Angus BULLETIN Distributed by the Angus Society of Australia
Angus Bulls Offered for Sale in 2020 the best yet PLUS · Angus SELECT Providing Marketing Opportunities for all Members · Producer Bull Selection Criteria Preferences - Temperament is #1 · ImmuneDEX – Updated Sire RBVs Available
Spring 2020
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24
56 contents
Spring 2020 | Volume 41
2 Contents
24 Turn-off and Tackling Ticks
5
President’s Report
26 Murrays’ Angus success
7
CEO Report
8
Angus Bulls Offered for Salein 2020 the Best Yet
10 Records are made to broken!
29 Verified Black Angus Beef tops 2020 Royal Queensland Food & Wine Show 30 Mackas Australian Black Angus Beef joins the Verified Black Angus Beef ranks
12 Examining the bulls you purchased with Angus.Tech
32 Around the Saleyards
14 Angus ONLINE Now Available
33 NVDs – Accepted Breed Descriptions
14 Ordering DNA Services Using Angus ONLINE
34 Wallings set with Angus
15 New features when listing your catalogue on Angus SELECT
36 Hawkesdale calves hit target for premiums in the saleyard
16 AngusSELECT providing marketing opportunities for all members
38 Boosting female quality with every generation at Ardcheil
17 Framing your business: Putting your best foot forward when it comes to your social media
40 Your one-stop shop for all stockfeed needs and advice
18 Angus Producer Marketing Crash Course Part 2: The Angus breeders video guide
42 Angus & Angus influenced cattle prove market versatility 43 Angus – for grain or grass
20 Northern Development Consultative Committee Selected
43 Angus for eating quality
21 Producer Bull Selection Criteria Preferences Temperament is # 1
44 Out & About
23 Angus influences 48% of breeding females 45 Where are they now?
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
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: printcentre.net.au. TACE Angus.Tech ASBP Breed Development Commerical Supply Chain General Genomics Northern Development Member Services
30 47 Achmea’s contribution to Landfall bull sale adds to buyer confidence
Youth Angus Education Marketing
64 Behind the Beef – Angus Australia Member Services 69 Horns Recognised as a Genetic Condition
48 If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it! 70 Angus Australia and Vetoquinol extend partnership 49 TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation Analysis Dates 50 Introducing Angus DataCHECK 50 Breeding Better Breeders – Updated Sire RBVs Now Available
71 Bringing Back The Late Calver 72 ImmuneDEX – Updated Sire RBVs Available 74 ASBP – Focussed on Feed Efficiency and Structural Soundnesss 77 Enhanced ASBP Progeny Performance Reports
51 Third times a charm… 3rd annual Spring Bull Night 52 Genetic Variation – Can I capitalise on it?
78 Angus Australia Staff Directory
53 Genetic Condition Module in the Angus Education Centre
54 Understanding Angus Australia’s DNA Services
Advertisers Indexes 4 ABS
1
46 Achmea
6 Neogen
IBC Agri-Gene Pty Ltd
19 Performance Feeds
68 Beef Gen
67 Profit Plus
BC Ben Nevis
39 Reiland Angus
60 Member Services Matters
5
76 Semex
62 Additional DNA Requirements for Animal Registration When Parents are Born After January 1st, 2018
69 Farmers Breeding Supplies
62 Updated Angus Australia Regulations Now Available
27 Genetic Choice
63 Important Changes to Animal Identification
IFC Killain Angus
56 Enhancing heifer selection with genomics 58 Improved Genotyping Platforms Available to Angus Australia Members
Bridgewater Angus
22 Genetics Australia
McKenzie Ag Services
61 Target Livestock & Marketing 13 Upper Murray Seeds 70 Vetoquinol
Design Your Herd's Future With Us
Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15
29AN2123
✓ Record $160,000 Australian Angus Sire ✓ Flawless phenotype with superb structural soundness ✓ Blanket seedstock and commercial mating option with a no-holes EBV profile ✓ Largest selling Angus sire 2019-2020
NEW
GB Fireball 672
29AN2099 ✓ EBVs to BURN! Huge carcass combining +12.6 EMA and +3.7 IMF ✓ Blanket heifer mating option offering low BW, high CED figures & big growth ✓ Good length, muscle, depth & bone with well-shaped feet
NEW
Heiken Broadview ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Australia
29AN2151 Hottest new US sire to arrive in Australia for 2020 $82,000 top priced sire at the 2020 JC Heiken & Sons sale Wide based, tremendous depth & thickness on sound feet & legs Low BW with top 1% growth EBVs, top 1% scrotal at +4.2 Outcross pedigree - Vermilion Spur x Sitz Logo
Square B True North 8052 29AN2144 ✓ SAV Rainfall son with versatile EBV profile ✓ Striking length & eye appeal, strong spined, deep flanked & strides out smooth as a cat ✓ Superb heifer option with a strong maternal profile
