Jason Trompf- BWFW Developer and Presenter

Breeding and feeding to make more money

• 70% of attendees using EBVs as part of bull selection (99% post BWFW)

• 15% of attendees have a breeding objective (93% post BWFW)

• <10% seen and use their relevant percentile band (>90% post BWFW)

• 45% understood what a breeding value is taking into account and correcting for compared to using raw data (92% post BWFW)

• 6/10 confidence that traits selecting on meeting goals (8.5/10 post)

• Miss match in outcomes wanting to improve and traits selecting for

BWFW Beef Update- 1000 attendees 500,000 cattle

• Growth rate- 31%

• Pregnancy and weaning %- 24%

• Carcase- 19%

• Ability to maintain CS under low nutrition- 14%

• Less calving difficulties- 7%

• Birth weight/calving ease- 47%

• Growth rate- 21%

• Carcase- Muscling/yield- 10%

• Carcase- IMF- 7%

• Repro- days to calve- 7%

• Fatness- 3%

70% using breeding values as part of bull selection

Want to improve most ≠ What selecting on

• Increase the amount of quality beef produced per hectare• We need to sustain or increase turn-off rates and weights• We need to rebuild the cow herd in line with our long term

carrying capacity (with the cow of the future)

To do so, we must …• Improve our herd and pasture management• Improve reproduction rates and growth rates• Increase genetic gain in beef herds

Call to action….

• A clear breeding objective is the critical first step to selecting and breeding the ‘right cattle’

• It must include the right emphasis on key traits to breed balanced-high performing cattle

• And use the best visual and objective tools available to do it….

Key messages- Bred Well

• Early age of puberty

• Easier calving

• Better muscling

• Faster growth

• Greater yield

• Temperament

• Shorter gestational length

• Higher or lower milking ability

• Better udder and teat structure

• Greater or lower mature cow weight

• Greater % of intramuscular fat

• Higher weaning % per year

The cow of the future could have:

That depends on:

Which traits are for YOU?

Your crystal ballYour production system

Your crystal ballYour production system

That depends on:

Which traits are for YOU?

These are decisions only you can make – and it is important that

you do!

What influences an animal’s performance?

Feed

Age

Dam

Age

Disease

parasites

GENES

Source: AGBU 2017

Selection for Growth

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

500 600 700 800 900 1000

400

Day

Wt E

BV

Sale Liveweight (kg)

Stud Sale1

400 Day Wt EBV is 23% heritable

Buying bulls on actual weight means making quite serious mistakes in getting the right genetics

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

500 600 700 800 900 1000Sale Liveweight (kg)

Stud Sale 2

1. Fit for farm- reproduction, calving ease & maintenance requirements

2. Suitable for market- meet specifications

3. Adopt strategies for ↑ genetic gain‒ Select better bulls‒ Cow/heifer joining pressure

Breeding Profitable Cattle

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6

Pre

gn

ancy

Rat

e (%

)

DTC EBV (days)

9 weekjoining

6 weekjoining

Days to Calving EBV = Higher pregnancy rates

Source: Maternal Productivity Project, Beef CRC

Effect of nutrition & fat EBV on Fatness

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0 1 2 3 4

Pre-

mat

ing

rib fa

t (m

m)

Parity (calving opportunity)

High-Fat High-Nutrition

Low-Fat HighNutrition

High-Fat Low-Nutrition

Low-Fat Low-Nutrition

Fat EBVs =

Fatter cattle

Source: Maternal Productivity Project, Beef CRC

Selection on 600 day growth

=BIG females

↓ Mature Cow Weight

Balance with growth

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

400 day wt:Cow wt 600 day wt:Cow wt

Angu

s Gen

etic

cor

rela

tions

Traits

Fit for farm = Maintenance Req

• Performance = genes plus nutrition

• Good genetics are not a substitute for poor management - cow and heifer nutrition critical

• kg beef produced/ha is a key profit driver (i.e. no. of breeders/ha x calving % x growth)

• Driven by kg Dry Matter/ha grown, amount of feed utilized and diet quality

fedwell

Concentrated calving pattern

Even calf drop and sell steers

Good age structure and short joinings

Producer flexible production system

High cull rate of old cows

Improved heifer

performance

Max no. heifers reach CMW

The Challenge! To calve every 365 days - cows

Avg time to return to oestrus

47 days

Gestation

283 days

Avg time to

Conceive

35 days

365 Days

Effect of calving time on lifetime production

Cow 1 Cow 2Age Week of Calving Weaning Weight Week of Calving Weaning Weight

2 yr old 2 300 x 0.85 = 255 8 245 x 0.85 = 2083 yr old 2 300 x 0.95 = 286 10 245 x 0.95 = 2334 yr old 2 300 9 2455 yr old 2 300 9 2456 yr old 2 300 9 2457 yr old 2 300 9 2458 yr old 2 300 9 2459 yr old 2 300 9 245

10 yr old 2 300 9 245Total / Average 2641/293 2156/240

Earlier calving cows produce 485 ÷ 293 = 1.7 more calves(Modified from Preston and Willis 1974)

1. Markets change, the need to breed high performance cattle and manage them well does not.

2. Understand the energy requirements of cattle – allocate feed to those who respond the best

3. Choose bulls based on their genetic potential for your profit drivers and that can deliver that potential!

bredwell fedwell