Angus Australia 2018 Spring Bulletin

ANGUS bulletin Spring 2018

COMPLETE FEMALE DISPERSAL

OCTOBER 19, 2018 On-property Taminick via Glenrowan

“Your opportunity to select from our 25 years of breeding”

CWJ F82

CWJ H22

For information or Catalogue: Ian Peake 0419 111 936 e: candipeake@bigpond.com John Woodruff 0412 002 509 e: joanwoodruff@bigpond.com

CWJ M0034

CWJ H134

AHW H22

CWJ F197

Open Day: Thursday 18th October (from 10.30am) Sale Day: Friday 19th October (9.30am) Catalogue can be viewed online Angus Australia.

Also www.witherswoodangus.com.au from 1st October.

Jonathan Faris, Angus Australia’s Northern Development officer, with Will Inch and Steve Skillington from Palgrove Ultrablacks

Angus Australia members Mason Galpin and George Harbourne were awarded National and Reserve Champion Parader respectively at the 2018 Royal Adelaide Show.

Image: Emily H Photography

Angus Youth Consultative Committee Member Hannah Powe had the privilege of judging the Angus (among other breeds) at the 2018 Royal Adelaide Show.

Image: Emily H Photography

Bryan Hayden, Buchan Station with Andrew Gubbins at the 2018 Te Mania Workshop.

Image: Fairfax Media

out & about

Patrick Marryat Export Sales & Marketing and Nathan King Export Sales Thomas Foods International with Liz Pearson Commercial Supply Chain Manager Angus Australia at FHA 2018

Trent Walker, Keringa Angus SA donated a heifer to encourage youth participation at the Alice Springs Show in the Northern Territory. This years’ lucky winner was Jamie Hayes, Undoolya, NT. Image: Fairfax Media

Angus12, Bulletin spring 2018AngusPAge 1 Harry Nickolls, 11, with & his brother Cooper, Bull— Oak Well attended their first SA Junior Heifer Expo in 2018. Image: Fairfax Media

38 Contents spring 2018 | volume 33

12

8 1 Out and About 2 Contents 4 From the President 5 From the CEO 6 Around the Saleyards

8 The Reach of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program Publisher: Angus Australia Locked Bag 11 Armidale NSW 2350 P: 02 6773 4600 | F: 02 6772 3095 E: office@angusaustralia.com.au W: www.angusaustralia.com.au

Editor: Diana Wood Layout: Ebonie Sadler-Small Printer: APN Print, Warwick QLD Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Board of Angus Australia.

Neither the Editor nor Angus Australia takes any responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained within this publication, nor for the outcome (including consequential loss) of any action taken by readers or others based on information contained therein.

The publishers reserve the right to refuse or cancel without notice any advertisement in a publication issued by them.

PAge 2

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

10 Validated - Variation in Angus Carcase Value 12 Angus Australia and Vetoquinol continue commercial partnership for ASBP 13 Angus Australia highlights home grown beef science at ICOMST2018 14 Understanding a bull’s influence in your herd 16 Northern focus: Improved productivity

16 25 Pedigree – Relevant for the past 100 years 26 Breed Development Matters 29 Introduction of an Angus Parentage Assurance Program 31 Testing to rank heifers objectively 33 Introducing the new HD50K for Angus 34 Harnessing the Benefits of Genomics in an Angus Seedstock Enterprise 37 Looking Over the Fence: Beef Improvement Federation Conference 38 Surveyors Bay producers chase saleyard premiums 40 Inaugural Spring Bull Night conquers the country mile 42 That ‘thing’

20 Upcoming Educational Events at Angus Australia

43 What we do: The Marketing & Communications Team

21 Around the Beef Weeks

44 Introducing the New Angus Mating Predictor

22 Angus Australia marks 100 trips around the sun in 2019 24 Angus set to feature in Sydney

45 Introducing the Angus Database Search Report Centre

64

68

31

22 47 Examine your herd with the Angus Report Centre

63 27 year old APR record broken at Millah Murrah

49 Thomas Foods International throws support behind Roundup again

64 Angus brings the competition to the RAS Beef Challenge Open Day

Angus Studs

50 The warmup to Roundup continues

66 Fresh start for Angus brand verification

7

51 2019 Roundup Sponsorship opportunities

68 Continued promotion of Angus Australia Verified brands at SIAL, China 2018

52 Meet the Alfa BeefEx conference scholarship recipients 53 Angus Australia and Achmea Australia gear up for GenAngus 54 Sam’s take on K-State

71 Angus Australia in the land of the long white cloud 73 InstaAngus 74 Angus through the ages 74 Angus Australia Staff Directory

advertising index IBC Achmea Australia Anvil Angus

53 High Spa Angus 58 Kenny's Creek Angus IFC Witherswood Angus BC Yancowinna Angus

Commercial Advertising 30 ABS 72 Agri-Gene 29 Angus National Conference 46 AngusSELECT

56 Introducing Cheyne Twist

61 Angus Summer 2019 Bulletin

56 Meet the new Member Service Officers

22 Anipro

57 Member Services stats

41 Graphic Design by

Angus Australia

58 From the Member Services Team: DNA Testing for Upcoming Sales 60 Around the Shows 62 Angus EKKA carcase success 63 Angus for eating quality at Adelaide

19 Genetics Australia

15 Henry Earthmoving Group 28 Neogen Australasia 11 New Merchandise 48 Nowlan Stock & Station Agent 66 Queensland Machinery Agency 23 Transport Welding Engineering 48 Transport Welding Engineering 70 Verified Angus Beef 59 Vetoquinol 67 Vetoquinol 32 Zoetis Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 3

from the president Brad Gilmour, Angus Australia President

Sitting here in Western Victoria, I’m reminded of just how fortunate we are to be in one of the country’s more reliable areas. A few recent rains in the north have given some hope that it still can rain, although plenty of follow up is required.

The Northern Bull sales have been very solid and demonstrate the demand for Angus genetics throughout the beef industry in good times and challenging seasons.

At our July board meeting, we began to develop Angus Australia’s strategic plan incorporating our ten year road map. We already have a long list of exciting and innovative ideas to grow the Angus breed to a new level throughout Australia. We look forward to discussing the merits of each suggestion and then putting a bold new plan in place.

It’s been a very busy year in the office with everyone having to come to grips with angus.tech and the incorporation of genomics into Breedplan. As with any new piece of technology, there have been a few teething issues along the way. However, things are taking shape for a smooth future.

Spring

This is my favourite time of the year when calves start arriving. With fixed time AI and foetal ageing at preg testing, cows can be sorted into definite calving groups to help streamline management at this busy time. It’s always exciting to see your new genetics arrive. As always, identification and data collection is vital for accurate decisions down the track.

A helpful tip when tagging fresh calves is to invite a slow moving city relative on the calving run. They make terrific human shields with the more protective Angus mothers.

And their soft hands are great for holding scouring calves.

Many regional and state committees are holding their AGMs at this time of year. Please put your hand up to be part of the team and help shape the future and direction of the Angus Breed. We need a variety of skills, experiences and opinions, so if you’re passionate about Angus and beef production, you’re suitable to be part of these committees.

Recently, Western Victorian Angus Regions (WVAR) held their AGM. Forty local breeders got together to hear from Mackinnon Project consultant Dr John Webb Ware on the effect of cow size on profitability. The take home message was that the effect cow size has on profitability varies depending on stocking rate and time of calving.

Our annual regional forums will be heading your way in October. The theme for the workshops is the “Journey to Genetic Improvement” and will include latest updates on angus.tech and the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP). angus.tech is a powerful tool to help producers make smarter breeding decisions. I’d encourage all attendees to bring along a laptop or tablet to learn how to navigate and use this new database.

2019 Brad Gilmour

WVAR AGM L to R, Liz Glasgow (Claremont Angus) Chairman Victoria, Lucy Gubbins (Te Mania) Chairman WVAR, Brad Gilmour President Angus Australia

PAge 4

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Next year will be our 100 year celebration. Planning is well underway to make it a great year for the Angus breed.

With this in mind, I’d encourage producers to put aside a couple of your best steers at weaning if there’s a carcase competition at your local show or anywhere in your state.

I know the quality of cattle out there, and it’s not beyond us to make it a clean sweep and show everyone the benefits of breeding Angus cattle.

Brad Gilmour, president

peter parnell, Ceo

From the CEO

Dr Peter Parnell, Chief Executive Officer

2018 has been a challenging year for many of our members suffering the impact of widespread record drought conditions across several states. Nevertheless, the position of Angus in the industry remains very strong, with sustained premiums for Angus and Angusinfluenced cattle across most markets.

The volume of cattle processed through verified Angus brands has remained strong, with increasing interest in brand verification also shown by owners of nonverified brands following evidence of consumer preference for independent third-party confirmation of product authenticity. Similarly, the certification of Angus breeding heifers for export to China has been very strong during 2018 to date. With several shipments still in progress, 2018 is likely to be a record year for export of Angus heifers.

Calf registrations submitted to Angus Australia remain well above the level at the same time in 2017, particularly in the Angus Herd Book Register (HBR) and Angus Performance Register (APR). This indicates continued confidence in the future of Angus, with the size of the registered Angus gene pool continuing to grow despite the current contraction of the Australian cattle population.

Overall, despite the current tough times for many of our members, the outlook for Angus looks tremendous.

Here’s hoping for good spring rains and a more favorable environment for Angus producers to capitalise on the bright future ahead.

I encourage all members to consider attendance at the upcoming Regional Forums to obtain an update from Angus Australia staff on developments in genomics technology, Angus Sire Benchmarking Program, AngusTech (database query system) and developments on the horizon for Angus breeders. Regional Forums will be held in each state during October (see Page 20 for further details).

Report from Angus Australia Board meeting conducted on 10th September 2018 The Angus Australia Board met in Melbourne on the 10th September 2018. Major considerations of the Board included the following: • Review of management report on progress with various initiatives in marketing, youth development, commercial supply chain, breed development, extension, strategic projects, information technology and organisational support.

• Development of an “Angus Parentage Assured” program, incorporating “Sire Assured” and “Parentage Assured” levels (see Page 29 for further details).

• Revision of Regulations specifying animal / semen ownership requirements when requesting DNA services; transfer of animal ownership; correction of animal registration details; and, process for assignment of registration status of animals submitted for registration.

• Renewal of the composition of the Angus BREEDPLAN Consultative Committee and the Angus Sire Benchmarking Consultative Committee.

• Resolution to continue the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) for a further 3 cohorts.

• Adoption of a Risk Management Policy and Risk Management Framework for Angus Australia.

• Review of future audit services for Angus Australia.

• Review of preparations and sponsorship for 2021 World Angus Forum.

The next Board meeting will be conducted on the 2930th November in Armidale.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 5

Julie & Jeremy Shaw, JS Grazing sold 440 Angus steers 329kg, top 342c/kg, average 333c/kg & 272 Angus heifers 296kg, top of 390c/kg, average 375c/kg at Roma QLD, 10/07/18

Pam and Graeme Norman, had the best presented pen of steers, 29 Angus, 331kg selling for $1,080 or 326c/kg, at Wangaratta VIC, 20/08/18

Primaries Mid West representative Nick Benson (left) with vendor Nick Sgambelluri, Tebco Fishing Co, Dongara, at the Primaries Muchea store cattle sale, WA 27/07/18. Tebco Fishing Co topped the sale for liveweight and per head prices with Angus steers selling to 324c/kg & $1,079

around the saleyards Images: Fairfax Media

Murray & Ben Shaw, ‘Abingdon Station’, with Sebastian & Alec Rogers sold their top pen of 47 Angus steers, 340kg for $1,160 at the Annual Abingdon Station weaner sale, June 2018

PAge 6 Angussold Bulletin — spring 2018 Pete Delaney was EU-Angus steers 495kg, to a top of $1,673 at Mortlake VIC 12/07/18

Landmark Naracoorte's David Heinrich with Dieter and Venita Bator, sold 71 Angus steers for a $1,151 av. at Naracoorte SA 28/06/18.

The top pen of 432.2kg steers made $2.90/kg, or $1253.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 7

sire benchmarking

The Reach of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager

81,630 – This is the number of progeny registered with Angus Australia from sires used in the ASBP. To take a step back, one of the main objectives of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) is to build a reference population of modern Angus cattle. An effective reference population is important as it enables the Angus breed to take full advantage of genomic technologies.

Building the ASBP reference population involves focussed recording of genotypes, pedigree and phenotypes, particularly for hard-to-measure traits such as feed intake, carcase yield, beef quality attributes, heifer fertility and immune competence.

To date, the ASBP has produced 8 Cohorts of progeny as summarised in the table 1. 299 sires have entered to produce 9,023 progeny. All progeny have been comprehensively performance recorded from birth to slaughter (steers) and birth to first-parity (heifers).

Importantly, they are also all genotyped (DNA profiled) and have pedigree recorded.

While this indicates that the ASBP includes sires that are reflective of modern Angus genetics, this has recently been validated through a more technically sophisticated approach. A study undertaken by Vinzent Borner et al (2017 unpublished) looked at the degree of relatedness, on a DNA level, between the ASBP sires to all Angus animals genotyped and registered with Angus Australia (n=32,659). Using principle component analysis, the study revealed that the ASBP sires had strong and significant relatedness across the Angus population that are genotyped.

Table 1 – Summary of ASBP Sires and Progeny per Cohort Cohort

Year (Birth)

# Sires

# ASBP Progeny Born

1

2011

35

906

2

2012

47

1,303

3

2013

40

1,255

4

2014

21

608

5

2015

46

1,311

6

2016

41

1,323

7

2017

34

1,091

8

2018

35

1,226*

Total

299

9,023

* Estimate from cows pregnancy scanned

For a reference population to be useful, particularly for genetic evaluation, it must be representative of the population from which breeding animal selection is occurring, in this case the Australian Angus population. So, on this basis, is the ASBP an effective reference population?

As a first step to answer this question, it has been identified that across the 299 sires used in the ASBP they collectively have 81,630 progeny registered across 719 member herds. This is an average of 273 progeny per sire and 114 progeny per herd. Additionally, 155 of the ASBP sires have 100 or more progeny registered with Angus Australia.

The ASBP sires have also come from all major Angus bull breeding regions of Australia (figure 1). The sires have been bred, on a state basis, in NSW (n=155), Victoria (n=64), Western Australia (n=17), Tasmania (n=9), Queensland (n=7) and South Australia (n=6). Several overseas bred bulls have also entered including New Zealand (n=30), USA (n=8) and the United Kingdom (n=3).

PAge 8

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

International ASBP Sire breakdown:

30 New Zealand, 8 United States, 3 United King

Figure 1. ASBP Sires have come from all major Angus bulls breeding regions of

Although it is important for ASBP sires to be diverse and representative of the overall Angus population, it is also important to balance this with the aim for genetic progress.

This is the focus of another major objective of the ASBP which is to progeny test modern Angus bulls.

The progeny test component of the ASBP facilitates selection of sires and Angus genetics to help drive genetic progress for the Angus breed, industry and supply chain such as commercial herds, feedlots, abattoirs and ultimately the consumer. Figure 3 shows that the sires average Angus Breeding Index (ABI) has been increasing across each Cohort and more noticeably from Cohort 6. The Cohort 8 sires average +$142 on ABI placing them in the top 5% of the breed.

sire benchmarking Below: Figure 2 - First Three Principle Components of a 32,659 (#animals) by 44,801 (# of SNPs) Genetic Marker Matrix of Australian Angus with ASBP sires coloured (not black). Source: Vinzent Borner et al, AGBU, University of New England, 2017 (unpublished).

gdom

f Australia

trait variation is required. An example of the EBV variation in the Cohort 8 sires in listed in table 2.

Table 2 – Variation in Index and EBVs for ASBP Cohort 8 Sire (n=35) EBV/Index

Average

Maximum

Minimum

Breed Average

ABI ($)

+142

+167

+103

+109

Bwt (kg)

+4.5

+8.3

+1.0

+4.3

400 Day Wt (kg)

+99

+122

+80

+79

Mwt (kg)

+110

+147

+63

+89

Cwt (kg)

+73

+91

+56

+57

EMA (cm2)

+6.3

+11.3

-0.2

+4.8

P8 Fat (mm)

0.0

+2.9

-3.4

-0.1

IMF(%)

+2.4

+4.7

+0.2

+1.6

A challenge for the ASBP is to ensure it maintains momentum and continues to build the Angus reference population. For example, for hard-to-measure traits at different levels of heritability (h2) the following numbers of phenotyped and genotyped animals are required in the reference population to achieve an Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) accuracy of 70% for a genotyped only animal (Figure 4) is: • MSA marbling score – h2: 0.48 requires approximately 6,000 animals in the reference population.

• Net feed intake - h2: 0.34 requires approximately 8,000 animals in the reference population.

• Days-to-calving – h2: 0.07 requires approximately >20,000 animals in the reference population.

For comparison, Cohorts 1 to 8 to the ASBP will deliver approximately 4,000 steers that have been measured for net feed intake and carcase traits such as MSA marbling score. A similar number of heifers will be measured for days-to-calving to their first calving.

It is also essential to continually update the reference population with phenotypes and genotypes from modern animals due to the occurrence of linkage disequilibrium decay. This means a reference population produced today may be less effective for breeding value calculation for animals of tomorrow, unless the reference population is continually seeded with modern Angus animals.

With the challenges in mind, Angus breeders can be confident that the ASBP is achieving its objective to build an effective reference population of Angus cattle while also progeny testing modern Angus sires for genetic progress.

Figure 3. Average Angus Breeding Index (ABI) for ASBP sires by Cohort

While on average the ASBP sires are a high-performance group, particularly in more recent Cohorts, within each Cohort there is a planned range of EBVs on a trait basis. This is in consideration of selection that occurs in Angus herds on trait specific basis, as well as assisting research where

Figure 4 – Relationship between the number of animals in the reference population (with genotypes and phenotypes) and accuracy of EBVs of animals genotyped only at differing levels of trait heritability.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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sire benchmarking

VALIDATED - Variation in Angus Carcase Value Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager

A repeated study has validated the variation that exists in Angus carcase value. The study revealed a $695 per carcase difference based on carcase data collected in Cohort 5 of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP).

The study compared carcase values, on a progeny average basis, between the highest and lowest ranked sires. This is similar to the difference observed in Cohort 4 of the ASBP, being $619.

The progeny average carcase values were derived by applying industry based parameters to each steer carcase (n=556) from Cohort 5 of the ASBP. The parameters are based on a general long-fed production system (200+ days) with the aim of producing and selling high quality Angus beef products. The specific parameters applied were: • $8/kg carcase weight for an AUS-MEAT marbling score 3 carcase • Add $0.40/kg carcase weight per AUS-MEAT marbling score above 3.

• subtract $0.80/kg carcase weight per AUS-MEAT marbling score below 3 • Subtract 10c/kg carcase weight if >25 mm but less than 30 mm p8 (i.e rump) fat • Subtract 15c/kg carcase weight if 30 mm of p8 (i.e rump) fat or greater.

