TECHTALK - TBTS
TECHTALK
BY PAUL WILLIAMS TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER
Brahman BIN Projects Update
Contributed BY PAUL WILLIAMS TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK MARCH 2017, BRAHMAN NEWS MARCH 2017 ISSUE #194 PAGE 46
The Australian Brahman Progeny Test Project is a large scale sire progeny testing project for Brahman cattle and is coming to an end.
Understanding Why and How to Measure Scotal Size
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK November 2016
The most important factor influencing the profitability of beef operation in Australia is the number of calves weaned in comparison to the number of cows mated during the breeding season.
Identifying Curve Bender Animals
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK OCTOBER 2016
The term curve bender gets thrown around quite a bit in bull breeding circles. This TechTalk article will discuss what a curve bender is and why curve benders are important to beef producers. In addition, this article will discuss how to identify curve benders and address a common concern: what to do if your breed doesn’t have curve benders.
Guide to Using BREEDPLAN Information in Animal Selection
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK SEPTEMBER 2015
The breeding animals which a beef producer selects for the herd will have a large impact on the profitability of the herd, both now and in the future.
Performance Recording Mature Cow Weight
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK AUGUST 2015
Beef producers need to balance the gains of running heavy cows with the cost of maintaining those cows. Depending on the type of country and market prices it may be more profitable to run moderate sized breeding cows rather than large cows.
Performance Recording Birth Weight
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK JULY 2015
Birth weight is an important economic trait in beef production systems as lower birth weights are associated with reduced incidence of calving difficulty, but unfavourably correlated with growth rate. Careful management of birth weight by beef producers is therefore required to ensure that calving difficulties are minimised while growth rates are increased or maintained.
Using Internet Solutions: Customising Display of Search Results
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK APRIL 2015
While many breeders routinely use the Internet Solutions suite of tools offered by most Breed Societies to access animal and EBV details, plus search upcoming sale catalogues, most may not be aware that the software allows them to customise the display of their search results.
Understanding BREEDPLAN Contemporary Groups
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK MARCH 2015
An animal’s performance for all of the traits analysed by BREEDPLAN are affected not just by the genetics of the animal, but also by the environment the animal is in. To account for these environmental effects when calculating the genetic merit or EBV of an individual animal, it is important that an animals performance is only directly compared with those of its peers that have been raised in a similar environment and thus have had an equal opportunity to perform.
Enhancements to Brahman GROUP BREEDPLAN
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK NOVEMBER 2014
Two significant enhancements will be applied to the BREEDPLAN software used to calculate EBVs for Brahman animals. They will be applied first in the November 2014 Brahman GROUP BREEDPLAN analysis, then in all subsequent analyses.
Increasing Pedigree Accuracy with DNA Parent Verification
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK JULY 2014
Accurately recording pedigree information is one of the most fundamental jobs of a beef seedstock producer.
Variation in Male Reproductive Traits in Tropical Cattle
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK MAY 2014
A major research project within the Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies (Beef CRC) studied ways to define the genetic control of traditional and novel measures of reproductive performance in Tropical cattle in Northern Australia.
Performance Recording for Small Herds
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK APRIL 2014
One of the most common questions asked by seedstock breeders is "What size herd do you need to obtain effective results from BREEDPLAN?
Genetic Improvement of Temperament
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK MARCH 2014
Temperament (also known as docility) is described as the way that cattle behave when being confined in yards or put in an unusual situation such as being separated from the herd.
PERFORMANCE RECORDING IN A DROUGHT
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK FEBRUARY 2014
One of the major challenges facing beef producers at present is the ongoing drought that is gripping many parts of Australia.
BREEDING FOR POLLEDNESS
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK NOVEMBER 2013
Polledness, or the absence of horns, is an important trait being actively selected for within many beef breeding programs across Australia. Breeding polled cattle provides a permanent solution to many of the problems associated with horned cattle, including easier handling of stock, reduced bruising, reduced risk of injury to stock handlers, reduced labour costs and reduced concerns regarding the animal welfare issues associated with dehorning.
Searching for Genetics Online
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK OCTOBER 2013
Today's beef producer not only has the traditional methods available for sourcing new genetics of print media and word of mouth, but is also able to search through a vast depth of pedigree and performance information made available to them through the internet.
The "Raw" Performance of an AnimaL
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK SEPTEMBER 2013
The major influence that beef producers have on the genetics of their herd is through the bulls that they select for use within their breeding program. Selecting bulls with the best genetic package for their operation represents a powerful opportunity to significantly improve the future profitability of their beef enterprise.
Recording Mating Details for Female Reproduction in a Seedstock Enterprise
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK AUGUST 2013
With summer mating for spring calvings not too far away, it's important for seedstock producers to understand how to record and submit their herd's mating details to BREEDPLAN. The reason for this is simple - a very important trait for any maternal breed is female reproduction.
Managing Genetic Conditions
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK July 2013
A genetic condition is a disease or condition caused by an abnormality in an individual's DNA. These abnormalities can range from a single gene mutation to the addition or loss of an entire chromosome.
UNDERSTANDING EBV ACCURACY
By Paul Williams TBTS TECHNICAL OFFICER TECHTALK JUNE 2013
An important step when making selection decisions using BREEDPLAN Estimated Breeding Values (EBV) is the consideration of EBV accuracy. The following information provides a guide to understanding and utilising EBV accuracy in selection decisions.