CANDIDATE
Sitz Stellar 726D
29AN2025 ✓ Blanket heifer mating option with tremendous B-muscle score ✓ Stellar is thick topped, deep sided with huge capacity ✓ A structural gem - top 1% for claw shape & foot angle US EPDs ✓ Sons have been top sellers in last two Sitz sales
Contact: 4
Bill Cornell Fletch Kelly Kim Sultana Annie Pumpa
Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile
0428 0419 0438 0458
293 383 418 227
498 341 113 277
Email Email Email Email
Baldridge Command C036 29AN1972 ✓ Huge demand sire for Australian seedstock & commerical breeders ✓ Elite HCR semen fertility and bomb proof heifer option with big growth! ✓ Very sound footed with +14 front angle & +22 front claw set structural EBVs ✓ Big carcass with +12 EMA, +2.2 RBY & +2.5 IMF EBVs bill.cornell@genusplc.com fletch.kelly@genusplc.com kim.sultana@genusplc.com annie.pumpa@genusplc.com
Australia/NZ Product Manager Victoria, SA and Tasmania NSW, QLD Northern Victoria, Southern NSW
President’s Report
Sam White, President and Board Chairperson The spring bull selling season continues with great results across all regions, and I offer congratulations to all.
Who would have thought that there was going to be such a demand for bulls, and that there are obviously many breeders who retained females or bought heifers in. I acknowledge the resilience of breeders for hanging in there after the tough years prior, and the work that has gone in to bringing your sale teams through drought and fire, and now COVID 19. Your persistence has been rewarded with these strong results. While the aftermath of those events will take years to recover from I know, it is a good and very necessary start. The adaptability of breeders to market their seedstock using all available technologies, particularly AuctionsPlus, Elite Livestock Auctions, Email, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, in the face of restrictions has been remarkable. I can now watch a lot of sales on AuctionsPlus, while working, and it is amazing. As we go forward no doubt there will be more efficiencies which we’ll all able to bring to our programs as a result of current learnings regarding marketing. It would also be remiss of me not to acknowledge the many commercial breeders who have supported us all, buying our bulls. With spring joining in front of us, and hopefully a welcome spring break in front of us, the process of rebuilding the herd can begin.
The recent Spring Bull Night, which took place in August, was another great success on the Angus calendar. I acknowledge all those who participated, presenting a great review of their bulls on offer. The event was very informative, and timely considering the spring joining season is fast approaching. As discussed in the Angus CONNECT Research and Development Update back in May, an exciting new prospect for commercial Angus producers is the work towards the development of SteerSELECT. In collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the SteerSELECT product will predict the genetic merit of commercial Angus steers, and facilitate the drafting of Angus steers into production systems that are suited to their genetics. With the aim for the product to be available in the first quarter of 2021, this development will assist in commercial Angus producers in allow for prediction of breeding value for their animals, and ultimately increase the profitability delivered from the Angus genetics. I would like to take the time to say thankyou to the team at Angus Australia for doing their work and complying with the COVID workplace restrictions and continuing to service members needs at this time.
Genetics for 2020 and beyond Booroomooka President P22
Mark it in your calendar:
SIRE: BOOROOMOOKA KINGY K9 PV x DAM: BOOROOMOOKA WIGANE K640 # EBV Acc
DIR +1.4 56%
BIRTH DTRS -0.5 51%
GL -3.4 66%
BWT +4.4 74%
200 +58 69%
GROWTH 400 600 +105 +139 70% 72%
MWT +126 67%
Milk +21 61%
FERTILITY SS DC +2.2 -8.4 71% 43%
CWT +77 63%
EMA +8.7 62%
CARCASE Rib Rump +0.5 +0.1 66% 63%
RBY +0.6 64%
IMF +2.7 61%
2021 Bridgewater Angus Sale Thursday 5th August 2021
278 Toms Gully Road, Black Mountain, NSW, 2365 | Nick Rogers: 0429 382 108 | Roger Flower: 0407 958 224
www.bridgewaterangus.com.au
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
|5
Breed Development
ANGUS Genetics
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6
Mel Strasburg Inside Sales Rep 0447 014 133 mstrasburg@neogen.com
Hannah Bourke NSW 0447 299 096 hbourke@neogen.com
Rodney Parker Vic & Tas 0427 167 148 rparker@neogen.com
Dan Roe SA & WA 0447 639 552 droe@neogen.com
CEO Report
Peter Parnell, Chief Executive Officer 2020 has proven to be a very busy year for Angus breeders and for Angus Australia.