Additionally, progeny average values, including Carcase Value ($), are calculated using a least squares means (LSM) model which takes into herd and other contemporary group effects.

The carcase value progeny averages for each sire is listed in table 1 and graphed in figure 1. The progeny average figures for the component traits (Carcase Weight, Marbling Score and Rump fat) are also listed in table 1.

As expected, the sires with the highest carcase value progeny averages had progeny with higher carcase weights, coupled with higher marbling scores and rump fat in the optimum range. For example, the sire ranked 1st with a carcase value progeny average of $3,774 had a carcase weight, MSA Marbling Score and Rump Fat progeny averages of 449 kg, 508 score and 14.3 mm respectively.

The outcomes show that there is significant scope to select Angus sires and genetics for the component traits that impact on the overall value of Angus carcases such as carcase weight and marbling score.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Importantly, the corresponding EBVs available for selection decisions, being the Carcase Weight EBV and Intramuscular Fat (IMF) EBV, have a strong, positive relationship with the progeny average values as shown in figure 2 for carcase weight and figure 3 for IMF EBV to MSA Marbling score. Angus breeders with a goal of genetically improving carcase value should therefore have confidence in utilising related EBVs in their selection decisions.

The latest BREEDPLAN EBVs and progeny average figures for the ASBP sires are available from the Angus Australia website on angus.tech, specifically through the ASBP SELECT facility (https://angus.tech/enquiry/animal/ asbp) or Sire Benchmarking Catalogue (https://angus. tech/catalogue/asbp).

Figure 1 – Cohort 5 ASBP Sires Carcase Value Progeny Averages ($)

Figure 2 – Relationship between carcase weight progeny averages and EBVs for the ASBP Cohort 5 Sires with 10 or more ASBP carcase progeny.

Figure 3 – Relationship between MSA Marbling Score progeny averages and IMF EBVs for the ASBP Cohort 5 Sires with 10 or more ASBP carcase progeny.

sire benchmarking Sire

# ASBP Carcase Progeny

Carcase Weight (kg)

MSA Marbling (Score)

Rump Fat (mm)

Carcase Value ($)

1

14

449

508

14.3

$3,774

2

15

446

500

14.3

$3,677

3

10

443

444

20.9

$3,642

4

7

445

485

17.8

$3,623

5

13

440

453

15.3

$3,587

6

10

434

480

18.0

$3,582

7

13

421

474

19.7

$3,579

8

13

438

446

15.7

$3,578

9

8

436

478

18.4

$3,573

10

13

433

454

17.0

$3,556

11

14

443

486

21.6

$3,550

12

12

437

473

22.1

$3,549

13

13

421

506

16.8

$3,541

14

12

437

472

17.8

$3,539

15

16

428

518

19.6

$3,536

16

16

422

502

18.1

$3,531

17

9

439

452

18.2

$3,530

18

15

429

446

20.0

$3,528

19

11

422

423

19.9

$3,523

20

12

436

424

17.2

$3,516

21

5

413

600

16.2

$3,505

22

12

422

504

19.1

$3,505

23

11

435

402

17.1

$3,502

24

12

421

579

16.7

$3,498

25

10

421

467

17.1

$3,469

26

12

420

461

17.6

$3,455

27

7

417

428

18.9

$3,450

28

9

411

497

22.6

$3,444

29

14

436

425

21.3

$3,442

30

11

441

415

19.1

$3,441

31

15

419

498

18.4

$3,435

32

17

424

459

20.1

$3,424

33

12

421

475

20.1

$3,412

34

11

426

432

20.1

$3,401

35

4

419

448

20.3

$3,377

36

8

416

457

19.5

$3,362

37

6

414

435

20.5

$3,308

38

8

419

387

19.7

$3,306

39

11

403

467

19.1

$3,275

40

10

409

413

20.6

$3,265

41

15

406

413

22.1

$3,264

42

16

417

385

20.3

$3,262

43

13

412

416

18.7

$3,255

44

9

411

435

20.5

$3,241

45

11

406

414

17.7

$3,222

46

14

394

406

17.1

$3,132

47

12

390

400

19.1

$3,115

48

7

396

411

22.2

$3,106

49

8

398

364

23.9

$3,079

Table 1 – Progeny Average Values for the Cohort 5 ASBP Sires Sorted in descending order by Carcase Value ($)

NEW MERCHANDISE Available now through the Angus Australia website

www.angusaustralia.com.au Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 11

sire benchmarking

ANGUS AUSTRALIA AND VETOQUINOL CONTINUE COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIP FOR ASBP Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

Angus Australia and independent global animal health company Vetoquinol have extended their commercial partnership agreement for a further year covering the next joining year of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP).

Angus Australia and Vetoquinol are continuing a 3 year long working relationship in which Vetoquinol has supported the ASBP, a role which has been crucial in providing successful AI results within the program.

The ASBP is a major Research and Development initiative of Angus Australia and will be celebrating its 10th year in process in 2019.

The major objectives of the ASBP include generating progeny test data on modern Angus bulls, particularly for hard to measure traits such as feed efficiency, abattoir carcase measurement, meat quality attributes and female reproduction, generating data for the validation and refinement of Angus BREEDPLAN and building a comprehensive phenotype and genotype database on Australian Angus for genomic technology validation, research and development.

Vetoquinol is a family owned business originated from France and is the 9th largest veterinary pharmaceutical company in the world.

“Vetoquinol are pleased to continue our relationship with Angus Australia. We have made it our mission to improve reproductive outcomes of livestock through our Repro360 project. Genetic improvement underpins the success of many beef cattle enterprises, and walks hand in hand with improved reproductive outcomes. The ASBP represents PAge 12

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

a great initiative that will contribute positively to the profitability of the beef industry long term,” expressed Dr Sophia Edwards, Business Unit Manager (Australia and New Zealand), Food Production Animals at Vetoquinol.

The ongoing commercial relationship between Vetoquinol and Angus Australia is greatly valued for the continuation of the ABSP process.

Angus Australia’s Strategic Project Manager, Christian Duff adds, “A successful fixed time AI program underpins the ASBP. Using Vetoquinol products ensures that we have this success year on year. This is through the supply of products such as Cue-Mate® devices, but more importantly the support and advice they can provide through their knowledgeable staff.”

Angus Australia highlights home grown beef science at ICOMST2018 Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

Angus Australia’s Strategic Projects Manager Christian Duff appeared at ICOMST2018 on the 14th of August to present the innovations made in Angus beef genetics through Angus Australia’s science-based initiatives to likeminded scientific meat experts.

ICOMST2018 is the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology and attracts delegates from around the world to converse and exchange information about the world of meat science and technology.

Mr Duff represented Angus Australia and the University of New England at the conference event and presented a poster regarding the prediction of Carcase Intramuscular Fat and Marbling based on research made using liveanimal ultrasounds in Australian Angus.

The conference themes for this year’s gathering put a highlight on the next generation technologies to assess carcases and meat, which is an integral focus at Angus Australia in terms of breed development and the research into herd improvement.

The information put to the forum by Mr Duff highlights the results and conclusions drawn from research undertaken as part of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program, that had the objective to estimate phenotypic and genetic parameters for two live animal ultrasound systems (CUP and PIE) and determine their relationship with carcase IMF and marbling scores.

Conclusions drawn find that both ultrasound systems were useful early predictors of final carcase IMF and marbling, particularly on the genetic level. However the CUP system had a significantly higher heritability and would be more generally suitable for genetic evaluation and early selection of Angus breeding animals for carcase IMF and marbling score.

Mr Duff said that attending the conference was necessary for the continued growth of the science-based initiatives at Angus Australia.

Our industry programs need to focus on providing consistent beef for high quality attributes. Image: Cloudbreaker Film

“The Consumer is king. Our industry programs, including genetic evaluation programs, need to further focus on providing consistent beef with high quality attributes for the consumer both domestically and internationally,” Mr Duff said. ”There are many next generation objective carcase quality measurement technologies being developed and assessed such as DEXA, NIR, Hyperspectral and MIJ,” Mr Duff said. “This also includes new ultrasound scan technologies for predicting IMF in live cattle which was the focus of the paper I presented at ICOMST2018.

“Angus Breeders are well placed to take early advantage of new technologies to assess carcase quality through Angus Australia’s collaboration with R&D groups such as the University of New England, Murdoch University and the ALMTech program.

“The next area of cutting edge research in the meat science space is understanding the flavour notes and profile of beef. Like wine, could beef be labelled for the consumer on its flavour profile? If so, could the flavour profile also be manipulated through genetic selection.”

Angus Australia Strategic Operations Manager Christian Duff (right) presenting his poster on findings made by new ultrasound scan technologies for predicting IMF in live cattle, with Xuemei Han, a meat science technician from the University of New England.”

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 13

Understanding a bull’s influence in your herd Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer

Often the value placed on a bull within a breeding program has a very short-term focus, with high expectations on him and the immediate influence he will have. These expectations often lead to good bulls receiving a less than representative assessment of the value they have delivered to the herd. This is also the case with poorer bulls receiving higher praise then they deserve.

A bull’s immediate value to any breeding program is through the progeny he produces, whether that be through natural or A.I joining, he will ultimately be judged by the progeny he directly sires. The influence he has however is far greater and understanding his role, and the role past sires have, on the calves you produce this year is the key to realising genetic gain.

If we take a simple look at the influence of a bull, we see that the bull contributes about half (50%) of the genes to the progeny, with the cow contributing the remainder.

This we all know, but what we often forget, is the genetics carried by the cow is made up of about half of the genes of their sire.

So, if we then take a step back and look at our selection influence on the calf, what we see is that in a typical selfreplacing breeding program, that buys in bulls, this year’s bull has a ~50% influence and the previous sires we selected have ~25% (maternal sire) and ~12.5% (maternal grandsire) influence. Or another way of looking at this is

that ~87.5% of the genetics of the calves is influenced by the sires used in the past 3 generations.

The influence of maternal sires and grandsires means that when we make selection decisions on a bull, we need to understand the decision in relation to the other decisions we have made. This is important because if we want to make genetic progress these selection decisions need to complement each other and the broader objectives of the breeding program.

Understanding then that a bull will have an immediate impact over 1-5 years in direct siring of progeny and then an additional 3-10-year impact on the cow herd and then a further reduced impact on the cows of the future in 20+ years, means when we make the selection we need to get it right and understand it with the future in mind.

Part of getting this decision right is about understanding what role the bull plays in our breeding program. Will you retain lots of his heifers? Will you retain none of his heifers? Will we use genomics in the selection of heifers?

Will he sire a bull? All these questions aim to understand what sort of reach he will have. Only once we understand the impact the bull has on the breeding program can we understand his value.

Whether commercially or seed stock focused the message remains the same, the value a bull has should be considered in the long term. The strong environmental influence on his physical performance often overshadows this but the success of your breeding program will depend on whether the bull improves your cow herd or keeps it average.

The average gets left behind

Did you know that if an average heifer (50% percentile) is bred to an average bull (50% percentile) by the time the calf is able to be mated, it will be below average (bottom 50%) in the breed?

Genetic gain within the Angus breed has been driven by the great work seedstock producers have done in applying technologies like EBVs and genomics, blending them into programs which assess not only the physical characteristics we see in the animal but the science of breeding values.

The importance of understanding then that the heifers we breed today will produce the cows of a better future means that if we want to produce more profitable cattle, we need to breed the cows we want in 10 years’ time, now.

Female selection influence Sire selection influence PAge 14

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Breeding values add value

Gaining a true assessment of a bull’s potential value and the direction he could take the herd can be hard when

relying only on physical traits and performance, because of the large impact environmental conditions have.

The physical traits and performance provide valuable information, however need to be understood in relation to the performance of the herd, this is because; 1) Irrespective of the conditions, when exposed to the same conditions, the higher genetic merit animal will perform better than a lower genetic merit animal.

2) If exposed to different environmental conditions (such as feeding programs), the physical performance of poorer genetic merit animals can be above that of higher genetic merit animals.

3) A bull’s value to a breeding program is through his genetics, not his physical performance Breeding values take the hard work out assessing the merit of an animal because they take into account a huge amount of data, not only on the animal itself but also how animals in its pedigree have performed and how the genetics its carrying have performed in other animals. This performance is assessed in relation to how the animal performed in relation to other animals within the herd, which enables the influence of environmental conditions to be accounted for.

Using breeding values and assessing the change in breeding values towards our breeding objective enables a bull’s value to be appropriately assessed. Producing the highest quality cattle relies not only on great genetics and breeding, but also suitable feeding and environmental conditions to allow the genetics to express themselves to their full potential.

Overall what this means is that if we are to realise the true value of a bull in our herd, we need to understand his impact is just one part of all the bulls in the pedigree. We need to understand that average doesn’t cut it and that if we want to have more profitable cows in the future, we need to make the right decisions now and understand what the bull has truly delivered to the herd, all of which is made easy with breeding values.

For further information or support contact staff at Angus Australia:

Phone: (02) 6773 4600 | Email: office@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 15

Northern Focus

Northern focus: Improved productivity

Jonathan Faris, Northern Development Officer & Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer Matt and Kristie Lisle of ‘Lisle Holdings Pty Ltd’ are 4th generation beef producers based in the Shoalwater Bay area of central Queensland, some 77km north of Rockhampton.

Matt and Kristie Lisle of ‘Lisle Holdings Pty Ltd’ are 4th generation beef producers based in the Shoalwater Bay area of central Queensland, 77km north of Rockhampton.

Bordered by the Department of Defence training area of Shoalwater Bay, they operate a Bos indicus breeding herd of predominantly Grey Brahman and Brangus types and recent purchase of a mixed breed heifer herd. Matt and Kristie are in the process of increasing the level of Angus blood in retained heifer progeny, eventually aiming to have a breeding herd of Angus cross females of 50% 75% Angus content.

Matt’s parents, Rodney and Glenda Lisle, own and operate their own properties, adjoining “Bull Lagoon” and breed predominantly Brahman cattle. The combined family holdings total some 4,047 ha (~10,000 acres). Although operating their businesses independently from one another, both families conduct joint day to day operations on each other’s properties.

Matt and Kristie chose Angus to cross with for their improved fertility, temperament, expanded marketability and weight gains, as well as the readily available objective performance data to help make the right decisions for their herd and business.

“Bull Lagoon” is described as flooded alluvial flats and coastal eucalypt forest country of predominantly black alluvial soils and grey coastal clays. Approximately half of the property has been cleared under the existing PMAV, with the remainder timbered to blue gum, paperbark, box and ti tree in the alluvial areas and ironbark and bloodwood on the ridges.

Pastures include spear and wire grasses, marine cooch, pangola and humicola grasses on the alluvial flats, whilst Rhodes, spear grasses and tropical legumes of Seca Stylo and Wyncassia are found on ridgelines.

The alluvial flats are regularly submerged during the wet season therefore being phosphorus deficient.

Subsequently a supplementation program for the breeding herd is required.

PAge 16

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Lisle Holdings Pty Ltd property size:

1,780 ha / 4,398 acres

Location:

Approx. 77km NW of Rockhampton & approx. 20km west of the Capricorn coast

Carrying Capacity:

1 AE/LSU to 4 ha (10 acres)

Average Rainfall:

750-1000mm per annum

Target Market:

EU weaners for the trade market, feedlot weaners between 350kg– 410kg live-weight

Approximately 32 ha / 80 acres of Leucaena, a tropical legume shrub, and a further 80 ha / 200 acres of ponded pasture have been developed on Matts parent’s property and established to para grass and alemon grass varieties for both Rodney and Glenda bulls and Matt and Kristie’s mop up bulls.

Breeding Operations:

Matt and Kristie’s breeding herd of 200 females were joined in 2017 in a set time AI program, increasing to 400 head in 2018 including their own first cross AngusBrahman heifers.

The breeding herd is joined to Black Angus and Brangus genetics through a set time Artificial Insemination (AI) program, followed by natural mating at a rate of 3% to black Angus and Brangus mop up bulls. Maiden heifers with higher Bos indicus content are mated at a 350kg whilst heifers with a greater amount of bos Taurus blood are mated at circa 320kg.

Northern Focus The AI program is carefully timed for calving to coincide with traditional early storms and wet season with subsequent feed quality and availability. AI calving commences on the 29th of November each year with natural mated calving to begin from the 26th of December.

The 2018 AI program is as follows: • 09/02/2018 – Implant Cue-Mate and x1 needle for all joined females, • 17/02/2018 – Take out the Cue-Mate implants and x2 needles for all joined females, • 18/02/2018 – Further needle • 19/02/2018 – Inseminate • 16/03/2018 – Install KAMAR detectors • 07 – 11/03/2018 – Clean up AI when any females cycle, • 18/03/2018 – Place mop up bulls with heifers at 3% joining rate • 01/04/2018 – Take out mop up bulls from heifers A nutrition program for maiden heifers is given, consisting of molasses and grain lick for 8 weeks preceding, 8 weeks during and 8 weeks after joining. They are also given a molasses mineral lick for other trace elements. This program is replicated for the mature females excluding the molasses mineral lick.

Branding is conducted in February each year with a second run a fortnight later. Branding rates are recorded at 80% - 85% as there is usually only notional loss after calving.

Females are culled on fertility and temperament. Given the relatively young age of the breeding herd so far, culling for age is not yet a consideration.

Calves are weaned for 5-6 days in the yards and are tailed out each day and educated by working dogs. After yard weaning the weaners are then placed in a fresh paddock close to the homestead.

Bull Selection and Benefits of Angus Genetics:

Matt and Kristie have specific bull selection requirements that are needed to best suit their herd and management.

These are in order; 1. Docility – for ease of management and growth rates, 2. Fertility – (& soundness) demonstrated through fertility and soundness evaluation tests and strong fertility EBV’s,

3. Marketability – bulls to have good balance between growth and muscling and their ability to lay down fat and to marble, with preference for moderate growth bulls demonstrating good fat and marbling scans and EBVs. Matt and Kristie ensure that bulls are registered and have EBV’s to help predict performance and trace pedigree, therefore providing a level of predictability and consistency in progeny. This is no more evident than in progeny of Brangus x Brahman producing a wide variation in progeny type, presenting marketing challenges. As a result, they have been favouring the straight Angus over Bos indicus breeders to build consistency in progeny.

When breeding replacement females, there is a focus on fertility, growth, fats and IMF traits to maximise earlier fertility through reaching optimal weight and body condition scores quicker, ability to get back into calf quickly as well as rebuild fat stores after calf weaning.

Visual criteria when selecting Angus bulls include preference of sleek coats for improved parasite prevention and management, and bulls demonstrating more leg allowing for better mobility and improved servicing ability on the larger framed bos indicus females.

Matt and Kristie traditionally purchase their Angus bulls in April each year to avoid the worst of the heat and humidity and allow for 6 months acclimatisation prior to joining. The bulls are put on good pasture and monitored before being introduced to other bulls.

The Results - Fertility:

Angus and Brangus genetics have led to an 86% pregnancy test rate in 2018 following the AI round and only 1 follow up cycle with mop up bulls. Matt attributes this to the improved fertility and libido of the Angus breed.

