Management
that inherited the best genes from the bulls you
paid good money for. As previously mentioned,
genomics has long been held as a tool for traits
that are hard to measure or expressed late in
life. Not only do both concepts apply to a trait
like stayability, it is also a large economic driver
on an operation. With the progeny equivalents
for the trait equaling 25, testing a replacement
heifer candidate provides more insight on
her genetic potential than an entire lifetime
of production and tracking her daughters.
Although genomic testing does directly impact the
breeder, they are not the only ones who benefit
from the technology. By combining increased
accuracy of selection to both sides of a mating,
genetic gain within a herd and an entire breed can
be attained at an even more rapid rate. Genomic
testing of an animal impacts
all related individuals within
a registry and, in some cases,
those who are not related but
share parts of their genome by
chance. Adding genotypes on
females will begin to provide
evaluations with the full picture,
increasing its ability to quantify
the genetic potential of females.
This helps strengthen the power
and accuracy of the evaluation
for all who participate and
register cattle. This additional
information will be most
beneficial on traits where
phenotypic records are difficult
to measure or are measured late
in life when selection decisions
have already been made.
For the future, the path to
having dramatically improved
offerings of bulls requires the
addition of genomic testing
replacement heifer candidates,
today. The increased accuracy
from genomic testing leads to
improved selection of heifers that
meet your operation’s breeding
objectives. Then, aligning sires
to complement each female in
your herd becomes an easier
and more informed process. This
ultimately leads to an improved
overall quality of your bull
offering and alignment with the
needs of your customer base. LT
90 | JUNE/JULY 2019