Fortunately, many members are experiencing much more favourable climatic conditions compared to the past couple of years and have been able to capitalise on the very buoyant market conditions. Record commercial heifer and steer values, and exceptional bull sale results have resulted from the confidence being shown in the industry and the Angus breed in recent months. However, I am aware that there are sadly still some members who are essentially still under drought and/ or recovery from the devastating fires from last summer. Our best wishes go out to these members. This year, to date, we have seen significant increases in calf registrations, submission of performance data and genomics testing compared to 2019. The interruptions to Angus Australia’s services resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have been minimal due the willingness of members and staff to quickly embrace technological solutions for the conduct of transactions and communications. I wish to thank all members for your patience and understanding if we have taken a little longer to service your needs due to the pandemic restrictions. Whilst not ideal, adherence to social distancing and cancellation of events has contributed to reducing community spread of COVID-19 in our regional areas. We look forward to taking the learnings from this experience to build an even stronger and resilient Society for the future. I wish you all the best for the remainder of 2020.
Report from Angus Australia Board meeting conducted on 20th August 2020 The Angus Australia Board met by video conference on the 20th August 2020. The Board considered progress reports from each key program areas in Angus Australia and noted good progress relative to specified key performance indicators for each program. The Board considered and approved several Policy and/or Regulation changes, including: · Policy and guidelines for State Committees to establish and manage social media pages. · Endorsement of the decision to cancel the 2021 Angus Youth National Roundup (due to COVID-19) scheduled for Wodonga, and rescheduling of the event for January 2022.
· Support for investigation of options for continuation of the Angus Reference Population program for additional cohorts. · Renewal of the Northern Development Consultative Committee. · Amendments to the Regulations to take effect from 1st September 2020 relating to: (a) Addition of horns as one of the genetic conditions monitored by Angus Australia (Regulation 6.21) (b) Suffix (RED) to be included at the end of the name of animals that are red in colour (Regulation 6.31) (c) Application for transfer of ownership of animals (Regulation 12.9) (d) Use of information provided to Angus Australia (Regulation 18) (e) Intellectual property associated with data and outputs (Regulation 19) (f) Limitation of liability (Regulation 20) (g) Copyright associated with Angus Australia’s databases (Regulation 21) · Amendments to Regulations to take effect from 1st January 2021 relating to the requirement for NLIS number as one of the permanent forms of animal identification recorded with the Society (Regulations 6.33 -6.35). · A revised Debtors Policy to be implemented immediately which specifies that unless arrangements are made resulting from exceptional circumstances, commercial interest rates will be applied to debts extending beyond 90 days arrears (addition to Regulation 17.1). The complete revised Regulations can be obtained from the Angus Australia website www.angusaustralia.com.au (navigate to About>Our Society>Regulations) The Board confirmed the contents of several Special Resolutions for inclusion in a ballot to be conducted among members in September 2020 to update the Angus Australia Constitution. The next Board meeting will be conducted on the 26-27th November 2020. Peter Parnell, Chief Executive Officer 31st August 2020
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
|7
Angus Bulls Offered for Sale in 2020 the Best Yet
The Angus bulls offered for sale across the 2020 spring bull selling season represented the best offering of Angus genetics to the Australian beef breeding sector and supply chain ever seen. That was the message from a recent study undertaken by Angus Australia that assessed the genetic merit of the Angus bulls offered for sale across the past five years. The study reviewed the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) and associated selection index values of Angus bulls listed in an online sale catalogue on the Angus Australia website with a sale date between June 1st and October 31st each year. By comparison to the genetics of the bulls offered for sale in the 2016 spring bull selling season, the average Angus Breeding Index (ABI) value of the bulls offered in 2020 were $14 per female mated more profitable, representing an average improvement in the genetic merit of Angus bulls of $3.44 per female mated per year across the past 5 years. This indicates an increased return of $1,050 from an average bull purchased in 2020, by comparison to an average bull in 2016, assuming the same market conditions and that a bull is joined to 150 females in his working life. Most of the improved profitability was achieved through an increase in the genetics for growth while holding birth weight, resulting in improved calving ease coupled with heavier carcase weight at a given age. Improvements in the genetics for eating quality were also observed, illustrating the continued commitment of Angus breeders to improved marbling. A more detailed overview of the change in average EBVs and selection index values of the Angus bulls offered for sale is presented in Table 1.