In comparison, the family’s pure Bos indicus herd joined to Grey Brahman bulls achieved an 83% preg test rate, however this was only achieved after x6 cycles as opposed to the AI round and one cycle when using Angus and Brangus mop up bulls.

Prior to using Angus and Brangus genetics, historical pregnancy testing of approximately 60% was considered normal. Using Angus bulls in conjunction with overall improved management practices, fertility issues have been addressed.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 17

Northern Focus Continued - Northern focus: Improved productivity AI pregnancy rates of Angus/Brangus x Brahman 2016 and 2017 females averaged 54% as opposed to 45% for 2016 straight bred Brahman females.

The Results – Temperament:

Angus bulls with high docility EBV’s and culling any breeding animal displaying a wild or nervous temperament has resulted in the herd now being handled by one person with the assistance of working dogs. Subsequently, the breeding herd has improved fertility through the docile Angus cross females achieving joining weights earlier and cycling earlier.

The Results – Meeting Market Specs:

Matt estimates the Angus influenced progeny consistently weigh on average 20kg more per animal than pure Bos indicus progeny across their entire lives. This increased growth rate eliminates the need to use HGP’s which would otherwise break their EU accreditation.

Furthermore, the progeny of Angus bulls can lay down fats quicker and have higher levels of IMF, allowing for greater marketability depending on the seasons and available feed.

The Results – Marketability:

The Angus influenced progeny have achieved target specifications quicker and led to an average premium of + 20c/kg more than straight Bos indicus calves. For a 200kg weaner, that equates to a $40/head increase, making for an attractive bonus on any commercial operation.

Angus cross progeny have achieved excellent results for Matt and Kristie in heavier weight categories. Two of their Angus x Brahman steers entered into the 2018 Central Qld Carcass Classic in the ‘Single Grassfed 2 Tooth Trade Steer/ Heifer (180 – 300 kg CW) category resulted in; (i) Dressed weights at 239kg (Steer 1) and 343kg

(steer 2),

PAge 18

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

(ii) Dentition of 0 (steer 1) and 2 tooth (steer 2),

(iii) Fats of 16mm and 13mm (steer 1) and 9mm and

7mm (steer 2) on the P8 and rib sites respectively, (iv) EMA of 72cm (steer 1) & 86cm (steer 2), Increased marketability through MSA compliance was recently demonstrated with cull pasture finished Angus x Brahman heifers. The draft averaged HSCW of 227.3kg, dentition of 2, fats of 11mm, MSA ossification score of 181 (although 75% of the draft scored 170) and MSA marbling score of 260 across the draft. Selling for an average of $4.50/kg, these returned $1,023/head.

Is your breeding program gaining Momentum?

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Sire: GAR Progress MGS: ALC Big Eye 1770 • • • •

The elite of the elite when it comes to carcase sires Progeny have impressive phenotype and structure Logical choice as a breed improving carcase sire No other HBR sires can match Momentum in Australia with his combination of EMA and %IMF.

REG: USA17354145 CE Dir

2018 September Angus Breedplan

CE Dtrs

GL

BWT

200

400

600

MCW

Milk

DTC

SS

DOC

CWT

EMA

RIB

P8

RBY

IMF

EBV

0.5

0.2

-2.8

2.7

49

90

104

59

25

-0.6

0.5

17

68

13.9

-0.5

-2.2

0.7

4.5

(Acc)

84% 47

73% 53

98% 70

98% 14

97% 21

97% 17

96% 49

88% 95

85% 1

53% 95

95% 95

88% 14

86% 19

86% 1

87% 65

83% 94

81% 35

85% 1

Perc

ABI

DOM

GRN

GRS

$130

$128

$151

$122

13

2

7

15

GAR Drive

Sire: GAR Momentum MGS: Connealy Insure • One of the most stylish phenotype, high carcase merit sires available in the breed • Study the pedigree of this uniquely bred GAR sire which includes TC Total 410 and Right Time...Drive is unique • Well into the top 1% for marbling and ribeye EPDs in the USA and in Australia Drive has a +12.2 EMA and +3.2 %IMF EBV’s

REG: USA18301470

2018 September Angus Breedplan

CE Dir

CE Dtrs

GL

BWT

200

400

600

MCW

Milk

DTC

SS

DOC

CWT

EMA

RIB

P8

RBY

IMF

EBV

1.4

1.8

-2.7

3.3

49

90

103

76

24

-2.2

1.3

-

68

12.2

-0.6

-1.1

1.3

3.2

(Acc)

58% 33

46% 24

71% 72

78% 25

78% 21

77% 17

75% 52

72% 77

69% 1

39% 84

72% 73

-

73% 19

71% 1

71% 68

65% 78

65% 13

69% 5

Perc

ABI

DOM

GRN

GRS

$127

$128

$140

$122

17

2

15

15

Lawsons Momentous M518

• • • •

Sire: GAR Momentum MGS: Te Mania Africa The high selling bull in Lawsons Angus WA sale and all time high selling Angus bull sold at Auction in Western Australia Momentous is an eye-catching sire with EBV’s that rank him as an elite young sire in the Angus breed Momentous offers breed leading carcarse merit and best described as sound footed, deep bodied, slick coated, docile and hard to fault sire.

Momentous rates as one of the leading Momentum sons available in the Angus breed globally.

REG: VLYM518

2018 September Angus Breedplan

CE Dir

CE Dtrs

GL

BWT

200

400

600

MCW

Milk

DTC

SS

DOC

CWT

EMA

RIB

P8

RBY

IMF

EBV

1.6

2

-4.2

3.5

50

95

122

96

27

-3.6

2.7

-

63

11.8

-0.3

-1

0.4

4.2

(Acc)

61% 30

49% 21

85% 43

74% 28

71% 17

70% 8

70% 12

67% 35

56% 1

42% 60

65% 10

-

63% 34

62% 1

65% 58

62% 75

58% 45

61% 1

Perc

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GRS

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2

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 19

Angus education

Upcoming Educational Events at Angus Australia There are various upcoming informative and educational events in 2018 hosted by Angus Australia. The upcoming events will focus on the breed development initiatives being made by Angus Australia.

Angus Australia Regional Forums 2018:

Angus Australia are once again hosting a series of Regional Forums scheduled across Australia during October.

The Angus Australia Regional Forums are free of charge and open to anyone interested in Angus cattle. The event also is an excellent opportunity for those wanting to catchup with Angus Australia staff and fellow Angus beef producers.

The focal point of this year's forums is to form a focus on a “journey to genetic improvement”, providing participants with a series of presentations on the latest developments and services offered by Angus Australia and how they can be applied to producers in both the seedstock and commercial sector.

The topics include Genomic Technologies: what can genomic testing deliver to your herd; case studies on the value of genomic testing; what’s being achieved with the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program; an Angus.Tech Showcase; and what’s coming next for Angus breeders: future programs and developments at Angus Australia.

The forum will conclude with an optional tutorial for anyone who has specific questions regarding the use of Angus.Tech, therefore members are encouraged to bring their laptops or iPads for use during this session.

The dates and locations for the 2018 Angus Australia Regional Forums are as follows.

Date

Location

Time

Venue

3rd of October 2018 (Wednesday)

Toowoomba, QLD

8:45am – 1pm

Toowoomba City Golf Club

5th of October 2018 (Friday)

Perth, WA

12:30pm – 4:30pm

The Vines Resort, The Vines

11th of October 2018 (Thursday)

Armidale, NSW

8:45am – 1pm

Armidale City Bowling Club

15th of October 2018 (Monday)

Goulburn, NSW

8:45am – 1pm

Goulburn Soldiers Club

16th of October 2018 (Tuesday)

Bathurst, NSW

8:45am – 1pm

Bathurst RSL

18th of October 2018 (Thursday)

Launceston, TAS

8:45am – 1pm

Best Western Plus Motel

23rd of October 2018 (Tuesday)

Wodonga, VIC

8:45am – 1pm

The Cube Wodonga

24th of October 2018 (Wednesday)

Daylesford, VIC

9:45am – 2pm

Daylesford Bowling Club

25th of October 2018 (Thursday)

Hamilton, VIC

8:45am – 1pm

Comfort Inn Grange Burn

26th of October 2018 (Friday)

Hahndorf, SA

8:45am – 1pm

The Hahndorf Resort Tourist Park

Angus Sire Benchmarking Program Open Day:

Angus Australia will once again be hosting the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program Open Day on the 28th of November 2018 at Tullimba Feedlot, Torryburn NSW. The Open Day will focus on the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP), in which attendees will hear about the latest developments that have been made to the program. Attendees will also inspect steers from the ASBP Cohort 7 identified to their Angus sires.

The event will also give attendees the opportunity to see Tullimba’s GrowSafe feed intake facilities in action.

Further information regarding this event will become available closer to the event date.

For further details regarding the upcoming events contact Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer: Phone: (02) 6773 4626 Email: matthew.reynolds@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

PAge 20

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Service Provider Workshop:

Angus Australia is holding a consultation workshop in Melbourne for beef industry genetics and service providers who work closely with Angus Australia members on the 4th of December, 2018.

The day is open to all industry professionals who work with Angus Australia members, such as accredited technicians, semen distributors, genomics companies, private consultants working in the beef cattle industry, cattle veterinarians and stud stock agents.

The workshop provides information on the latest genetics research and developments being conducted

by Angus Australia, enhancements to the Angus BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation, recent outcomes from the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program and developments to the genomic technology that is available to Angus breeders.

The workshop has been designed to give attendees the opportunity to give feedback to Angus Australia in regards to our products and services.

The event will take place at Best Western Airport Motel and Convention Centre, Attwood, VIC. Further information regarding this event will become available closer to the event date.

Nathan Steinbeck, XL Beef with Angus Australia's Candice Liddle

Chris Patterson, Heart Angus with Angus Australia's Jonathan Faris

Nicolas Morgan, Glenmorgan Angus with Angus Australia's Matthew Reynolds

around the beef weeks

Carabar Angus stud principal Darren Hegarty with, James Bryant during the QCL's Southern Beef Week. Image: Fairfax Media

The Rock Angus co-principal Karen Masson with Dale and Warren Macreadie during Ausmectin Southern Beef week. Image: Fairfax Media

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018 atPAge 21 Alistair, Imogen, Jen and Arabella McLaren with Cathy Bowman Wargundy Angus Dunedoo during Ausmectin Southern Beef Week. Image: Fairfax Media

Angus Australia marks 100 trips around the sun in 2019 Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

The Angus Society of Australia (Angus Australia) will ring in 100 years as a cattle society in 2019, with the centenary celebrations kicking off in January and continuing throughout the year.

Angus Australia was originally named the AberdeenAngus Herd Book Society and was founded by a tenacious group of Queenslanders in 1919, George Clarke from East Talgai, Macintosh Charles from the Gootchie Stud and RS Maynard.

The first meeting held by the future society had the aim of ‘forming a society for the preservation of pedigrees’ and took place in Brisbane on August 12, 1918. The society however did not officially materialise until its second meeting on May 9, 1919, when after a constitution was drawn up by Mr RS Maynard for a society, the group formally decided to establish the Aberdeen-Angus Society Herd Book Society of Australia. James Cobb White from Edinglassie was appointed as the first President and RS Maynard as the Honorary Secretary.

The original society’s additional aim, ‘for the promotion of the best interests of importer, breeders and owners of Aberdeen-Angus cattle, and thereby the public generally’, resonates with the current Angus Australia aim of ‘promoting and enhancing the value of Angus’, almost 100 years on from this original sentiment.

Angus Australia today is a far cry from the society it was when first formed in 1919.

When the first Herd Book was published by the society in 1922, there were 14 listed members from every state except South Australia and included 65 bulls, 313 cows, a number of cattle in the appendices and listed the royal show winners from the previous years.

Volume 1 of the Aberdeen-Angus Herd Book of Australia was published in July 1922

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1300 ANIPRO | www.performancefeeds.com.au PAge 22

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

At the time of print for the 2019 Spring Bulletin there are 4,041 registered Angus Australia members ranging from honorary life members down to junior members. There are 43,812 animals registered with Angus Australia, 17,648 males, 22,470 females and 3,694 steers. The numbers nowadays show a vastly different society then that of its humble beginnings.

The Angus breed in Australia and the society is a generational achievement, with descendants of the original members of the society continuing to champion the breed as current members of Angus Australia.

In a true testament to the resolute and steadfastness of the Angus breed, the Aberdeen-Angus Herd Book Society pressed on through depressions, wars and droughts to achieve the centenary milestone as Angus Australia in 2019.

Over the course of 2019, Angus Australia will be looking back at Angus through the ages and celebrating the achievements and highlights of the Angus breed and the society members over the past 100 years.

The first major events kicking off the Centenary Celebrations will be the Thomas Foods International Angus Youth Roundup in Armidale NSW, January 10-13th 2019 and the Sydney Royal Easter Show Feature Show, April 8th-16th 2019.

Angus Australia will host a National Conference in Albury NSW May 23rd -24th, with the theme of ‘Angus Through

Volume 1 of the Aberdeen-Angus Herd Book of Australia was published in July 1922

The Ages – Building Better Angus Beef’. Angus Royal Show features are also set for Adelaide and Melbourne, with a number of rural shows across the country also featuring Angus.

Planning is well in place for other states to also host Angus events during the centenary year, therefore Angus enthusiasts are encouraged to visit the news and events section at www.angusaustralia.com.au to stay up to date with what is happening to celebrate the Angus breed close to you.

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PAge 23

Angus set to feature in Sydney Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager

As part of the Centenary Celebrations of Angus Australia in 2019, the NSW State Committee will be hosting an Angus Feature Show at the 2019 Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Program: Monday 8 – Tuesday 9 April Beef Cattle and Steers bump in Wednesday 10 April Steers weigh & scan

Angus judging results from the 1922 Sydney Show, as listed in The Aberdeen-Angus Herd Book of Australia Volume 1 in July 1922

An exciting program of events has been developed across 5 days of competition to incorporate Angus Youth, purebred steers, cattle judging, social events and an Angus only grand parade in the main arena.

Cattle and steers will start arriving on the showgrounds from Monday April 8th 2019, with the judging events beginning on Thursday April 11th 2019 and go through until the interbreed judging on Monday the 15th of April 2019.

The Angus Feature Show will be coordinated by Tim Lord, with the support of a sub-committee from within the NSW State Committee.

Sponsorship opportunities for the Sydney Royal Easter Angus Feature Show, are still available, for further information, please contact Tim Lord 0417 406 036 or Carol Grylls 0418 127 986.

For further information on the Sydney Royal Easter Angus Feature Show, visit www.angusaustralia.com.au or scan the QR code on this page.

Entries for the 2019 Sydney Royal Angus Feature Show will open mid to late November 2018.

Thursday 11 April Beef Inspections and bulls weigh & scan Angus Youth Events (times to be advised) Angus Youth Bred and Owned classes Angus Youth Parader classes Angus Youth Junior Judging competition Angus Steer Show in Hoecker Stock Show U Team fitting competition event run by the Cattle Shop Friday 12 April SHOW DAY 1 RAS Purebred Steer Judging & Auction 5:50pm Angus Parade Main Arena Saturday 13 April SHOW DAY 2 Beef Breed Judging: 12 noon Day 1 – Angus Bull Judging in Hoecker 6/7pm Angus Function – Cocktail Party Sunday 14 April SHOW DAY 3 (Purebred Steers depart early am) Beef Breed Judging: 10:30am Day 2 – Angus Female and Group classes Judging in Hoecker Parade of sale cattle in Hoecker prior to sale at 5pm 5pm Angus Sale in Amphitheatre Monday 15 April SHOW DAY 4 Beef Championships – Interbreed Tuesday 16 April SHOW DAY 5 Beef bump out mid afternoon (This program is a draft and maybe subject to change)

Sydney Royal Snapshots

DSK HLE Ahead of the Pack A57 was the first Angus animal to win the Urquhart Trophy in 2007 , he was also a member of the Hordern Trophy winning team with PC Miss Frontliner Z50

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

In 1875, Angus (or Polled Scots) Cattle were first exhibited at the Sydney Show.

Angus have won the Hordern Trophy for Supreme Interbreed pair 11 times since it was first presented in 1980.

Angus have won the Stan Hill Trophy 5 times since it was first presented in 1980.

Angus have won the Urquhart Trophy 3 times since it was first presented in 1999.

Angus have won the RAS Supreme Beef Interbreed Heifer 3 times since it was first presented in 2010.

Angus have won the Gordon Fuller Memorial Perpetual Trophy for Breeders Group Interbreed 4 times since it was first presented in 2014.

Pedigree – Relevant for the past 100 years Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer

From the beginning of the Angus Australia herd book in 1922 with 65 bulls, 313 cows and a number of cattle in the appendices, pedigree information has remained as relevant today as it was then.

The integrity of the herd book depends on accurate pedigree information being recorded and the information obtained through a pedigree provides a valuable link to connect data with animals.

The past 100 years has seen the cattle breeding and genetics space achieve significant developments from the introduction of artificial insemination (A.I.) and embryo transfer (E.T.) through to breeding values and genomics. All of which, if they are going to deliver their benefits to a breeding program rely on accurate pedigree information.

Pedigree information in the early days enabled breeders to predict, to a certain degree, the type of offspring a bull or cow might produce. This concept of using pedigree information to predict potential offspring is still used today, with one fundamental difference: data. The amount of objective data and information which now feeds in to what we know about an animal is huge and this is why breeding values are so valuable to a breeding program, but also why accuracy of pedigree is still crucial.

Breeding values draw in information from the performance recording on an animal, the performance recording done on relatives of the animal (pedigree) and from genomic information, which links performance recording to genes rather than animals. If this information is incorrectly allocated then the breeding values would link the wrong information to an animal and calculate an incorrect estimated breeding value (EBV).

Now there might be situations where inaccurate pedigree doesn’t sound like a big problem, with the ‘guess now, fix later’ philosophy to recording pedigree. The issue with this approach is that EBVs are not isolated and the EBV calculation for an animal in another herd will be affected, due to sharing relatives or genes. In another article, we discussed the influence of past sires on the calves we produce this year (Understanding a bull’s influence in your herd) and so inaccuracies in pedigree information can affect a huge number of animals.

It is important to note there is also significant legal risk around inaccurate pedigree information, particularly with the sale of an animal with an incorrect pedigree, due to the influence it has on the value of an animal to another breeding program.

This influence has seen Angus Australia implement the parentage verification requirements for registering calves and also the Angus Parentage Assurance program. These initiatives enable members to trust that the data being used to generate an animals EBVs is from the correct source and ultimately enables the information to be used to make selection decisions.

The importance of accuracy in pedigree information is not just limited to breeding values, with the potential for incorrect information impacting the calculation of genetic conditions and inbreeding, both of which can have a detrimental impact on a breeding program if not appropriately managed.

The genetic condition status of an animal can be determined one of two ways; the first and most definitive is through genetic testing which determines if the genes responsible for the genetic condition are carried by the animal. The second is through pedigree and is performed on registered animals, through GeneProb, if a genetic test has not been done.

