Farm & Ranch
AgriLife Extension: Genomic-enhanced data has a place in building back cattle herds
By: Kay Ledbetter
Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, [email protected]
Contact: Dr. Joe Paschal, 361-265-9203, [email protected]
AMARILLO – Genetic markers are beginning to give cattlemen a more accurate glimpse into their breeding animals’ expected progeny differences or EPDs when selecting for traits to build into their herds.
As the industry begins to rebuild its herds following years of drought, genomic-enhanced EPDs can help cattlemen make more informed decisions, whether they have purebred or crossbred herds, said Dr. Joe Paschal, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist at Corpus Christi.
Speaking at the recent Southwest Beef Symposium in Amarillo, Paschal said the Angus and Santa Gertrudis breed associations are already using this tool and he expects others to soon adopt the technology.
Paschal said two things are important when building a crossbreeding program – breed selection and hybrid vigor.
“You need to make selections that fit the market conditions and the environmental conditions you have, because you have to live with those breeds,” he said. “Make sure the right breeds are used for the right reasons.”
Typically, a breeding animal is chosen based on its EPD for a given trait, such as weaning weight. For instance, one bull may have an EPD of 20 for weaning weight and another bull have an EPD of 10, which means the bull with the EPD of 20 will likely sire calves that wean 10 pounds heavier.
EPD traits of interest are birth weight and weaning weight, calving ease score and carcass traits such as marbling, Paschal said. EPDs are calculated from the animal’s data and close relatives and are reported in units of the trait.
“You need to select for all traits that are important to you,” he said. “But traits that are economically relevant, those that have an immediate impact on rate of return, are most important. Selection for economically relevant traits such as weaning weight could increase several pounds or marbling by a large percentage. Selection to decrease birth weight, even by a few pounds, doesn’t affect economics, but selection to increase calving ease does.”
EPDs are not new and are widely accepted in most breeds and have a lot of usefulness in crossbreeding programs, Paschal said.
However, he said, the newer genomic-enhanced EPDs can get breeders a step ahead.
“This process is taking genetic markers and including them into the EPD calculation,” Paschal said. “We can compare known markers in particular young bulls that may not be proven yet and we can improve the accuracy of their EPD values.”
He said less than 5 percent of the people in the cattle business are in the purebred industry, and some of them aren’t going to use it. But with the price becoming more reasonable, $50 for the genomic scans for markers, more could be switching.
“It makes sense to do it if you are in the cattle business because it gives you a leg up on the others,” Paschal said. “You can know something about the performance early in an animal’s life and also know quite a lot about their carcass long before they’re dead.”
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By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Rayford Pullen
Fall is here which means winter is closing in on us and before we officially get into winter, we need to make sure our factories are either producing or will be producing in a few months.
We have been pregnancy testing our cows this fall and if they are not bred or nursing a calf, we are bidding them adios. With annual costs somewhere between $900.00 and $1,000.00 per cow, those cows not producing a live weaned calf are costing us quite a bit.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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