8
“A lot of time is spent reviewing the genetic improvement that is occurring within the Angus seedstock industry, but this study is the first to confirm that similar genetic improvement is also being realised in the commercial industry”, said Mr Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager at Angus Australia. The improvements in the genetics of the Angus bulls being offered for sale mirror the annual rate of genetic improvement in the Angus seedstock sector which now exceeds the rate observed in the early to mid 2000s” (see figure 1).
“The genetic improvement in the Angus breed is the result of the commitment of Angus seedstock breeders to the utilisation of technology within their breeding programs” Mr Byrne said.
Right: The 2020 top selling Angus bull, Dunoon Prime Minister sold for $140,000 to Ascot Cattle Co in conjunction with Gilmandyke Angus and Kenny’s Creek Angus, NZ semen rights secured by KayJay Angus. Image: BJS Livestock Photography
Renowned for being early adopters of technology, use of the tools available to the modern cattle breeder continues to be high amongst the Angus seedstock sector. Approximately 40,000 Angus seedstock calves are bred using either artificial insemination or embryo transfer each year, representing over 50% of the calves bred by Angus seedstock breeders (see figure 2).
“The high use of reproductive technologies is not only enabling the Australian Angus industry to widely disseminate the genetics of superior animals, but also to tap into the vast gene pool of Angus genetics available internationally”, Mr Byrne said. Coupled with the utilisation of the latest reproductive technologies, Angus breeders remain committed to performance recording, and in recent time the adoption of genomic technologies. “The considerable investment of Angus seedstock breeders in performance recording and genomics is improving the accuracy with which the genetics of Angus breeding animals are described, which in turn, facilitates the identification of animals with superior genetics for use in Angus breeding programs”, Mr Byrne said. The TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation reached a significant milestone in September 2020 with the inclusion
of 100,000 genotypes in the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation for Australian Angus animals (see figure 3).
“Over 32,000 Angus animals have been genomically tested with either the HD50K for Angus or Angus GS products in the past 12 months, which coupled with the availability of a large, well recorded genomic reference population, is considerably increasing the accuracy of the breeding values available for Angus seedstock animals”, Mr Byrne said. The annual investment of ~$1.65 million in genomic technology builds on the long term commitment of Angus breeders to performance recording. While the level of recording traditional traits like birth weight, 200, 400 and 600 day weight, scrotal circumference and live animal ultrasound measurements remains high, recent years has seen an increase in the recording of traits like docility and mature body composition. Cattleman using Angus genetics within their beef enterprise can rest easy knowing that the Angus seedstock industry is, and will continue to utilise the latest breeding and genetic technologies that are available, and in turn, deliver more and more profitable Angus genetics to the Australian beef supply chain each year. The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Records are made to broken! While the word unprecedented has been thrown around a lot in 2020, there really is no other way to describe the buying frenzy being witnessed for Angus cattle in recent weeks.