The GeneProb analysis determines the probability that an animal is a carrier for a genetic condition based on an analysis of the animal’s pedigree and the genetic condition status of animals within the pedigree. The inheritance pattern of genetic conditions such as developmental duplication (DD) or red gene (RD), enable them to be tracked through a pedigree and, in the same way as with breeding values, if incorrect information is used then an incorrect genetic condition status can result.

Achieving genetic gain requires accuracy with the selection decisions we make and the fundamental key to accuracy is correct information. As the cattle industry benefits from further developments within the breeding and genetics space the importance of accuracy of data sources will remain the same. Technologies like A.I. and E.T. rely on elite animals being identified as these technologies enable them to produce an increased number of progeny and therefore have a greater influence on the breeding program. Not being able to identify elite animals means our breeding program cannot benefit.

For further information or support contact staff at Angus Australia:

Phone: (02) 6773 4600 | Email: office@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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breed development

Breed Development Matters Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager

Angus Australia’s Breed Development program remains focussed on ensuring Angus Australia members, and their commercial customers, have access to world leading genetic evaluation technologies, and associated tools for genetic improvement.

Following is a brief update regarding several developments within the Breed Development Program, including: • New DNA requirements for calf registration • Greater disclosure of parentage verification status • Introduction of an Angus Parentage Assurance program • New Angus BREEDPLAN and DNA test member agreements

To further discuss any of these initiatives, or other initiatives within Angus Australia’s Breed Development program, please contact Angus Australia’s Breed Development & Extension Manager, Andrew Byrne: Phone: (02) 6773 4626 Email: matthew.reynolds@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

New DNA Requirements for Calf Registration A number of changes were made in July 2018 to the DNA and parentage verification requirements when registering calves.

The changes have ensured a standardised approach applies across all the main registers (HBR, APR, RAR, ACR and MBR) whilst aligning the registration requirements of Angus Australia with best practice guidelines for registered breed organisations.

The updated DNA and parentage verification requirements for registration in the HBR, APR, RAR, ACR and MBR from July 1st, 2018 are: For new registrations: • If an animal’s sire is born on or after 1/1/2004, the sire must have a DNA profile (microsatellite or SNP) recorded with Angus Australia.

• If an animal’s sire is born on or after 1/1/2018, the sire must have a DNA SNP profile with 5,000 or more SNPs recorded with Angus Australia (e.g. Angus GS or HD50K for Angus).

• If the animal is bred by ET and the donor dam is born on or after 1/1/2004, the donor dam must have a DNA profile (microsatellite or SNP) recorded with Angus Australia.

• If the animal is bred by ET and the donor dam is born on or after 1/1/2018, the donor dam must have a DNA SNP profile with 5,000 or more SNPs recorded with Angus Australia (e.g. Angus GS or HD50K for Angus).

• If the animal’s sire or dam are under 12 months of age at the time of conception, the animal must be DNA sire verified.

For modifications to existing or pending registrations: • The sire of an animal can only be amended if the animal is DNA sire verified to the new sire.

• The dam of an animal can only be amended if the animal is DNA parent verified to both its sire and new dam.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

• The sex of an animal that is more than 24 months of age can only be amended if the animal is DNA sire verified.

For overseas sires: • Requirements when registering sires recorded with overseas breed associations and other breed associations are now the same as registering Australian born sires with Angus Australia.

In addition, from July 1st, 2018, genotype data will be used routinely to check the parentage, sex and recessive gene status of registered animals, with upcoming advances in Angus Australia database systems enabling parent verification to be automatically conducted each time a genotype (i.e. DNA profile) is loaded to the Angus Australia database.

In the event that the routine checking identifies an amendment to animal information is required, the amendment will be made and the current owner & breeder notified. If the current owner has any concerns with the amendment, they can lodge an appeal and the amendment will be reviewed.

In cases where the routine checking identifies an anomaly that can’t be resolved: • If the animal is born before 1/1/2018, the recorded information and registration status will remain unchanged • If the animal is born after 1/1/2018, the erroneous information will be removed, and registration status of the animal revoked A full version of the Angus Australia Regulations can be accessed from the Angus Australia website, or is available upon request from staff at Angus Australia.

breed development

Greater Disclosure of Parentage Verification Status Changes have been made to make it more visible whether an animal has been subject to DNA parent verification, with a suffix now displayed at the end of each animal’s name on the Angus Australia website indicating what DNA parentage verification has been conducted.

The suffixes apply to all HBR, APR, RAR, ACR or MBR animals and are as follows: PV both the animal’s parents have been verified by DNA SV the animal’s sire has been verified by DNA DV the animal’s dam has been verified by DNA # DNA verification has not been conducted E DNA verification has identified that the animal’s sire

and/or dam may possibly be incorrect, but this can

not be confirmed conclusively.

The display of the parentage verification suffixes has initially been implemented on the Angus Database Search, with the display within the AngusSELECT and catalogue areas of the website scheduled from November 1st, 2018, ensuring members with upcoming sales have sufficient time to undertake any testing they deem appropriate.

An example illustrating the new suffixes is displayed in the figure below:

New Angus BREEDPLAN and DNA Test Member Agreements A number of changes were made in July 2018 to Angus Australia’s Regulations regarding the Angus BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation and Angus Australia’s DNA Services.

Angus BREEDPLAN

The Angus BREEDPLAN section of the Regulations was updated, while a new Angus BREEDPLAN Member Agreement was introduced that outlines the terms and conditions when participating in the Angus BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation.

Members enrolled in Angus BREEDPLAN or utilising DNA services through Angus Australia should ensure they have read and understand the new members agreements, along with the updated Angus BREEDPLAN and DNA services sections of the Angus Australia Regulations.

DNA Services

A full version of the Regulations can be accessed from the Angus Australia website, or is available upon request from staff at Angus Australia.

The Regulations now includes a section on DNA services, while the existing DNA Test Member Agreement has been updated outlining the terms and conditions when ordering DNA services from Angus Australia.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Angus. only Angus.

The first DNA profile created specifically for Angus cattle.

Angus GS™ is the new standard in genetic testing for Angus cattle. Created by Angus Genetics, the profile is purely Angus DNA. So it will have better predictability and deliver more power and accuracy than any previous generation genomic enhanced EBV, and at greater value. Learn more about Angus GS at the Angus Genetics website: angus.org/agi. Visit angusaustralia.com.au/ to see how to order the test in Australia.

For Angus. by angus.

ANGUS Genetics Australasia

For more information to improve your herd with genomics, contact our new beef genomics territory manager: Hannah Bourke Neogen Australasia 0447 299 096 HBourke@neogen.com PAge 28

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

breed development

Introduction of an Angus Parentage Assurance Program Further to the display of each animal’s DNA parentage verification status as a suffix on their name, Angus Australia will launch a parentage assurance program from November 1st, 2018.

The parentage assurance program will highlight those sale or semen catalogues listed on the Angus Australia website by members who have invested in DNA testing for parentage verification, and who in turn, have improved the integrity of the pedigree, genetic condition and Angus BREEDPLAN EBV information that is displayed for any animals or semen that they are offering for sale.

The parentage assurance program will have two different categories, Angus Sire Assured and Angus Parentage Assured.

Angus Sire Assured will apply to sale or semen catalogues where all lots have been DNA sire verified, whereas Angus Parentage Assured will apply to sale and semen catalogues where all lots have been DNA parent verified (both sire and dam).

Sale and semen catalogues that qualify as either Angus Sire Assured or Angus Parentage Assured will be identified with the relevant parentage assurance program logo. The logo will also be available for members to utilise in any promotional material associated with eligible catalogues, while functionality will be implemented that enables users of the AngusSELECT tools on the Angus Australia website to limit searches to those catalogues that are either Angus Sire Assured or Angus Parentage Assured.

Eligibility Criteria

• Online sale or semen catalogue listed on Angus Australia website • 100% of lots have been DNA sire verified

Eligibility Criteria •

•

Online sale or semen catalogue listed on Angus Australia website 100% of lots have been DNA parent verified (i.e. both sire and dam)

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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ABS AUSTRALIA is pleased to offer the following sires for the upcoming spring season. ABS currently hold the number 1, 2 and 3 Angus registration sires in the breed, and 7 of the top 9. We are committed to providing our clients with the very best domestic and international sires year in, year out.

29AN2006

29AN2078

LEGEND

KEYSTONE

Landfall K132 Rennylea Edmund E11 x S A V Front Runner 0713

Clunie Range L348 Matauri Reality 839 x Connealy Earnan 076E

29AN2009

271AN3628

FAIL SAFE

CAPITALIST

GAR Connealy In Sure 8524 x G A R Progress

LD 316 Connealy Capitalist 028 x CA Future Direction 5321

237AN3026

29AN1972

SOUTHERN CHARM

COMMAND

Bubs AA31 Silveiras Conversion 8064 x Connealy Stimulus 8419

Baldridge EF Commando 1366 x Hoover Dam

C036

ABS High Conception Rate Program Sire

Contact:

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Fletch Kelly 0419 383 341 Kim Sultana 0438 418 113 Bill Cornell 0428 293 498 abs.au.info@genusplc.com

1800 ABS BULL www.absglobal.com/au

breed development

Testing to rank heifers objectively Ruth Schwager, The Land, First published on 19 July 2018

Commercial Angus producers are now able to boost genetic gain by identifying high indexing replacement females using objective measurement.

The Angus HeiferSELECT tool, a collaboration between Angus Australia and Zoetis, is available for heifers of 87.5 per cent black Angus content or greater that are by registered Angus bulls.

The test uses the latest technology in genomic selection to combine information from the DNA of individual heifers with pedigree information from their sire.

It can identify a female's sire and provide an overall breeding value based on eight traits – calving ease direct, 200-day growth, milk, mature cow weight, carcase weight, eye muscle area, rib fat and intramuscular fat.

Heifers can then be ranked according to their overall breeding value, giving producers a helping hand when selecting their replacement females.

It's particularly helpful for traits that are difficult to measure, such as marbling, Zoetis genetics specialist Lachlan Ayoub said.

Angus HeiferSELECT has been available to Angus Australia's commercial members since late 2017, and currently has eight users, representing more than 4000 Angus heifers tested “They range from operations with less than 50 head to a business with more than 1000 head,” Mr Ayoub said.

“They're targeting a range of markets, from domestic markets through to the long-fed markets.”

Producers are starting to see the benefits, particularly the largest operator.

“With the widespread culling going on because of drought conditions this particular customer is culling using objective information over three cohorts of females," Mr Ayoub said.

“They have to cull, and they're making those culling decisions more accurately than ever using objective measurement to assess the genetic merit of each heifer.”

Sam White has been using HeiferSELECT to objectively select heifers for his commercial herd

Heifers can be tested at any age using a hair or tissue sample, with the results provided via Angus Australia's decision support software, available to members online.

The technology will help producers develop consistent lines of breeders.

“The decision support software is updated fortnightly with Angus BREEDPLAN analysis, and customers have access to that information forever, so they're not paying to use that information once on a group of heifers. That data can be used every year to continually select the best heifers to retain.”

Sam White, Bald Blair, Guyra, NSW, was part of the pilot project, and has continued to use the technology in his commercial herd.

Mr White said the tool was useful in identifying the top performing bloodlines. Mr White tested 210 females.

“It can give you an idea of those animals that, for example, are going to be targeted at first-cross Angus/ Wagyu breeding operations, so you can then identify the animals suited to that program, because they already have that marbling potential,” he said.

“Ninety five per cent of the heifers we've sold since were sire identified which is pretty attractive to the buyers.

There are opportunities to create premiums based on individual sires, on top of the Angus premium.”

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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breed development

THE SCIENCE OF SELECTION The advanced genomic selection tool for Australian Angus breeders

The new HD 50K for Angus is the latest innovation in genomic technology Get reliable solutions sooner: Increase the accuracy of EBVs and indexes for young Angus bulls and heifers Select, mate and market Angus seedstock with greater confidence Identify your best young sire/dam prospects Obtain accurate parent verification ZOETIS IS THE LEADING INNOVATOR — BUILD A HISTORY WITH THE COMPANY CREATING THE FUTURE HD 50K is available to Angus Australia members who are enrolled in Angus BREEDPLAN To take your breeding decisions to the next level call: 1300

768 400

Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 94 156 476 425. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes NSW 2138. © 2018 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved. August 2018. ZL0982.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

breed development

INTRODUCING THE NEW HD50K FOR ANGUS Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager

Angus Australia and Zoetis Genetics have joined forces to introduce a new genotyping platform for Angus cattle from September 1st.

HD50K for Angus is a new genomic product for Angus seedstock cattle available exclusively to Angus Australia members.

“HD50K for Angus is a replacement for Zoetis i50K and HD50K products that are currently available to Angus Australia members," said Zoetis Genetics Manager (ANZ) Daniel Abernethy.

“Zoetis continues to invest heavily in the innovation of genomic technologies and the release of the new HD50K for Angus is another example of this continuous improvement approach,” said Mr Abernethy.

The product enables Angus seedstock breeders to make more informed selection decisions by increasing the accuracy of the Angus BREEDPLAN EBVs available for their animals, particularly when animals are of a young age and for traits that are typically hard to measure.

HD50K for Angus also includes parentage verification, with the capability to conduct “add-on” testing for 7 genetic conditions, plus myostatin and coat colour.

Angus Australia Breed Development and Extension Manager Andrew Byrne says that the new HD50K for

Angus product is the next generation of the current Zoetis i50K genomic test.

“HD50K for Angus includes an additional 7,000 SNPS by comparison to the current i50K,” Mr Byrne said.

“The additional SNP content has been specifically selected to be the most informative in Angus cattle.”

The HD50K innovation can be purchased from the Angus Australia website at a price of $51.45 (inc GST), which is the same price as the previous Zoetis i50K product.

The HD50K for Angus is just one of a number of programs undertaken by Angus Australia in assisting the development and innovation of the Angus breed through research-based initiatives.

“HD50K for Angus is part of Angus Australia’s commitment to ensuring Angus breeders in Australia have access to world leading genetic improvement technologies,” Mr Byrne said.

For more information regarding the introduction of HD50K for Angus, please contact either Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600, or Zoetis Animal Genetics on 1300 768 400. Information is also available on from the Angus Australia website.

TABLE 1 – COMPARISON BETWEEN “NEW” HD50K FOR ANGUS PRODUCT & “PREVIOUS” i50K FOR ANGUS PRODUCT HD50K

i50K

$51.45

$51.45

Testing turn-around time

4 – 8 weeks

4 – 8 weeks

Sample types accepted

Hair, semen, tissue (TSU), tissue

Hair, semen, tissue (TSU), tissue

Parentage verification

Included

Included

Included in Angus BREEDPLAN

Yes

Yes

Number of SNPs

36,893

29,834

Availability of add-on tests

Yes

Yes

-

Core test panel (AM,CA,DD,NH)

+ $34.00

+ $34.00

-

Developmental Duplications (DD)

+ $14.85

+ $14.85

-

Dwarfism (DW)

+ $14.85

+ $14.85

-

Myostatin (NT821)

+ $14.85

+ $14.85

-

Oculocutaneous Hypopigmentation (OH)

+ $14.85

+ $14.85

-

Osteopetrosis (OS)

+ $14.85

+ $14.85

-

Coat Colour

+ $14.85

+ $14.85

Price

A

* All prices listed are GST inclusive A Subject to availability of DNA profiles for parents

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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breed development

Harnessing the Benefits of Genomics in an Angus Seedstock Enterprise Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager

Genomics, a term used to describe a range of technologies that analyse an animal’s DNA and provide information about its genetics, is increasingly being adopted by Angus seedstock breeders in Australia, with considerable numbers of Angus animals being genomically tested each year.

Genomics has been used for some time for purposes such as pedigree verification and the management of genetic conditions, but increasingly, is being used to improve the description of an animal’s genetics for traits associated with the productivity and profitability of Angus genetics within the beef supply chain.

When combined with pedigree and performance information, genomic information adds an additional source of information to the calculation of Angus BREEDPLAN Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), enabling the generation of EBVs with additional accuracy, and ultimately enabling animals with superior genetics to be identified more reliably.

Genomic testing is however a considerable expense and so any investment in testing seedstock animals needs to be carefully reviewed to evaluate the cost-benefit of the investment.

One of the common questions asked of staff at Angus Australia by seedstock breeders is “how should I be using genomics within my operation?” The following article attempts to summarise some of the key considerations when addressing this question.

Genomics is Part of the Future

Genomics is undoubtedly a technology that will play an important role in future Angus breeding programs, and alongside other technologies that are available, such as reproductive technologies like artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET), or mating allocation technologies like TGRM or MateSel, all Angus breeders should be considering how genomics can be best applied within their enterprise.

This does not mean that all Angus seedstock breeders should immediately begin routinely genotyping all animals in their herd with a high density genomic product, far from it, but rather all breeders should carefully review PAge 34

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

the genomic technology that is available and develop a strategy as to how they will most appropriately utilise the technology within their enterprise.

Performance Information Remains King

While genomic information provides a useful additional source of information for the calculation of Angus BREEDPLAN EBVs, it is important to stress that it does not replace the need for performance information, and the collection of performance information remains as important as ever.

The development of genomic technologies has emphasised the need for accurate performance information, and the ability of Angus breeders to harness the benefits of genomics, both individually and collectively, is dependent on the collection of comprehensive performance information for as many animals and traits of importance as possible.

Prior to considering genomic technology, all Angus seedstock breeders should develop a performance recording strategy for their herd that clearly articulates what performance traits will be measured, on what animals, and when.

If aiming to maximise the accuracy of the EBVs that are available on animals, all Angus breeders should endeavour to collect performance information for as many traits of importance within their breeding objective, and for as many animals within their herd as possible.

The only exception to this may be very small herds where the collection of effective performance is challenging.

Collect & Store DNA Samples

Irrespective of whether genomic testing is to be conducted, a good practice for all Angus seedstock enterprises to adopt is the collection and storage of DNA samples as a resource that can be called upon, if and when needed.

breed development At a minimum, this should include the collection and storage of DNA samples for all sires at the time of joining, all donor dams at the time of embryo collection, and all animals being sold as breeding animals at the time of sale.

A better practice is to routinely collect and store DNA samples for all animals in the breeding herd at a young age.

DNA samples can be collected and stored in a number of forms, with the use of hair samples or tissue sampling units (TSUs), being the most common.

TSUs have the advantage of enabling collection at or shortly after birth, but there are some questions as to the stability of samples if stored at room temperature for long periods, and there is a cost associated with the TSU equipment.

Hair samples have the disadvantage of requiring clearly visible follicles before being suitable for testing, which usually prevents collection before 3 - 4 months of age, but can be stored easily for long periods by placing the sample in an envelope and storing in a dry, dark environment.

Further assistance regarding the collection of DNA samples is available from the Angus Australia website.

Genotype Key Animals

Angus Australia’s new Regulations regarding DNA and parentage verification (see page 26) require any sires or donor dams born after 1/1/2018 to have a genomic profile of 5,000 SNPs or greater before their progeny can be registered.

