranch manager. He is also the great-grandson of E.L. "Bert" Barrier, who purchased Dalebanks first Angus cattle in 1904.
Nestled in the Kansas Flint Hills, Matt and his wife, Amy, are now the fifth generation to operate the ranch. They, alongside Matt's father and mother, Tom and Carolyn, manage about 375 Angus cows. Though much has changed over the years, Matt still follows his great-grandfather's philosophy: "Produce balanced-trait bulls that profit their owners through their production."
The majority of Dalebanks' customers are commercial producers who rely on consistent offspring to provide them with bulls both in the fall and spring. And those bull sales may be the operation's bread and butter, but the family knows leading herd sires come from highly productive females.
"By keeping accurate records of reproductive efficiency, a producer will have a better knowledge of how they can achieve maximum profitability, and ultimately, allow their customers to achieve a higher profit," says Tom Perrier, who submits all of Dalebanks' records into the American Angus Association database.
But how can breeders objectively evaluate a female's reproductive value? Up until this point, the answer has been unclear. Perrier says that because the data has not been recorded, genetic parameters and reproductive expected progeny differences (EPDs) are not easily derived.
Just a few years ago, Angus producers were asking the same question about calving ease. In response, the Association began encouraging farmers and ranchers to submit calving records into its National Cattle Evaluation (NCE). Due to the analysis of this added information, the calving ease EPD has become a necessity for many producers looking to buy a bull.
Matt Perrier hopes that the heifer pregnancy EPD will catch on in a similar fashion. Released for all animals in July 2011, breeders are able to take heifer pregnancy genetics into consideration when making herd decisions. But there is still work to do.
"Fertility is the number one profit driver in the cattle business, and if producers continue to enhance their genetics by keeping records, sending them in to the Association and receiving information back, the entire industry will become more profitable," Matt Perrier says.
The journey toward more reproductive-based selection tools began in 2012 when the Association launched a program aimed toward collecting records for cow herd productivity. MaternalPlus is a voluntary, inventory-based reporting system that tracks lifetime productivity for females, both active dams and heifers. It is designed to capture additional reproductive trait data from the beginning through the end of a cow's productive time in the herd, which provides a more complete picture of herd performance.
Dalebanks Angus was one of the first operations enrolled in MaternalPlus. To date, more than 70 breeders are enrolled in the program. With each added record, the Association's database becomes stronger and the industry's knowledge of female efficiency grows.
By submitting their records throughout the last year, MaternalPlus has allowed Dalebanks Angus to not only capture reproductive performance data, but also gain faster access to preweaning EPDs, including calving ease, birth weight and weaning weight EPDs for calves out of inventoried cows.
Matt Perrier says this documentation allows them to make simultaneous change, in reproductive efficiency, growth and end product merit. Most producers already have the needed records on-hand, it's simply a matter of entering them into the Association database. The AAA Login website makes it easier than ever before to input and download cow herd information.
"Thanks to the diligent record-keeping of our members, the Association has solid information on carcass traits, growth trends and other profit determinants," says Bill Bowman, Association chief operating officer. "MaternalPlus allows us to develop the same type of genetic selection tools for Angus reproductive and longevity measures."
When using MaternalPlus, breeders do not have to question why a certain set of females left the herd. A disposal code is designated for each cow that leaves the herd or does not report a calf. This allows cattlemen to notice sire trends and make improvements based on those records.
"As more producers begin to use MaternalPlus, we will be able to use the data to source sires that are genetic outliers for reproductive efficiency," Matt Perrier says. "With time and effort, maternal records collected and analyzed by the Association will pay off in huge amounts, proving Angus is still the maternal breed."
Matt Perrier says by implementing the performance record-keeping system, he can continue his great-grandfather's philosophy and raise cattle that continue to meet customer needs bull buyers and grocery store shoppers alike.
More information about MaternalPlus is available on the American Angus Association website at , http://www.angus.org/.
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