A Sale records have continued to tumble for both seedstock and commercial cattle. The record average for Angus bulls sold at Auction was smashed to hit $20,384, unjoined stud Angus heifers averaged $9,068, PTIC commercial Angus females hit a record high of $3,900 and commercial Angus heifers set a new record for both steers and heifers at Roma. Angus Australia’s Marketing and Communications Manager, Diana Wood has said the records set across both the seedstock and commercial sectors come as no surprise, with commercial producers looking to rebuild with a breed they can trust. ‘Producers are going deep into their pockets to purchase Angus bulls and females’. “Each week we are seeing unprecedented demand for Angus females, across saleyards, AuctionsPlus and on property sales as restockers look to rebuild their herds’. ‘The demand for Angus females is Australia wide and in particular restockers are chasing commercial females with known genetics and are willing pay top money for top quality Angus genetics’. ‘And unsurprisingly, the results for Angus females is also being mirrored during the Spring bull selling season, as we are seeing Angus sale after Angus sale reach new heights for averages and clearances as buyers chase the latest genetics on offer for use in their herds”. Angus Australia CEO Peter Parnell said it was hard not to be surprised by just how strong bull sales this spring have been. ‘These outstanding results are a testament to the overall confidence in the market for high quality Angus genetics’. “I think it is highly correlated with sheer confidence in the beef industry, driven by cattle price,” he said. “We’ve seen the same trend in the past, when a strong commercial cattle market will fuel a surge in bull sale results, it seems to even over-ride seasonal impact,” he said. 10
B “It’s probably unrealistic that the current commercial cattle market will stay where it is, but for the time being, it is fueling this tremendous confidence among commercial bull buyers.” “Hopefully our message about the impact of performance recording is filtering through – of the value in investing in high performance genetics.” This was evident in ‘quite a significant’ lift in genetic trends this year (relative to recent earlier years) for the Angus Breed Index values (see page 5), which suggested significant culling of older, lesser performing females had taken place. “We are seeing a greater rate of genetic progress this year in the ABI. It’s a response to a number of factors, partly that the message is getting through in terms of the value of selecting on performance. But given the amount of culling that’s occurred due to drought, the seedstock herd that is left is of higher genetic merit.”
D
A: Shaw Family with Watkins & Co agents Charles Gleeson & Brad Neven. Image courtesy of Maranoa Regional Council, B: Millah Murrah Angus hit a record of average of $20,384. Pictured is their $60,000 top selling bull, Millah Murrah Quixote Q96 with Andrew Bickford, Elders Bathurst, Annie Pump, ABS Australia, auctioneer Paul Dooley, Tamworth, Ross Thompson of Millah Murrah, Bill Cornell, ABS Australia, and (front) Tom Shannon and Josh Clift of JT Angus, Scone. C: PTIC Angus Heifers at Gilmandyke Angus topped at $3,900. Image: The Land, D: Angus Onisforou and Tim Lord of KO Angus with buyers of the $20,000 top-priced female Margo Duncan, Pennie Lieb, (front) Aaron Lieb and Jamie Grosser of Boambee Angus, East Seaham, and auctioneer Lincoln McKinlay, Elders. Photo: The Land, E: Nectarbrook sold 14 Angus steers , 560kg for $2250. Ballarat VIC 21/08/20. Image: Stock & Land, F: 511c/kg or $1600, for 66 yearling Angus heifers, offered by A J Greenhalgh & Co Ournie, NSW AuctionsPlus 18/09/20. Image: AuctionsPlus.
Click Here To View 2020 Bull Sale Results
Gilmandyke Angus Sale 27/08/20
Gilmandyke Angus also had commercial Angus heifers on offer as part of their sale day, where a pen of 10 PTIC commercial Angus heifers was sold for $3,900 per head to, Killain Angus Tamworth NSW. The previous record for PTIC commercial Angus heifers was, $3,650 for PTIC Commercial Angus heifers, offered by M & P Harris & family, Treeton Lake, Cowaramup, WA, at the Boyanup Landmark Specially Selected Breeders Sale in Januray 2017. These heifers were purchased by M & F Armstrong, Northcliffe, WA. Overall, Gilmandyke sold 13 pens (124 heifers) of commercial Angus heifers were sold to an average of $3,406.
Millah Murrah Angus Sale 3/09/20
C
No strangers to records, Millah Murrah Angus once again broke the Australian Angus record average, selling 78 Angus bulls for an average of $20,384, breaking the $17,261 average they set at their 2019 sale for 69 Angus bulls. In doing so, Millah Murrah hit a 100% clearance for their sale and a top price of $60,000 for Millah Murrah Quixote Q96, selling to a syndicate including; Josh Clift and Tom Shannon, JT Angus, Scone and Merriwa, ABS Australia and Woonallee Simmentals, South Australia.
Snapshot of the Highlights KO Angus Sale 21/08/20
Part of the offering at KO Angus Stud Annual Sale, saw 22 unjoined stud Angus heifers, under 18 months, average $9,068. A top price of $19,000 was paid for KO Moongarra Q82 by Salmond Family Investments, Robertson NSW.
2020 Bull Sale Results
Roma, Qld 25/08/20
These results are just a drop in the ocean as Angus bull sales continue across the spring selling season and each day stud offerings hit new heights and on farm record top prices and averages continue to be broken.