Essentially this means that any sires or donor dams born after 1/1/2018 should be genotyped with either the HD50K for Angus or Angus GS products.

While there is still a lag time before this Regulation has an effect and all sires and donor dams require a genomic profile, genotyping all influential animals within the breeding program as a routine practice, such as sires and donor dams, is worthy of consideration.

A good strategy is to test any sire or donor dam being genotyped for the first time with either the HD50K for Angus or Angus GS products. While this is a more expensive option ($51.45) than genotyping with a base parentage panel ($25.85 via Zoetis, or $27.50

via Neogen), as currently required for calf registration purposes for sires and donor dams born between 2004 and 2017, genotyping these animals offers considerable benefits, which arguably outweigh the additional cost.

These benefits include an increase in the accuracy of the EBVs for not only the influential animals in the breeding herd, but also their progeny, particularly for hard to measure traits. Additional benefits also exist such as the ability to add-on genetic condition testing at considerably lower cost, and the availability of greater power when using the genotype for future parentage verification and discovery.

Develop a Genotyping Strategy Specific to Your Herd

Outside of genotyping key animals, the optimal utilisation of genomics will vary with each individual seedstock enterprise, and there is no single strategy that is considered most suitable.

In contrast to performance information, there is no requirement to undertake genomic testing for all animals in a contemporary group and so testing can consequently be conducted as many or few animals as desired, depending on the objective.

Common testing strategies currently undertaken by Angus seedstock breeders include: • genotyping individual animals of interest • genotyping all animals being offered for sale as breeding animals • genotyping a group of animals of specific interest, for example bulls being considered for use in a breeding program • genotyping all heifers selected as replacements • genotyping all calves born in the breeding herd Which strategy is most appropriate will ultimately depend on the individual enterprise and what they are aiming to achieve.

When devising a strategy regarding what animals will be tested, it is important to consider the incorporation of genomic information is of more value when an animal’s existing EBV has low accuracy. This makes genomic testing of most value: • when an animal is very young • for traits that are hard to measure, or for traits that cannot be measured prior to an animal entering the breeding herd • for traits that have a low heritability • in situations where collecting effective performance information is problematic, such as in small herds, or when an animal has been removed from its contemporary group • in situations where little information is recorded with Angus BREEDPLAN for the animal, such as recently imported overseas sires It is also important to be mindful that genomic information will only be analysed in Angus BREEDPLAN for animals with sufficient genetic relationship to the reference population, being animals in the genetic evaluation with both genomic and performance information. Breeders should contact staff at either Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 35

breed development Angus Australia or the DNA companies for advice prior to testing Red Angus animals, or animals recorded on the Multibreed Register.

Which Genomic Product?

Once fundamental decision when considering investment in genomic technology is “which genomic product will be used?”

Angus BREEDPLAN currently incorporates genomic information from two different genomic products, being the HD50K for Angus product offered by Zoetis Animal Genetics, and the Angus GS product offered by Neogen.

When making a decision as to what genomic product will be used, it is important to consider factors such as: • the cost • the cost of any add-on testing that may be required (e.g. for genetic conditions) • the turnaround time for testing • the density of the genotype (i.e. the number of SNPs) • the quality of the genotype • the follow up customer support that is available Essentially, while subtle differences exist, genotyping with either the HD50K for Angus or Angus GS products will yield similar results, and so genotyping with either product is suitable.

Be Organised

One of the common difficulties faced when utilising genomics is allowing insufficient time between when the testing is requested, and when the results are required.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Genomic testing takes time, and while it is human nature to wait until the last minute, a turn-around time of 6 – 8 weeks should be allowed. Depending on when genomic results are returned from the DNA laboratory, and how they correspond to Angus BREEDPLAN analysis dates, an additional 2 – 3 weeks can elapse before the genomic results are incorporated into the calculation of EBVs. A good, albeit conservative, rule of thumb is to ensure DNA testing is requested at least 3 months prior to results being required.

Ask Questions & Regularly Review Your Strategy

Genomic technology is evolving rapidly and the options available can be difficult to keep abreast of, even for those who are very informed about the technology.

There are however a number of staff at Angus Australia, along with staff at Zoetis Animal Genetics and Neogen that are available to provide assistance to Angus breeders. All Angus Australia members are encouraged to ask questions, and to regularly review the genomic technology that is available to consider how they will most appropriately utilise genomic technology within their enterprise.

To further discuss this article, or to obtain further advice regarding the utilisation of genomics in an Angus seedstock enterprise, contact Angus Australia’s Breed Development & Extension Manager, Andrew Byrne: Phone: (02) 6773 4618 Email: andrew@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

breed development

Looking Over the Fence: Beef Improvement Federation Conference Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager

During June, Angus Australia’s CEO, Peter Parnell, and Breed Development and Extension Manager, Andrew Byrne attended the Beef Improvement Federation conference in the United States.

The conference was held in Loveland, Colorado and was attended by over 500 delegates, including several Angus seedstock and commercial breeders from Australia.

The conference provided a great opportunity for Angus Australia to interact with colleagues in North America, whilst getting an insight into the latest genetics research that is being conducted internationally.

Key messages from the conference included: • The utilisation of genomic technology in North America continues to increase, with the American Angus Association recently hitting a milestone of 500,000 animals with genomic information included in their genetic evaluation, and approximately 30-35% of calves registered each year now being genotyped.

• Research conducted by the American Angus Association, in collaboration with geneticists at the University of Georgia, has clearly demonstrated that the inclusion of genomic information into the calculation of EPDs results in EPDs being generated that are a better prediction of an animal’s breeding value. Equivalent research has also been conducted by the American Simmental Association, with similar improvements in EPD accuracy identified.

• Mortality rates in feedlots across North America has increased considerably during the past decade and research is being undertaken to better understand the genetic differences between animals for animal health and fitness traits.

• There is much discussion regarding the best strategy for addressing the antagonism that exists between traits associated with improved profitability in the feedlot/processing sector (e.g. increased growth rates), and traits associated with improved profitability in a cow-calf breeding operation (e.g. fertility, calving ease, cow maintenance requirements). One possible solution involves the development of separate terminal and maternal breeding lines within breeding operations.

Alongside the conference, Angus Australia staff also had the opportunity to visit the American Angus Association headquarters in St Joseph, Missouri, the Zoetis Animal Genetics DNA laboratory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the Neogen DNA laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska. These visits provided a great opportunity to discuss various collaborative projects face-to-face, which will in time deliver improvements to the genetic improvement technologies that are available to members of Angus Australia.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Surveyors Bay producers chase saleyard premiums Kylie Nicholls, Fairfax Media

Producing high quality Angus weaners is the focus for Tasmanian beef operation Surveyors Bay, whose calves are in strong demand from local backgrounders and lotfeeders.

The Surveyors Bay enterprise is owned by Anne Caccavo’s family and covers three properties totalling 2023 hectares along the coast about 150 kilometres south of Hobart. The average rainfall is 875 millimetres.

Mrs Caccavo is the daughter of well-known Tasmanian beef producer Ray Bender and although her family originally bred Murray Greys, they made a decision to change to Angus cattle more than 20 years ago due to the breed’s market opportunities and premiums.

Jointly managed by Jamie Woolley and Carl Ashlin, Surveyors Bay currently runs 900 pure Angus breeders.

With the purchase of an additional farm at Geeveston, they plan on increasing numbers to 1100 cows.

The cows are joined for 10 weeks in October and November to calve in late winter.

Bulls are sourced from several Tasmanian studs with a focus on structural soundness and maternal traits such as milking ability and fertility.

Growth rates including 200, 400 and 600-day weight are also important.

“Buying bulls from a range of studs provides a good diversity of genetics,” Mr Woolley said.

“We want quality, fast-growing, big calves so we find as long as the cows have plenty of milk and the bull has a bit of frame size, muscle and depth of body, this produces the type of calf we are after.”

In the lead-up to calving, the cows will be supplementary fed silage rolls through the winter which Mr Woolley said is generally the tightest time.

A flexible grazing rotation is employed with the pastures monitored regularly and the cattle moved as required.

“We don’t give the cows any special treatment and they look after themselves very well.

“The paddocks are very fertile and when it starts to warm up the feed really takes off.”

Surveyors Bay markets about 600 Angus weaners with the first draft of calves from the cast-for age cows sold

"

We are definitely in front selling them as weaners as it suits our country. We aim to grow the calves as quickly as we can and sell them before the season gets tight in late autumn.

"

Angus heifers at Surveyors Bay

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

by Roberts during their annual Tasmanian calf sales at Powranna, starting in mid-February.

“We run the cast-for-age cows in a single mob and like to move them off as soon as possible as the season can cut off very quickly.

“We will sell these weaners first and then the cows.”

The remaining weaners are generally marketed through the next two Roberts calf sales in March.

“We try to spread them out over the three weeks and work it out with transport so we generally end up with 180 to 200 head in each sale.

Mr Woolley said the best steer calves weigh about 330 kilograms while the lightest weaners will be about 250kg.

The cattle are drafted into weight categories on sale day and generally sold in three different lines.

“A lot of people are selling their calves privately but there is high demand for the Surveyors Bayweaners.

“They are well-known for their doing-ability and growth rates and we are able to offer large lines of consistent quality calves which attracts local buyers too.

“We are definitely in front selling them as weaners as it suits our country. We aim to grow the calves as quickly as we can and sell them before the season gets tight in late autumn.”

About 160 heifers are kept each year with a focus on temperament, softness, structure and frame size.

“As we are a cow and calf operation we are very focused on the maternal side of the herd, we want nice, big heifer calves, full of milk from their mother.”

The heifers are yard weaned for two weeks and handled extensively. They then graze irrigated ryegrass and cloverbased pastures for about three months and are regularly rotated through the irrigated paddocks to ensure they receive plenty of interaction with people.

After spending the winter in wetter country, the heifers are ready for joining in late September and early October at a target weight of 300kg to 350kg.

“We look after the heifers very well as they can be hard to get back into calf. They always go into paddocks with plenty of feed after calving.”

Surveyors Bay Location: 150km south of Hobart rainfall: Avg. 875 millimetres size: Three properties, totalling 2023 hectares Operation: Angus weaners for local backgrounders & lotfeeders

The beef property overlooks Surveyors Bay

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Inaugural Spring Bull Night conquers the country mile Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

The inaugural Angus Australia Spring Bull Night took place in Albury Wodonga on August 28, 2018, livestreaming presentations from five genetics specialist organisations with their latest release A.I sires.

The participating organisations ABS, Semex Beef, Rennylea Angus, Genetics Australia and Agri-Gene were given the opportunity to present a selection of the currently available Angus A.I bulls, highlighting their strengths and statistics, how they might be used in an A.I program and how their progeny are performing.

The event, streamed via YouTube, gave the opportunity for producers to view the bull catalogues of these organisations to assist in the decision-making process for potential sires for their Spring A.I joining's.

As the beef industry is one spread over vast distances all over Australia, the event gave the opportunity for producers and breeders from various areas to participate in the presentations where typically, circumstances wouldn’t allow.

Whilst the event did suffer some technological difficulties, it was quite successful for the introduction of an event of this nature to the Angus Australia calendar and an excellent starting point for events like this to come.

Bill Cornell of ABS Australia was the first speaker for the evening and expressed that having new communication technologies available such as streaming events like the Spring Bull Night is of mutual benefit for genetics companies and the producers.

“I thought it was a great event. Any events that we have like this to be able to communicate to beef producers about the products we have for them to make more informed decisions is a great thing to have,” Mr Cornell said.

“At ABS we do love running these programs so anything like this where people get an opportunity to learn more about the animals, and also perhaps after the night think ‘which bulls did I like’ or ‘which direction should I head my program in’, anything to test them out in that regard I think is a good thing.”

Lucinda Corrigan from Rennylea Angus, who presented at the event with her daughter Ruth said the event gave them the benefit of the opportunity to showcase their bull catalogue which focused on bulls suitable for the commercial industry.

“My view is people are much more time poor than they used to be,” Mrs Corrigan said. “We are certainly finding this within our business with our client group and with our friends and colleagues, so I think anything we can do online in terms of training, or information innovations I think is a really useful thing for end users.”

Rob Onley representing Agri-Gene, said that the event gave the opportunity for representatives like himself to reach producers that distance usually wouldn’t allow.

“The night that Angus Australia put on was extremely enjoyable to be a part of, we got a lot out of it and we hope the farmers got something out of it too,” he said.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Bill Cornell, ABS Australia

“We look forward to doing more in the future because tonight was really worthwhile “We live in a really big country and for us to get to all the farms is really difficult and equally for the breeders to get to us”.

“What was offered at the event was the ability to go through some of those extra details that people don’t get to see on a day to day basis just before their joining, so I think from a distance standpoint it covered off a lot of bases for a lot of Angus breeders”.

Nigel Semmens of Genetics Australia commended the event and said the convenience of events like the Spring Bull Night allows for a greater connect to regional or remote areas, where some producers may suffer at the hands a distance.

“This gave a lot of people the opportunity to listen to what we’ve got to say,” he said. “We can’t get to all regions or remote areas, so it gives people from those locations the chance to log in and catch up with all the latest news of all the bulls available.”

Rob Onley - Agri-Gene, Jim Conroy - Se Australia and Bill Cornel

Nigel Semmens, Genetics Australia

Jim Conroy of Semex Beef said that events like the Angus Australia Spring Bull Night shines a light on the fact that within his 48 years in the dairy industry, the last 5 years has made it easier for information to be served to the consumer due to social media technology, which is a trend that will only continue to grow.

“The event is an excellent way to get information out to the people in the field, obviously social media becomes a bigger part of our lives everyday so things like this are the future.” Mr Conroy said.

“Our clients need as much information that is available to them and if they can do that in the comfort in their own home then I think it’s outstanding stuff for the customer.”

Breed Development Officer at Angus Australia and event organiser Matt Reynolds said that the support shown for the event was excellent to see.

“It was great to see such support for the Spring Bull Night in its first year and although the ‘live’ aspect of the event definitely presented a number of challenges to the technology, going forward the event will hopefully become an exciting addition to the events calendar.”

The footage from the event and the slides of information from each presentation will be available on the Angus Australia website in the coming weeks, with the bull catalogues from each of the organisations available from the SemenSELECT area under AngusSELECT. Angus Australia would like to thank the participating organisations for their involvement in the inaugural event and look forward to hosting a similar event in the future.

For more information regarding the Spring Bull Night or any other Breed Development Initiatives, contact Angus Australia Breed Development: Phone: (02) 6773 4626 Email: matthew.reynolds@angusaustralia.com.au

Watch the 2018 Spring Bull Night here

emex, Nigel Semmens, Genetics ll, ABS Australia

Lucinda & Ruth Corrigan, Rennylea Angus

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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marketing

that ‘thing’

Ebonie Sadler-Small, Graphics & Multimedia Officer Has your business got that thing? You know, that ‘thing’ that sets you apart from your competition and makes you stand out?

Everyone has a ‘thing’, it’s just up to you to figure out what it is, and how you develop it.

Finding your unique selling point is not all cute and cuddly, it can be a finicky and sometimes lengthy process. You might be one of the lucky ones where it is obvious, and that’s great, but for those who don’t have a stand out ‘thing’ this article is for you.

You need to take time out and brain storm, it doesn’t matter where you are, in fact most of my ideas for logos and branding come to me while driving to work. It may sound crude but you need to get all of the ideas out of your head and onto paper, it doesn’t matter if they are good, bad or ugly, you may end up using parts of three or four different ideas to make one super punchy, super memorable marker for yourself.

For example, if you are starting your own stud, or a new section of your business and you want a name that is memorable and can flow on to create stand-out branding and recognition then look at yourself, your farm and your environment as a starting point. What is your farms name? Does it have any specific and recognisable features like rolling hills or a three-pronged creek? Are you situated somewhere special or significant? Or do you really like pizza and want to name your stud after your favourite type? Any idea is worth looking at again, and from there it is a process of elimination - and repeating the brainstorming and elimination process as necessary during the refinement stage of your idea.

If you aren’t starting from scratch and want a brand refresh the importance of your ‘thing’ still stands. Do you have a current marker or selling point for your brand?

You need to sit down and evaluate if it is working for you.

When it comes down to it, your brand needs to work as hard as you do, it needs to do the talking and make people pay attention to you. So, if what you’re projecting isn’t catching enough eyes or ears, then it may be time to go back to basics and figure out if what you’re currently saying is actually saying what you want it to.

Say your business currently sells to your local butcher and you want more shops to pick up your brand but you find that your marketing campaign is not turning heads. It may be time to re-evaluate the message you are projecting and find another way to present it. Instead of just selling ‘great tasting Angus beef’, you can adapt this message to appeal more to the consumer.

How do you deliver the great tasting Angus beef and who are your consumers? You specialise in growing hearty weaners to sell to your local butchery (your ‘thing’), so essentially you’re selling the meat to locals (your consumer). Now by selling ‘the Angus beef locals love to eat’ you are bringing it down to a personal level for potential clients, and that will cause them to connect with your brand - and their local butcher in turn. This kind of approach hits a few nails on the head, with the locally sourced aspect being a marketable bonus for the potential butchery’s own marketing campaign. It’s also a great way to make travellers think they are getting a taste of the local atmosphere and offerings, it’s catchy enough to be remembered and combined with some stand-out graphics,it’s a great ad set waiting to happen. It’s also a message that can be incorporated easily on social media.

How do I tell people about my ’thing’?

Once you have figured out what your thing is, it all comes back to understanding your target market. In the

Make a plan

Get known

Get known for your ‘thing’.

When you network, be sure to mention your ‘thing’ and how it sets you apart from the competition

3 creek cattle co.

meatlov Angusers Ro in g hillsll Angus

Bert & Ernie Angus

Create a marketing plan, but make sure: - It fits in with your lifestyle - It keeps you accountable - You research the target demographic - You listen to your research

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hard to nam angus e

ideal angus su per ang grea us t great name angus no name angus

Communicate

Congratulations!

You have figured out what your ‘thing’ is.

Now how are you going to communicate it?

Repeat

Brainstorm

Don’t be afraid to repeat this step a few times

Get all (even the silly ones) of your ideas on paper

e Angus Exampl Est 2018

2018 Bull Sale

Evaluate

Is this really my ‘thing’?

Does it communicate what I want it to?

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

K

THIS WEE

mber 2018

- 18th of Nove

75 Bulls

Get Visual

People respond to visuals - take some great photos, make (or get made) some graphics, get branded and if you can, get some videos out there

marketing

What we do: The Marketing & Communications Team Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

example above, the sellers target market is rural butcher shops, but as part of appealing to those potential buyers, the seller would have to show the butchers how their brand also targets the butchers patrons. This means, when you are considering how to market your unique selling point, you may need to consider a multi-tiered approach, where you not only demonstrate how you can help them directly, but also how your brand can help sell itself to their clients.

No matter how big or small your business, you need to create a marketing plan. It doesn’t need to be extremely detailed or elaborate, but you do need to know within a set period of time how you are going to market yourself and where.

This could be as simple as creating a spreadsheet for yourself where you can tick off targets when completed, such as posting three Facebook and two Instagram posts per week. If you are one to plan ahead you could even put an alert in your phone calendar to remind you when you are out feeding cattle to take a snap and post it to Instagram, the whole idea is that you know what message you are trying to communicate, you just need to fit the communication in with your lifestyle to make sure your message is out there to be seen.

It is important to note however, you need to research into how your target demographics respond to different mediums and marketing campaigns and develop your approach in accordance to this. Depending on whether you have simple or elaborate marketing needs can indicate whether you can handle it yourself or within your business, or if you need to outsource to ensure the most bang for buck and appropriate reach.

Finding and marketing your ‘thing’ go hand in hand. You can have the most amazing selling point in the industry but if nobody knows about it, then its’ not really a selling point at all. In an industry that thrives on competition, your unique ‘thing’ isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity, so it pays to put the time and effort into developing it.

For more information or to offer content suggestions please contact Ebonie Sadler-Small, Graphics and Multimedia Officer: Phone: 0428 518 880 Email: design@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

To see our full range of marketing articles scan this QR code

The Marketing and Communications team at Angus Australia is one of the many cogs in the wheel that makes Angus Australia roll as a society, with a department focus on the design, communications, events and Youth Development elements of Angus Australia.

The team works to ensure that Angus Australia keep to the mission of “enhancing and promoting the value of Angus”, through creating and sharing newsworthy stories that are of benefit to the society, its members and the Angus breed as a whole.

The Marketing and Communications team also maintains the general promotion of the breed through internal communications, such as weekly eNews, reporting bull sales result, spotlighting Angus achievements and maintaining the advertising opportunities available through the society. Work is also done with wider external media and communication channels to help promote and enhance the value of Angus to the broader beef community.

Another important focus of the team is the internal graphic design and multimedia, where our officer works to maintain the design elements of the society, through creating marketing materials, full bull sale catalogue design and designing the quarterly Angus Australia Bulletin which highlights the important news and findings to come from the society.

In order to be of the best support for members, the Marketing and Communications team work to ensure that the Angus Australia website is up to date, guaranteeing it is a central hub of relevant and important Angus breed and genetics information in order to assist Angus breeders in making more informed Angus breeding decisions.

Events & Angus Youth Development is also an important element of the Marketing and Communications team, working to ensure that the younger generations of the Angus and wider beef communities are supported and given learning opportunities as the future leaders of the beef industry. The team works to create exciting events, scholarship opportunities and development programs that assist to help support and grow the Angus Youth.

If any members are interested in the services offered through the Angus Australia Marketing and Communications team in terms of advertising or design purposes, please do not hesitate to contact us on 02 6773 4609 or at marketing@angusaustralia.com.au.

To see some of the work of the Marketing and Communications visit the Angus Australia website for the weekly Angus Australia eNews, Youth news and information or visit the various Angus Australia and Angus Youth social media pages, where the Marketing and Communications team share the latest information coming out of Angus Australia.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Angus Software

Introducing the New Angus Mating Predictor Angus breeders now have greater ability to examine the potential impact of breeding decisions on their herd with the launch of the new Angus Mating Predictor during August 2018.

The new tool has been developed by Angus Australia’s software development team and enables Angus breeders to evaluate the merits of potential matings by nominating a bull, or group of possible bulls, and a female, or group of possible females, with the mating predictor then displaying a range of information regarding the outcome of each bull-female joining combination.

Information displayed includes the pedigree, indicative EBVs, inbreeding coefficient and likely genetic condition status for the progeny of each potential mating.

The ability to draw on the huge amount of data available in the Angus Australia database presents breeders with a powerful tool to assist in breeding decisions and making the most genetic improvement in their herd.

A new addition to the predictor is the ability for Angus breeders to upload bull or females lists, which can save time when using the predictor and if combined with the new reporting tool providers an overall picture of the impact a bull could have within a herd.

The new Angus Mating Predictor can be access by selecting the “Mating Predictor” option from the menu at the top of the Angus Australia website.

Figure 1 – The new Angus Mating Predictor enables Angus breeders to evaluate the merits of a potential mating by nominating a bull, or group of possible bulls, and a female, or group of possible females

Figure 2 – The Angus Mating Predictor returns the pedigree, indicative EBVs and expected genetic condition status that will result from a particular mating

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Angus Software

Introducing the Angus Database Search Report Centre The Angus Database Search tool that is available from the Angus Australia website was greatly enhanced during August 2018 with the introduction of a new report centre.

Developed by Angus Australia’s software development team, the report centre provides users with greater ability to generate reports and analyse the results of any search that they have conducted.

Specifically, users can: • download pdf reports and csv files of search results in a format that is suitable for printing or importing into software programs such as Microsoft Excel.

• download pdf reports for individual animals in a print friendly format • generate reports summarising the average, minimum and maximum EBVs for animals returned in a search • generate reports summarising the sires represented within the results of a particular search

• generate an interactive graph comparing the EBVs of animals returned in a search for two specific traits or selection indexes • generate an interactive graph summarising the distribution of EBVs of animals returned in a search for a specific EBV or selection index

Figure 1 – The new Angus Database Search Report Centre provides users with greater ability to generate reports and analyse the results of any search that they have conducted

Figure 3 – The trait comparison report generates an interactive graph comparing the EBVs of animals returned in a search for two specific traits or selection indexes

Figure 2 – The sire summary report summarises the sires represented within the results of a particular search

Figure 4 – The trait distribution report generates an interactive graph summarising the distribution of EBVs of animals returned in a search for a specific EBV or selection index

To access the new report centre, users should navigate to the Angus Database Search, enter their search criteria of interest and click “Search”. Once the results table is displayed, the report centre can be accessed by selecting the “Go to Report Centre” button that is available from the search options above the results table.

Some examples of the reports that can be generated from the report centre are provided in Figures 1 – 4.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Angus Software

Examine your herd with the Angus Report Centre Matthew Reynolds, Breed Development Officer

The release of the Angus Database Search Report Centre presents members with an amazing opportunity to examine their herd. Selection of the top performing animals is a key step to achieving genetic gain and the report centre enables this selection to be done at a herd level.

Often within cattle breeding programs significant selection pressure and intensity is applied to the selection of a bull. This is very important, however the bull only represents part of the genetic gain picture and if we are to improve the herd we need to ensure we are putting equal selection pressure on the females.

Whether selection is for replacement heifers or future donor cows the focus should be on selecting the top performing animals, which meet the requirements for traits in our breeding objective. For any trait, there will be typically a bell curve distribution of breeding values within the herd. With the Angus Database Search Report Centre members can now examine the distribution of breeding values within their herd, for any trait currently recorded in the Angus BREEDPLAN, with the Trait Distribution report.

Using the Report Centre to analysis the distribution of breeding values for a trait within your herd is simple. One of the most powerful ways to use the reporting centre is to identify the top proportion of your heifers and the following example will show you how.

1. As a registered user, go to the Angus Database Search and under ‘Additional Selection Criteria’ select the ‘Ownership’ tab.

2. Select ‘Yes’ for ‘Currently in My Herd’ and click on the ‘Animal Detail’ tab.

3. Select ‘Female’ for ‘Sex’ and for calving year, type the year the heifers were born, i.e. 2017, in the box provided 4. Click the ‘Search’ button at the bottom of the page.

5. From the Search options at the top of the page select ‘Go to Report Centre’ and select the ‘Trait Distribution’ report under ‘Analyse Results’.

6. Select the trait you are most interested in, such as ‘IMF’

7. This will bring up a graph displaying all the females born in your herd in 2017 and groups them based on their IMF breeding values. In the example provided below, we can see that 5 of the 2017 heifers have a IMF breeding value of between 3.6 and 4.1

8. Click on the column to view the details on the animals which are included in the group, the bar will become orange once selected.

9. To print or save a copy of the Trait Distribution graph click the ‘Download Trait Distribution Report’ The trait distribution report is just one of a number of reporting options available to members through the Angus Database Search Report Centre. These reports provide valuable insight into a herd and can be applied to any search undertaken within the Angus Australia Database, including sale and semen catalogues.

For further information or support contact staff at Angus Australia: Phone: (02) 6773 4600 Email: office@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 47

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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angus youth

THOMAS FOODS INTERNATIONAL THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND ROUNDUP AGAIN Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

Thomas Foods International has continued to show their support for the Angus Youth program by partnering with the Angus Youth National Roundup 2019 as naming sponsor.

2018 Thomas Foods International Angus Youth Roundup competitors

The Thomas Foods International Angus Youth Roundup will be held in Armidale, NSW from the 10th to the 13th of January 2019.

2019 will mark the second year that Thomas Foods International (TFI) has partnered with Angus Australia as naming sponsor for Roundup, having sponsored the 2018 event held in Wodonga.

When Thomas Foods International initially joined with Angus Youth for Roundup 2018, CEO Darren Thomas highlighted the need to support emerging leaders of the beef industry, which championed the reasoning for the Thomas Foods International support of Roundup.

Mr Thomas prioritized the need for the encouragement of education, development and networking opportunities available for the youth members of the beef industry.

Roundup coordinator Zac McInerney said that the support that Thomas Foods International has shown for Roundup is a testament to their dedication to the younger generations of the beef industry.

“Roundup is an event that works to support the young beef enthusiasts in the industry, who are the future leaders of the industry,” Mr McInerney said.

“To have Thomas Foods International on for another year goes to show the support the company has for the up and coming leaders of their industry.”

Angus Australia Events and Youth Development Officer Candice Liddle said that she is excited to be partnering with Thomas Foods International for another excellent year of Roundup.

“We understand that this has been a difficult year for agribusinesses, however we are extremely thrilled to have them back on board for another Roundup,” she said.

“Without our sponsors, like Thomas Foods International, Roundup wouldn’t be the excellent event and opportunity it is for our Angus Youth members.”

The Thomas Foods International Angus Youth National Roundup will be celebrating its 38th year in 2019, with over 200 participants from around the country to congregate in Armidale for the largest single breed event of its kind in Australia.

The event will also kick start the centenary celebrations for Angus Australia.

The program features educational sessions and competitions, which allows for participants to enjoy and learn without the necessity for the use of their own livestock. There is any also a fun novelty activities at the event including heifer show competitions, Special Dinner Dance, Barn Yard Olympics and parents bus trip.

For more information regarding the Thomas Foods International Angus Youth National Roundup 2019 please contact: Roundup Coordinator Zac McInerney: Phone: 0402 512 262 or Events and Youth Development Officer Candice Liddle: Phone: 0437 873 220 Email: youth@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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angus youth

THE WARMUP TO ROUNDUP CONTINUES Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

With the coming of Spring, the clock ticks closer to the Thomas Foods International Angus Youth Roundup 2019, with the event being held at the Armidale Showgrounds, NSW from the 10th to the 13th of January 2019.

The 3-day event, which will mark the beginning of Angus Australia’s centenary celebrations is open to novice and experienced young beef enthusiasts aged 8-25.

Entries are now open on the Angus Australia website for those who are interested in participating in this premier beef event.

The Thomas Foods International Roundup 2019 program will feature a series of educational sessions and competitions, which allows for participants to enjoy and learn without the necessity for the use of their own livestock, which is kindly donated by our Angus Australia members. If any members are interested in being involved in the event through supplying ballot cattle, please see the Angus Australia website for the relevant cattle information.

In addition to the educational themes of the event, there will also be heifer show competitions, Special Dinner Dance, Barn Yard Olympics and parents bus trip.

Angus Australia Event and Youth Development Officer Candice Liddle explains that while the event is an educational one, there is plenty of fun had by all.

“Roundup gives young beef enthusiasts the opportunity to not only have the chance to get involved in the educational side of the activities, especially if they don’t get the opportunity to show or work closely with cattle usually,” she said, “but also have lots of fun doing it surrounded by likeminded young people.”

Entries for Thomas Foods International Roundup 2019 will close on October 31, 2018 and places are limited, so ensure you have your spot by entering online on the Angus Australia website.

There are plenty of sponsorship opportunities still available to any businesses that may be interested in being involved in this premier event. Through sponsoring the event, there is the benefit of the promotion of your business, as well as the involvement in an exciting and long-standing Angus Australia annual tradition.

Sponsorship for the 2019 Thomas Foods International Angus Youth National Roundup will be managed by Agri Alliance.

Agri Alliance is a small firm based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales that specialises in sponsorship, events and project management specific to the Agricultural Industry.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities for the Thomas Foods International Youth Roundup please contact Joanna Palmer: Phone: 0481 160 915 Email: admin@agrialliance.com.au

For more information about the event please contact the Events & Youth Development Officer Candice Liddle: Phone: (02) 6773 4622 Email: youth@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

Images: Emily H Photography

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Presentation during event

Presentation during event

Major Awards eg. Champions

Lectures

Awards & Presentations

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Front Cover

Front Cover Large and Bold

One Full Page

Logo on Catalogue

Catalogue Advertisement

Social Media Coverage

3

5

Dinner Tickets

One ½ Page

4 Items

5 Items

All prominent Dining area and locations Including Cattle shed, Ringside, prominent locations, judging ring Dining Hall

Promotional material in Bags

Signage & Promotion Material





Trade Stand

Major Awards eg. Champions

Logo on back of Shirt

Logo on front of Shirts & Logo on Hats, Logo on Water Bottle

Merchandise Shirts Hats & Water Bottle

Acknowledged in all Acknowledged in all Roundup coverage Roundup coverage with Logo & Name with Logo and name Prominent smaller

Available 2 Left

Filled 1

Partnership Positions Available

Roundup Advertising

$5,000

$10,000

NAMING PARTNER DIAMOND PARTNER

All GST Exclusive

One ½ Page

Inside Cover

3

3 Items

Judging Ring

Major Awards eg. Reserve Champions



Logo Large and Prominent on back of Shirts

Acknowledged in the Roundup Sponsors advert

Filled 1

$5,000

SHIRT SPONSOR

One ½ Page

Inside Cover

2

2 Items

Judging Ring

Major Awards eg. Reserve Champions

Short presentation within program

Name on back of Shirt

Acknowledged in Roundup Sponsors advert

Available 1 Left

$2,000

GOLD PARTNER

One 1/3 Page

Inside Cover

1 Item

Judging Ring

Class naming and presentation

Name on back of Shirt

Acknowledged in Roundup Sponsors advert

Available 1

In Kind

MEDIA PARTNER

Inside Cover

1 Item

Judging Ring

Class naming and presentation

Name on back of Shirt

Acknowledged in Roundup Sponsors advert

Available 1

In Kind

WATER SPONSOR

One 1/3 Page

Inside Cover

1 Item

Judging Ring

Class naming and presentation

Logo on side of Hat and name on back of shirts

Acknowledged in Roundup Sponsors advert

Filled 1

$1,500

HAT PARTNER

All Sponsors - Facebook and Twitter and Instagram Posts on Angus Youth Account

One ½ Page

Dinner Menus and Inside Cover

3

3 Items

At Dinner, Judging ring and dining areas

Presentation at dinner

Dinner Presentation



Name on back of Shirt

Acknowledged in the Roundup Sponsors advert

Available 2 left

$3,000

DINNER PARTNER

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

One 1/3 Page

Inside Cover

1 Item

Judging Ring

Class naming and presentation

Logo on Water Bottle and name on back of Shirts

Acknowledged in Roundup Sponsors advert

Filled 1

$1,500

WATER BOTTLE PARTNER

One Business Card Size

Inside Cover

1 Item

Judging Ring

Assigned to team names

Name on back of Shirt

Acknowledged in Roundup Sponsors advert

Available 2 Left

$500

TEAM PARTNER

Inside Cover

Class naming and presentation

Name on back of Shirt

Acknowledged in Roundup Sponsors advert

Available Unlimited

$100

DONATION PARTNER

2019 thomas foods international Angus Youth Roundup

angus youth

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angus youth

MEET THE ALFA BEEFEX CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

The Angus Youth ALFA BeefEX Conference Scholarships have been awarded to Youth members Ruby Canning and Hannah Cargill, which will see the girls head to Brisbane in October for the three-day feedlot industry conference.

Hannah Cargill, pictured centre, with sisters Zoe and Sophie, 2018 Thomas Foods International. Image credit: The Land

The major conference, which will take place from the 8th to 10th of October 2018, draws together feedlot operators and their staff, nutritionists, veterinarians, regulators, service providers and others involved in the grain beef supply chain.

BeefEX attracts 500 delegates from around the country and covers topics such as big data, consumer trends, markets, economics, production, finance and leadership.

The topics will be discussed in presentations made by international and Australian speakers explaining how these areas can be applied to feedlot and beef supply chain businesses.

Angus Youth member Hannah Cargill is currently studying a Bachelor of Agriculture and a Bachelor of Business at the University of New England. She was raised on a fourth-generation sheep and cattle property in Braidwood NSW, with a family history of producing Angus beef commercially for almost a century. Through her involvement in the family business, Miss Cargill has had the opportunity to assist in the selection of sires and weaners to be sold to feedlots.

Miss Cargill looks forward attending the BeefEX Conference in hope to expand her existing knowledge in the feedlot industry, as well join the conversation of topics such as beef shortage and feeding the booming world population in drought conditions, overcoming issues surrounding animal welfare activists and creating public awareness about the industry to build better public understanding of feedlot practices.

“I hope to build a greater understanding of all aspects of the feedlot industry as well as learn about the new technologies and strategies that are being put in place to overcome rising issues,” Miss Cargill said.

“I enjoy networking with other industry members and continuing to broaden my knowledge of the industry and PAge 52

Ruby Canning pictured at the 2015 Angus Youth National Roundup in Wodonga VIC

different techniques and strategies that can be used to innovate and move the industry forward into the future.”

Fellow scholarship recipient Ruby Canning is a sixth generation beef cattle producer, and co-owner of Mavstar Simmentals & Red Angus, Mortlake VIC. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Agriculture and Bachelor of Business majoring in marketing at the University of New England. Miss Canning aspires to have a career involved in supply chain management and is invested in developing her interest in effective business networking and industry insights.

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to attend the BeefEx Conference,” Miss Canning said. “By attending the conference, I look forward to increasing my knowledge about the high quality and consistency of Australian beef and our position within the global market.”

“I am excited to hear from a range of speakers and gain an in depth understanding of the Australian feedlot industry and how technology is being adapted to increase accuracy and productivity operations as well as the main issues surrounding production and management of grain fed animals, market trends and leadership skills.”

Each scholarship recipient received $1500 to assist in financing their attendance at the conference.

The BeefEx Conference will take place at the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds from the 8th to the 10th of October 2018.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018 BeefEx provides participants with an insight into the feedlot industry

angus youth

ANGUS AUSTRALIA AND ACHMEA AUSTRALIA GEAR UP FOR GENANGUS Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

Angus Youth and Achmea Australia will partner to give twelve Angus Australia members the opportunity to participate in the Inaugural GenAngus Future Leaders Program in Sydney, from the 20th to the 22nd of February 2019.

The GenAngus Future Leaders Program will be a threeday intensive workshop, after which the participants will embark on a twelve-month leadership journey.

The program is the first of its kind developed by a breed society, designed to support the young members of Angus Australia aged 18-40 with starting their own beef business, to grow their current business and to give them the tools and knowledge to pave the way as the future industry leaders.

The workshop event will cover several topics, those being business financials, beef business benchmarking, mindset, beef supply chain, risk and liability and succession planning. All these topics have been chosen in order to give the participants the advantage and knowledge to expand themselves in the industry and will be presented at the workshop by current industry leaders.

Following on from the initial workshop, the participants will then be given information and guidance over a twelve month period to ensure that they have continued growth and development within their chosen capacities.

The three day workshop will include a special dinner function with an inspirational guest speaker, who will inform the participants on how they have grown in their business area.

Participants will be fully supported with accommodation, meals and education sessions, with all they required to do is get themselves to Sydney for three days.

Angus Australia is partnering with Achmea Australia for the GenAngus Future Leaders Program. Achmea

Australia provides insurance dedicated to the rural sector, focusing on helping to better assist farmers identify, reduce, prevent and manage their on-farm risks. Through their partnership with Angus Youth for the GenAngus Program, Achmea Australia are pledging their commitment to the future leadership of the agricultural industry.

The event is also proudly sponsored by the Angus Foundation. Registrations for this event will open October and close late November.

Image: Emily H Photography

For more information regarding the program or existing applications for the program, please contact the Events and Youth Development Officer Candice Liddle: Phone: (02) 6773 4622 | Email: youth@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

Highest quality working age & yearling bulls are now available to inspect & select

Brian & Wayne Mobbs, 45 Lyman St, Daylesford, Victoria

Ph: (03) 5348 2357 or Brian: 0427 482 357 | Wayne: 0427 373 044 | Kevin: 0428 531 173

Bull details & regularly updated information on www.highspa.com.au Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 53

angus youth

Wendt Ranch Texas

Learning how t

Sam’s take on K-State Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

On her return to Australian soil, the 2017 Semex Angus Youth Kansas State University Scholarship recipient Samantha Neumann has only positive things to say of her 6 month stay at Kansas State University and her immersion in the United States beef industry.

From Phoenix to Oklahoma and artificial centres to sale barns, Samantha has returned home with a decidedly healthy appreciation for agency and the wider agricultural industry.

Leaving in January, Samantha flew into Dallas Fort Worth before heading north to Manhattan, Kansas. It was here that she spent 4 months studying at Kansas State University (KSU).

“When I left Australia I knew that I had a lot to learn about beef production,” she said. “Exposure to all facets of the US industry only reinforced that I still have a lot of learning yet to do.”

Samantha studied a variety of classes during her time at KSU including Ruminant Nutrition, Beef Science, Principles of Feeding, Reproduction, Cow-Calf Health, Livestock & Meat Evaluation, Livestock Sales Management and Beef Systems Management.

“KSU has such fabulous resources, both physical and teaching,” she said. “The access to these is unrivalled, with incredibly talented and passionate educators who are happy to open doors and have a vested interest in each and every students’ success.”

Through her inclusion in these classes, Samantha had the opportunity to network with many K-State Alumni who are now industry leaders and fellow students from the College of Agriculture at KSU. As part of her studies Samantha had the opportunity to tour both campus facilities and local businesses including the on-campus feed mill, seed stock operations, feedlots and dry potting operations. She was also fortunate PAge 54

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

enough to tour the National Beef Plant and attend an Artificial Insemination ‘school’.

She also had the special opportunity to travel with the KSU Collegiate Cattlemen’s Club to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Conference in Phoenix, Arizona and spring tour through Southern Kanas and into Oklahoma visiting DewEze and Sooner Land and Livestock.

Samantha was part of a class of Livestock Sales Management students that assisted with elements of running the KSU Legacy Bull and Female Sale. Using her agency background, she was able to compare and contrast the different selling methods and claims that calling bids at this sale was one of her favourite and most memorable experiences.

During her semester is KSU, Samantha spent time in Montana for the spring break period, travelling through

Sellars Feedlot

Vermilli

angus youth

to tattoo cattle

ion Sale

NCBA

the state with classmates from KSU to their homes and ranches. It was here that she was able to attend the Vermillion Angus Ranch Sale, where they sold over 500 bulls to gross over $3 million. She also spent time at Sitz Angus, 5L Red Angus, Snowshoe Cattle Co, Mill Creek Reds (Red Angus) and Midland Bull Test.

Samantha shared that while not in class, she capitalised on the any time that she had by immersing herself in the industry experiences that she never thought that she would have.

“I fed cattle in 4 feet of snow in Montana, moved cattle on horseback in Texas where the 52 inch rainfall meant reduced nutritional content of the pastures,” she said.

“I inducted cattle into Kansas seed stock operations, tagging, vaccinating, drenching, tattooing and tail bleeding all for the first time.”

Samantha also had the opportunity to spend what she describes as precious days shadowing vet Dr Tom Noffsinger whose work is dedicated to improving animal welfare through low stress handling.

Towards the conclusion of her time in Kansas she spent a day and half at the American Angus Society, meeting the CEO Allen Moczygemba and various teams for a comprehensive overview of the association and

its activities covering operations, member services, communications, Angus Media, Angus Youth, digital services, Angus Genetics and the Angus Foundation.

Samantha valued her time spent abroad, and credits KSU and the experience she had for a change in her view of agriculture and the beef industry in the USA. “Before leaving Australia, I had minimal exposure to the beef industry. Not only did KSU give me a solid base of foundation knowledge to build on, they connected me with some of the most innovative, class leading producers, operators and industry stakeholders.”

Samantha explained that the key takeaways from her time is the importance of advocating sustainable production, what can be achieved with a collective marketing approach for beef as a consumer product, consumer demand trends for the provenance story and connection to product production, and finally the importance of traceability to Australia and within the global market.

“I have had a number of people ask me what the highlight of my trip was but it’s impossible to say.

“Reflecting on my time in the states, I realise how incredibly blessed I have been to not only be given this opportunity but to have had the experiences and memories that I can carry with me.

“While they are planted back firmly on Aussie soil, the marks that Kansas has left on both me and my boots, are not un-noticeable. I have come home with a healthy appreciation of the global protein market and US production, a passion for the beef industry and a renewed enthusiasm for agency and the wider agricultural industry.

Fink Beef Genetics

“A Huge thank you to Semex, Angus Australia and KSU for this incredible opportunity, it exceeded any and every expectation! I came home with a new appreciation for beef products, and a renewed passion for the wider agricultural industry.”

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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introducing Cheyne Twist Angus Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Cheyne Twist in the role of Communications Officer.

Cheyne brings a keen interest in the cattle industry with a upbringing on a commercial cattle property in South-West Queensland with a base breed of Charolais-Shorthorn cross. Cheyne looks forward to returning a professional focus to agriculture and rural industries through working with members of the Angus Australia community.

communications planning and development areas and the various Angus Australia social media channels.

Cheyne will be based at the Armidale head office.

Angus Australia looks forward to Cheyne joining the Marketing and Communications team.

Cheyne holds a Bachelor of Public Relations and Communications from Griffith University and through her role as Communications Officer will be focusing on

Phone: 02 6773 4635 | Mobile: 0408 799 279 Email: communications@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

Cheyne can be contacted at:

Angus Australia's new employees - Heather Rocks, Tammy McLeod and Cheyne Twist

meet the new Member service officers Tammy McLeod and Heather Rocks are the newest editions to Angus Australia's Member Services Team.

Tammy McLeod

Tammy grew up just outside of Armidale on a small acreage block, with a passion of competing show horses.

She worked at Angus Australia from 2001 to 2008 as a Registrar then as Senior Registrar. During her time at Angus Australia she completed a Certificate IV in Business (Office Administration). 2008 saw Tammy resign from the society to move to her husband’s property, North of Ben Lomond, where they produce fat lambs for the domestic market.

From 2008 to 2015 Tammy worked for Robyn Willis First National Real Estate in Glen Innes as a Property Manager.

2015 saw the birth of Tammy’s first child Pollyanna.

After a three year break from a formal job, Tammy has returned to Angus Australia's Membership Service’s team, 3 days a week. “I’m excited to be getting back to what I know best and I look forward to communicating with Members”.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Heather Rocks

Heather Rocks is the newest Member Services Officer to join our team!

Heather joins the team with a strong administrative background, having started her career at ABRI and being a part of their team for 7 years.

Starting on the ILR1 database and growing as business and technologies evolved, Heather was employed and worked for many of the different breed societies in subsequent years. She has also participated in annual Breed Societies conferences and farm visits.

She then moved into a professional recruitment and HR management role for a local recruitment company where she managed over 50 staff, spreading over the entire New England Region.

Heather is an Armidale local and through growing up in the community, has been a volunteer for the Guyra Show, where her family has been involved for many years.

“I am very excited to be joining the Angus Australia team and getting back into the industry I was a part of only a few years ago!”

Member Services stats 01/01/2018 – 31/08/2018 Sale CatalogueS

43,812 animals

234 sale catalogues 9,848 total lots

registrations

17,648

22,470

Male

3,694

Female

Steers

HBR Registrations:

APR Registrations:

ACR Registrations:

RAR Registrations:

MBR Registrations:

base Registrations:

57

1,117

26,454

10,352

28,974

4,454 1,378

transfers

Total DNA requests submitted

6,232

Total transfers Genomic Profiles

13,781

Base PV

6,347

Microsatellites

103

Parent Verifications

19,360

Pestivirus

2,146

Arthrogryposis Multiplex 1,291 (AM) Contractural

1,569

Oculocutaneous Hypopigmentation (OH)

31

Osteopetrosis (OS)

224

Total Members: 4,041

Alpha Mannosidosis (MA) 240 Coat Colour

398

Myostatin (NT821)

119

Transfer DNA Between Labs

14

Full

1,127

Commercial

2,497

Junior

Life

SS

7,397 18,892

393

24

Arachnodactyly (CA) Development Duplications 4,775 (DD) Dwarfism (DW)

161

Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH)

1,366

BREEDPLAN performance

223,715

Total BREEDPLAN

Birth

40,572

WW

41,868

Docility

YW

19,505

Ultrasound Scans 75,930

FW

19,551

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 57

member services

From the Member Services Team: DNA Testing for Upcoming Sales Samantha Hamilton, Senior Member Services Officer

So when should members be submitting DNA on sale animals? Our answer is ‘the sooner the better!’. From the time DNA is received for genomic testing, to when the final catalogue is sent to a printer for print it takes approximately 3 - 4 months.

DNA

BREEDPLAN

The timeline below gives an indication of the process over the 3 months.

It is recommended by the Member Services Team that DNA for sale animals be sent in sooner rather than later, as there could potentially be a lot of things that can happen with DNA samples e.g. sample contamination, not enough sample (recollects) and results can occasionally take longer than the general 6 – 8 weeks. When these are factored in, you are running out of time to get your sale animals’ data in order.

When genomic results are received by Angus Australia, also influences when they are included in Angus BREEDPLAN, with their inclusion into the Angus BREEDPLAN analysis varying subject to when they become available, and how this sits relative to the submission deadline for the next analysis.

Sale Catalogue

The submission time of your sale animals’ DNA plays a vital part in the production of your catalogue for sale day. Leaving it too late to submit DNA for testing will result in animals not having their genomic results ready in time for the catalogue, often resulting in the need for a supplementary sheet to be produced.

1st June

30th July

DNA submitted for Genomic Testing (6-8 weeks for results)

1st August

18th August

BREEDPLAN submission deadline (2 weeks for results) DNA results returned to AA and are loaded into database

20th August

Contact AA for sale catalogue, submit lots etc (4-10 days turnaround) BREEDPLAN results are available

AUTUMN FEMALE SALE REGISTERED FEMALES | PREGNANCY TESTED FEMALES INCLUDING PAST DONORS | MAIDEN HEIFERS HILLGROVE, BOOROWA, NSW | FULL DETAILS TO COME

ADAM WITHERS 0428 832 439 | SAM BURTON TAYLOR 0403 180 804 | INFO@KENNYSCREEK.COM.AU | WWW.KENNYSCREEK.COM.AU

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

member services

In an overview, members that are intending on using genomics on their sale animals are encouraged to collect their DNA samples and have them to Angus Australia at least 4 months before their sale to allow for any interruptions that may occur when the DNA is being tested. By having the DNA submitted 4 months ahead will almost guarantee sale animals will have their genomic results back in reasonable time and be included in the Angus BREEDPLAN analysis ready for catalogue production.

If you would like any additional information about any of the above please feel free to contact the Member Services Team:

Sale Day

Phone: (02) 6773 4600 Email: regos@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

24th August

27th August

20th September

2018 submission deadlines for angus breedplan Analysis

Submission Deadline

Results Available (Indicative)

Mid October

October 1

October 16

November

October 15

October 31

Mid November

November 1

November 17

December

November 12

November 30

Mid December

November 23

December 10

January

December 8

December 22

Catalogue printed and mailed

Sale Catalogue completed at AA and sent to printer

* This is a guide only, dates and timeframe used may vary for individual members *

repro360.com.au

FREE DOWNLOAD FOR APPLE AND ANDROID PHONES

Repro360 offers online resources to raise the outcomes of reproduction technology, techniques and education globally.

The Calving Calculator app is a free resource to manage your herd’s calving.

Visit repro360.com.au to find download links and more information.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 59

around the Shows

Royal Adelaide Show

Senior and Grand Champion Female and All Breeds Grand Champion Pair team member, PC Ms Kit Kat K006, Pine Creek Angus Stud Pty Ltd

All Breeds Junior Champion Pair, Black Diamond 5R Kodiak N411 (AI) & Black Diamond Ms Shiraz N407, Pine Creek Angus Stud Pty Ltd

Senior & Grand Champion Angus Bull, All Breeds Grand Champion Pair Team member & All Breeds Supreme Champion Bull & Exhibit, PC J157 Newsman N003, Pine Creek Angus Stud Pty Ltd

All Breeds Grand Champion Pair, PC Ms Kit Kat K006 & PC J157 Newsman N003, PC J157 Newsman N003, Pine Creek Angus Stud Pty Ltd

All Breeds, Supreme Champion Beef Cattle Exhibit, PC J157 Newsman N003, PC J157 Newsman N003, Pine Creek Angus Stud Pty Ltd

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Images: Emily H Photography

EKKA 2018

Senior & Grand Champion Angus Female: Mundoo Leah M9, WG & JA Watt

EKKA 2018 Junior & Grand Champion Angus Bull & Interbreed Champion of Champions: PC J157 Newsman N003, Pine Creek Angus Stud Pty Ltd

Champion of Champions Bull, PC J157 Newsman N003, Pine Creek Angus Stud Pty Ltd

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Angus EKKA carcase success Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager

Angus and Angus influenced cattle tasted success across all facets of the steer and carcase competitions that were run as part of the 2018 EKKA competitions.

SUPERMARKET TRADE COMPETITION Woolworths MSA Value Based Marketing Carcase Competition Class 35 – Pen of 3 Grain Fed Steers and/or heifers 1st

Angus cross, Darr Creek Pastoral

2nd

Angus cross, Rich Enterprises

Champion Carcase

Angus cross, Darr Creek Pastoral

PADDOCK TO PALATE 100 day grain fed weight gain competition Class 37A – Best Weight Gain for pen of 6 grain fed steers 2nd

Angus, McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd

Highest individual weight gain

Angus cross, Atkinson Pastoral Company

EKKA 2018 Grand Champion Led Steer. Image: Emily H Photography

MSA Eating quality competition Class 37C – MSA Eating Quality Competition 3rd

Angus, McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd

Highest individual Index Score

Angus influenced, Minnamurra Pastoral Company

Trade class 70 day Class 38 – RNA & JBS Australia Paddock to Palate Overall winner 1st

Angus cross, David Crombie

70 Day grain fed weight competition

Paddock to Palate EKKA. Image: Fairfax Media

Class 38A- Best weight gain for pen of 6 grain fed steers 3rd

Angus, Dalara Pastoral Operations

Carcase competitions Class 38B – Pen of 6 carcases 2nd

Angus cross, David Crombie

Champion Carcase

Angus cross, David Crombie

MSA Eating quality Competition Class 38C 1st

Angus Coffin Creek pastoral

2nd

Angus, Minnamurra Pastoral Company

3rd

Angus Minnamurra Pastoral Company

Highest individual index score

Angus influenced, RB & KK Lamoureux

Glenn, Mitch and Kathleen Franz, Darr Creek Pastoral, with Jim Hutchinson (left), Coles and Matt Spry, Woolworths.

Image: Fairfax Media

Led Steer Competition

In the led steer competition, a 538kg Angus influenced steer, exhibited by Shaun Daley and Julia Simmons was crowned Grand Champion steer.

The steer was purchased by the Breakfast Creek Hotel for $52/kg dressed weight.

Placing 3rd on the hook, the steer was named the overall steer jackpot winner across both hoof and hook.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Rob & Donna Atkinson, won highest individual weight gain in the first phase of the Paddock to Palate competition. Image: Fairfax Media

Angus for eating quality at Adelaide Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Officer

Angus steers have continued the success of Angus carcase competitions across the country at the 2018 Royal Adelaide Show, in particular highlighting the eating quality that Angus beef can produce.

Champion Lightweight Carcase EMA

Tooperang Nero

Champion light domestic carcase was awarded to Binnowie Downs Nigel, bred by Binnowie Downs, Coonalpyn, and shown by the Coomandook Area School.

The 424kg Angus steer dressed at 53.5% with a hot score carcase weigt of 227kg. The carcase scored 88.04 points and had an EMA of 76, 7mm rib fat and 8mm rump fat.

The Reserve Champion heavy domestic carcase was awarded to a 532kg Angus steer, Tooperang BC Nero, exhibited by the Tooperang Beef Company.

The carcase had a hot score carcase weight of 297kg, dressed as 55.9%, had an EMA of 92 and rib and rump fats of 8mm and 10mm respectively.

Reserve Champion Heavyweight carcase EMA

Angus steers took out all three places for the Best Heavy Domestic Eating Quality Carcase;

1st – Goolagong N149, HB Rural

2nd - Tooperang BC Nero, Tooperang Beef Company

3rd – PRS RJ, Burra Community School

An Angus steer, Binnowie Downs Nigel, exhibited by Coomandook Area School placed 3rd in the Light Domestic Eating Quality Carcase and an Angus steer, Bruce, exhibited by the Keith Area School placed 2nd in Best Export Eating Quality Carcase.

27 year old APR record broken at Millah Murrah Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Officer

Set in 1991 when Hazeldean J453 was sold for $27,000, the top price for an APR (Angus Performance Register) Angus bull has remained at that level for 27 years.

Lot 38, Millah Murrah Kingdom M192 a son of Millah Murrah Kingdom, out of a Millah Murrah Hercules cow, broke that long standing record at the recent 30th Millah Murrah Angus bull sale when he sold for $34,000.

The 1036kg was purchased by Peter and Terry Hanigan of Coonamble in partnership with the Deans family. The bull was chosen ‘because he carries himself so well with so much body mass and such incredible structure’.

Overall 100% clearance was achieved for the 102 bulls offered and the sale average of $15,843 was the 2nd highest in Angus breed history, surpassed only by the $16,348 figure attained in 2016 by Millah Murrah.

Millah Murrah, Kingdom M192

Don’t forget to send your bull sale results to marketing@angusaustralia.com.au To check if your results are correct visit www.angusaustralia.com.au and look for Bull Sale Statistics under the Marketing tab Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

PAge 63

supply chain

Angus place getters from the RAS Beef Challenge Open Day

Angus brings the competition to the RAS Beef Challenge Open Day Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer

Angus Australia’s Commercial Supply Chain Manager Liz Pearson spent the day at the RAS Beef Challenge Open Day on the 13th of August, held at Wilga Feedlot via Bellata NSW. The event, hosted by feedlot owners the MacCue Family brought commercial producers, both local and out of the area to compete in Domestic and Export pen categories.

Liz Pearson said that attending the event gives Angus Australia the opportunity to meet and converse with commercial Angus producers.

“The RAS Beef Challenge Open Day is a great day for us to meet with Angus commercial producers and have the opportunity to see how Angus cattle are performing amongst a field of other breeds,” Ms Pearson said.

The Domestic pen category, which saw cattle on feed for 70 Days, had several Angus entrants, with Angus cattle taking first and second place and an overall result of straight and cross bred Angus holding 46% of the placings. In the standings of the Domestic Individuals competition Angus cattle took out 26% of the placings.

In the Export pens, which were on feed for 102 days saw Angus cattle take 60% of the pen placings and 20% of the individual's placings.

Trevor and Linda Rissman of Rosedale Pastoral Company, Yelarbon Queensland, took home the winning ribbon in the Domestic pens with their Angus cattle (Lot 2093).

It was the first time the Rissman Family had entered such a competition and while they weren’t expecting much from their trip down, they were pleasantly surprised by the result and as they are having a heavily drought affected season said the win was definitely something to smile about.

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

“We are typically sheep country, so the cattle are mostly secondary, however they work well together,” Mr Rissman explained.

“We started using Angus as a commercial decision because all the feedlots were chasing Angus and ever since I can remember there has been a premium for Angus cattle.”

The Rissman’s original operation was a Hereford base, however over the years they have transitioned into the Angus breed, in which they found were a better suit for their operation.

“We started with a Hereford cross, but as we have gotten into more pure Angus they are actually weighing heavier and doing better than the crosses.”

Angus cattle also took home second in the same category with Wendy and Ben Mayne of Texas Angus, Warialda NSW, with their pen of Angus heifers (Lot 2887).

A heifer from the same pen also won the Domestic Individual category (Tag Number Q233).

When asked of their aim from the days event, Wendy and Ben explained that events such as the RAS Beef Challenge allows them to benchmark themselves across all breeds of cattle. “(The aim of the beef challenge is) To be able to benchmark ourselves within the beef industry as a whole rather than just within the Angus breed to see where we actually are,” Mr Mayne said.

supply chain

The Rissman Family of Rosedale Pastoral Co with their winning domestic pen. Image: Danni MacCue Photography

“You're against some pretty high-profile commercial producers, that are not only just straight breeds but cross breeds,” Mrs Mayne added.

Mr Mayne continues, “We want to compare on all facets too, not only performance and weight gain but actually carcase quality, yield and profitability per carcase”.

“The more cross action we can get, with other Angus breeders as well, allows us to see where the industry does lie in both Domestic and Export categories, as they obviously can perform in both areas.”

Mike MacCue of MacCue Cattle and Wilga Feedlot owner, whose pen of Angus steers placed third in the Export category (Lot 2849), said that the RAS Beef Challenge is a great opportunity for exhibitors to benchmark their stock against some of the best in the state.

“As the feeder of the cattle, it provides an opportunity to benchmark some of our regular suppliers as well as identify potential new suppliers that we can target as long-term suppliers. We feel that the competition allows suppliers to identify where their stock excel, need improvement etcetera,” said Mr MacCue.

“Using the competition as a long-term benchmarking tool, producers can also see where management decisions make impacts, both in management terms and in breeding programs.”

“The open day is a great opportunity for producers to view their stock after the grain feeding portion of the supply chain.”

“In many cases, producers don’t get the opportunity to view their stock at the end of the feeding period. It's an opportunity to try and picture animals as a carcase rather than a live animal and see how it might fit a grid.”

Mr MacCue says that while the Challenge Day is a competition, it more so brings opportunities for commercial producers to expose their operations to other like-minded producers.

“While everyone likes to win, see their breed on top, the competition is really aiming at the beef industry. Everyone is there for the same purpose, and the Awards Dinner in Tamworth is a great opportunity to catch up over a meal in a relaxed environment.”

Ben and Wendy Mayne of Texas Angus with their domestic pen. Image: Danni MacCue Photography

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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supply chain

Fresh start for Angus brand verification Kate Stark, Fairfax Media

Major meat processors with Angus brands have welcomed the relaunch of the Angus brand verification program

by Angus Australia to secure confidence among their customers seeking Angus beef.

Commercial supply chain managerLiz Pearson said the relaunch falls into line with the transition of services previously provided by Certified Angus Group Pty Ltd (CAG Pty Ltd) to Angus Australia.

“Previously, our subsidiary company, CAG Pty Ltd, was performing the breed verification role and that has been brought in house to allow us to revitalise the verification process and increase the independence of the program,” she said.

Ms Pearson said the transition has streamlined the process for processors and consumers alike.

“We have developed new logos which link directly to the Angus Australia’s independent Angus verification.

We believe the real value is in independent verification and this carries a lot of weight for consumer confidence in the brands.”

Since the relaunch last year, Angus Australia has experience an increase of 16 per cent of Angus animals processed for verified Angus brands.

“The relaunch has been very well received with all existing verified brands continuing the programand a lot of new interest coming from across Australia – from Western Australia, across to Tasmania and north to Queensland, Ms Pearson said.

“The focus of Angus Australia is to promote, protect and enhance the value of Angus and we believe that Angus brand verification is an excellent platform for this by maintaining the integrity throughout the supply chain.”

The three largest Angus brands involved in the program have increased their numbers of verified Angus animals by 75pc, 15pc and 10pc.

The relaunch saw the verification split into two new levels for brands – Verified Black Angus Beef and Verified Angus Beef.

“Previously, there was one program with a base verification minimum requirement of 75pc Angus breed

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CR130033AA

(New and Used)

supply chain content with the sire being pure Angus and the dam being a minimum of 50pc Angus with no bos indicus or dairy influence. This program still exists and is called Verified Angus Beef,” Ms Pearson said.

“While working collaboratively with our verified brands on the relaunch, Angus Australia discovered a need for a program to identify animals that are 100pc Angus.

This would allow Angus brands to generate marketing value froma verified pure Angus product.This program is Verified Black Angus Beef.”

“Certainly, there is a marketing advantage in 100pc Angus and it is more attractive in the global market,” Ms Pearson said.

“What this does is recognise companies who are focusing on producing a purebred Angus product and putting it

in front of the customer which lines up with consistent eating quality of Angus.

Ms Pearson said the differentiation has allowed a competitive marketing advantage for those brands focusing on 100pc Angus product.

“I feel there is a strong connection between this program of branded Angus products through the supply chain and it’s creating extra value for those producers who are selling into these brands,” she said.

“Providing an independent verification generates integrity, trust and confidence for the consumer that they are getting what they are paying for.”

Angus Australia works closely with its verified brands to support this product in domestic and global markets.

Ms Pearson recently had the opportunity to travel to the Food and Hotel Asia 2018 trade showinSingapore and the SIAL China 2018 exhibition to promote verified brands to the Asia market as well as to garner further support for the program.

“China is a massive market and they’re looking for more information to promote the Angus product to their customers – from importers to the hotel chains,” she said. “We see that investment in supporting verified brands is warranted and we’re excited to be working and collaborating with meat processors supplying these brands.

“Two of the largest supply chains Angus verified brands feed into is the McDonald’s Angus burger range and CostCo Wholesale supermarkets.

These businesses are buying Angus product to sell to their customers and, to them, it’s imperative that it’s been independently verified.

It’s in their business model to provide the best quality product to their consumers with the highest possible integrity and at the best price.”

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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supply chain

Continued promotion of Angus Australia Verified brands at SIAL, China 2018 Liz Pearson, Commercial Supply Chain Manager

Angus Australia’s Commercial Supply Chain Manager, Liz Pearson recently travelled to Shanghai, China to continue the promotion and support of Angus brands who are independently verified by Angus Australia.

These brands included: • NH Foods Australia’s Angus Reserve, 1788 Platinum and Omugi • Thomas Foods International’s Angus Pure • Bindaree Beef’s Cape Byron Angus Beef SIAL China 2018 is Asia’s largest food innovation exhibition and the 4th biggest food show in the world.

SIAL China 2018 at a glance: • 40 acres of exhibit area • 3,200 exhibitors from over 67 countries • 110,000 trade attendees from all over the world • 150,000 exhibition spaces over 4 product zones: • Meat • Beverage • Dairy • Wine SIAL China 2018 is very similar to the recent FHA Trade show in Singapore which Angus Australia also supported with every kind of food and beverage imaginable from all over the world looking for opportunities to supply into the ever-growing beast that is the Chinese market.

Prospects to build awareness of independent verification of Angus brands and promotion of those brands were constant with thousands of Chinese importers and

traders looking to establish relationships and build value chains with Australian beef processors, with a heavy focus on Angus beef.

Verified brand owners, along with MLA’s International markets team have applauded Angus Australia’s support of these major trade events and say it highlights Angus Australia’s seriousness about truly supporting Australian Angus producers and their markets.

Much like in SE Asia, Australian Angus brands in China are seeing increased pressure from South American Angus brands that are slightly cheaper and good comparatively on eating quality, however they struggle when it comes to consistency of their product and this is a real advantage and point of difference for Australian Angus brands.

During this trip Liz had the opportunity to visit the largest wet market in Shanghai, which incidentally is one of the largest wet markets in the world, in the Boashan District 45 minutes north east of Shanghai. The wet market is the central hub for all fresh and frozen food entering China to be distributed throughout Asia.

Liz visited with Leader Beef Foods Trade Co Ltd, an Angus exclusive trader and High Hopes International, a government owned importer. Both the importer and trader were clear to state that the marketing of Angus beef over other beef has only become a key driver over the last 3 years and it is a relatively new market.

NH Foods Australia Export Sales Manager, Atsushi Nakao, Liz Pearson, NH Foods China Import Beef Supply Chain Director, Jacky Li and Wingham Beef Exports Production & Sales Cordinator Glen Darcy

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Verified Black Angus Beef Rangers Valley Black Onyx

supply chain

This being the case they, are excitedly keen to connect with Angus Australia with the opportunity for marketing and promotional support of Angus beef to their customers. These customers mainly consist of restaurant, hotels and food service.

When it comes to the average Chinese consumer their knowledge of beef, what is should look like and how it should taste is arguably one of the best of any culture around the world. They know what good beef looks like and are keen to sight their beef before it is cooked.

Most restaurants have their beef on display for customers to select much like in Australia when picking your lobster or crab from the tank in a high-end restaurant. Chinese consumers also understand that the longer the days on feed, the better the beef will be and this days on feed information is extremely important to them.

This was certainly an unexpected trend as the Australian feedlot industry in recent years has moved away from using days on feed as an identifier of product and singularly in a lot of cases focusing on marble score alone.

By attending these trade shows and establishing relationships throughout the beef supply chain, it creates huge value to Angus Australia members by better understanding of what is important to consumers of Angus beef throughout Australia, SE Asia, China and the rest of the world and how Angus Australia can generate value throughout the supply chain.

x frozen individual steaks in China's Ole Supermarket

MLA Trade stand meat display cabinet

Liz Pearson with Leader Beef Foods Trade Co Ltd General Manager, Cedric Dai in their trade store at DaJiangYang Wet Market in Boashan District, Shanghai

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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supply chain

West coast of New Zealand’s North Island

Angus Australia in the land of the long white cloud Liz Pearson, Commercial Supply Chain Manager

A large component of the Commercial Supply Chain program includes growing the Angus Brand Verification program. This maintains the integrity of the Angus breed and those who produce Angus beef from the seedstock producer through to the Angus brand owner.

This integrity compliments the domestic and export demand for verified Australia Angus beef brands, which ultimately results in strong demand for Angus cattle.

As a major component of this quality management system the Commercial Supply Chain team travels to New Zealand twice a year to conduct Angus Brand Verification audits to validate the breed claims of the McDonalds Angus burger range.

This trip takes in the North and the South Islands over a 10-day period verifying plants of the two largest processors in the country; ANZCO Foods and Silver Fern Farms.

This verification process ensures that cattle being processed destined for the McDonalds Angus burger range are guaranteed to fit the bill. ANZCO Foods and Silver Fern Farms have five processors between them located in the picturesque locations of Hastings, Hawera, Eltham and Bulls in the North Island and Christchurch in the South Island.

Angus cattle form an important part of the New Zealand beef industry, with the Angus premium dominating the marketplace as we see here in Australia.

“The supply of quality Angus cattle is integral to our business to meet the strong demand for high quality Angus product from our primal cuts being consumed in high end restaurants, right through to our grinding meat products for the fast food industry. The premiums paid for Angus beef also make it an attractive option for our suppliers.” says Steve Tate, Technical/Compliance Manager for ANZCO Foods at Eltham.

The benefit of successful audits with these processors allows ANZCO Foods and Silver Fern Farms to supply

product into the McDonalds Angus burger range with the confidence that it has been independently verified as Angus beef.

Overall the trip to New Zealand was a great success with all processors passing their audits with flying colours.

This provides confidence that the integrity of the Angus breed is in good hands with New Zealand Angus producers and that demand for Angus product will continue to remain strong.

Travelling through New Zealand and talking to locals, processors and livestock buyers has provided an insight into the different perspective of farming operations in New Zealand and this component of Angus Brand Verification has afforded Angus Australia a great opportunity to develop and strengthen relationships within the New Zealand beef processing section of the supply chain and upskill the Commercial Supply Chain team to bring value to the Angus Australia membership.

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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#

#

InstaAngus

We’ve noticed some stunning Instagram accounts from Angus breeders and others across the beef supply chain that are capturing the essence of Angus life, so we would like to share them a little further to celebrate the diversity of the Angus breed across Australia.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram!

#AngusPremium #GrowAngus #IUseAngusBulls

@a_country_heart

@skyfallangus

@koojanhills

@bennevisangus

@derrynbadcock

@hazeldeanlitchfield

@weeranangus

@coffin_creek

@angusaustralia

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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#

angusthroughtheages

#angusthroughtheages #100yearsofAngusAustralia

Do you have any images that showcase the history of the Angus Breed?

Help us celebrate the diversity of the Angus breed by showing us your part of the Angus history.

Peter Parnell

Ron Bower - Part time

Chief Executive Officer M: 0428 918 632 P: 02 6773 4605 E: peter@angusaustralia.com.au

Human Resource Manager P: 6773 4607 E: ron@angusaustralia.com.au

Human Resources

Chief Executive Officer

angus australia staff directory

Christopher de Crespigny

Breed Development & Extension

Software Development

Information Systems Manager P: 02 6773 4619 E: christopher@angusaustralia.com.au

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Michael Ainsworth Computer Programmer P: 02 6773 4610 E: michael@angusaustralia.com.au

Dale Curtis

Chris Nimmo

Computer Programmer E: dale.curtis@angusaustralia.com.au

Computer Programmer E: chris.nimmo@angusaustralia.com.au

Andrew Byrne

Matthew Reynolds

Breed Development & Extension Manager P: 02 6773 4618 M: 0418 412 042 E: andrew@angusaustralia.com.au

Breed Development Officer P: 02 6773 4626 E: matthew.reynolds@angusaustralia. com.au

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

Finance & Administration Marketing, Communications & Youth

David Cameron

Joy Howe

Administration Manager - Accountant P: 02 6773 4624 E: david.cameron@angusaustralia.com.au

Accounts Officer P: 02 6773 4612 E: joy.howe@angusaustralia.com.au

Sue Webeck

Amanda Wolfe

Accounts Officer - Part time P: 02 6773 4606 E: sue@angusaustralia.com.au

Administration Officer P: 02 6773 4600 E: amanda@angusaustralia.com.au

Diana Wood

Robyn Brazier

Marketing & Communications Manager P: 02 6773 4601 M: 0411 242 001 E: diana@angusaustralia.com.au

Marketing Assistant - Part time P: 02 6773 4609 E: marketing@angusaustralia.com.au

Candice Liddle

Ebonie Sadler-Small

Events & Youth Development Officer P: 02 6773 4622 M: 0437 873 220 E: youth@angusaustralia.com.au

Graphics & Multimedia Officer M: 0428 518 880 E: design@angusaustralia.com.au

Cheyne Twist Communications Officer P: 02 6773 4635 M: 0408 799 279 E: communications@angusaustralia.com.au

Liz Pearson

Commercial Supply Chain

angus australia staff directory

Commercial Supply Chain Manager P: 02 6773 4608 M: 0488 758 360 E: liz.pearson@angusaustralia.com.au

Angus Bulletin — spring 2018

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Member Services

Strategic Projects

angus australia staff directory Christian Duff

Nick Butcher

Strategic Projects Manager P: 02 6773 4620 M: 0457 457 141 E: christian@angusaustralia.com.au

Project Officer, ASBP M: 0427 701 236 E: nick@angusaustralia.com.au

Jonathan Faris Northern Development Officer P: 02 6773 4600 M: 0417 219 405 E: jonathan.faris@angusaustralia.com.au

Nicky Carey

Samantha Hamilton

Senior Member Services Officer P: 02 6773 4616 E: nicky.carey@angusaustralia.com.au

Senior Member Services Officer P: 02 6773 4613 E: sam@angusuaustralia.com.au

Robyn Kelly

Victoria Lee

Member Services Officer P: 02 6773 4615 E: robyn@angusaustralia.com.au

Member Services Officer P: 02 6773 4611 E: victoria.lee@angusaustralia.com.au

Tammy McLeod

Heather Rocks

Member Services Officer P: 02 6773 4604 E: tammy.mcleod@angusaustralia.com.au

Member Services Officer P: 02 6773 4621 E: heather.rocks@angusaustralia.com.au

Lou Wood

Scott Wright

Member Services Officer - Part time P: 02 6773 4617 E: office@angusuaustralia.com.au

Member Services Officer P: 02 6773 4614 E: scott.wright@angusaustralia.com.au

Angus Australia Locked Bag 11, Armidale NSW 2350 P: 02 6773 4600—| F: 022018 6772 3095 | E: office@angusaustralia.com.au PAge 76 Angus Bulletin spring Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au

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