Julie and Jeremy Shaw, Double J Injune Queensland, continued their record breaking ways at the Roma Saleyards. Their well recognised Angus heifers sold to a top of 568.2c/kg to average 508c/kg, equating to a per head price high of $1,786 and average of $1,676. This sale was a new top price record at the Roma Saleyards for both steers and heifers.
Producer spotlights
Sales of commercial Angus and Angus influenced cattle also continue to hit dizzying heights week in week out. August Producer Spotlights
E
July Producer Spotlights
June Producer Spotlights
F The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 11
angus.tech
Examining the bulls you purchased with Angus.Tech Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer
The spring bull selling season is well underway, and as new bulls are delivered, the excitement of the potential they could deliver to the future of the breeding program builds.
The arrival of the new bulls raises a question for the breeding program. While you no doubt examined the breeding values of each bull as part of the purchasing decision, have you examined the bulls purchased as a group? Typically, a breeding program incorporates a number of bulls for the joining and whilst a breeding program built around a well defined breeding objective will have bulls that are consistent, there will still be variation amongst them in their breeding values and therefore the expected performance of their progeny. Understanding this and the potential risks it poses to the genetic gain of the breeding program can ensure the program can realise the value of the bulls.
Save the bulls as a ‘Saved search’
Saving the bulls as a saved search within Angus.Tech, can be a great way to bring the bulls up quickly and enable the tracking of them over time as further information informs their breeding values. To save a search, simply complete the search within Angus Database Search. In the case of bulls purchased from a number of herds, it is easiest to simply type their Animal ID into the search box, adding a comma between each animal within the search. Once the results have been returned, click the ‘Save Search’ button at the top of the page and give the search a name before clicking ‘Save’. For example, “Bulls purchased in 2020”. Once saved the search can be selected from the drop-down box on the search page of Angus Database Search, ensuring the bulls can be brought up quickly within the database without the need to re-enter their details.
Examine the average of the group
Using the power of the Angus.Tech report centre you can easily examine the bulls that you have purchased as a group. This enables you to understand the selection decisions you have made and how they align with your breeding goals. A limitation of every breeding program is we cannot focus on improving everything and the ability to examine the 12
average breeding values of the bull group further enables us to understand where the potential limitations in our breeding decision are. To generate the average breeding values for the group of bulls, as well as the minimum and maximum breeding value for each trait, bring the bull group up within Angus Database Search. Click the button ‘Go to Report Centre’ at the top of the page and select the ‘Result Summary’ report.
The result summary report tells you some very important things when you examine the bulls as a group; 1 – It tells you the likely direction your selection decisions will take you, assuming each bull produces a similar number of progeny. 2 – It tells you where your risk areas are. In chasing the traits within our breeding objective, are you compromising other traits? Whilst you might be willing to compromise in some areas, it is important as breeders to fully understand the implications of the selection decisions you make.
Examine the distribution of the bulls for key traits
An analysis breeders should consider looking at, is the distribution of breeding values within the bull group for the key traits. This is valuable because it allows you to understand whether one bull in your group may be ‘carrying’ the group for a key trait. This scenario may open the breeding program up to underperforming, if the bull doesn’t produce a proportional number of progeny or is lost from the program.
The two trait distribution reports, available through the Angus.Tech report centre, examine two traits and highlight the risk of uneven distribution within the bull group. The first distribution chart shows an example where there is a tight distribution of breeding values for the bulls, therefore if a bull is removed the average will remain relatively constant, compared to the second distribution chart, where one individual is significantly better for the trait then the remaining bulls. If the outlier bull is then removed the average for the group is affected and may mean a reduction in the potential gains of the breeding program for the trait. By taking the time to examine the bull purchasing decisions you have made and how they align with your breeding objective, you can ensure the breeding program continues to make genetic progress. The features are free and just some of the great tools available as part of Angus.Tech. For further information contact staff at Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600 or office@angusaustralia.com.au
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The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 13
angus.tech
Angus ONLINE Now Available Angus Australia members can now interact directly with Angus Australia’s breed registry database using Angus ONLINE and complete many of the tasks that are currently undertaken by Angus Australia’s Member Services team. Using Angus ONLINE, members can now request and manage DNA orders, and generate registration certificates for their animals, while development is underway to facilitate the completion of tasks such as the registration of animals, uploading of performance measurements, and creation of online sale catalogues. Angus ONLINE enables members to complete tasks from the comfort of their home in real time, rather than having to send information for processing by the Member Services team. The development of Angus ONLINE follows the implementation of Angus Database Search and Angus SELECT, and is the next stage of Angus Australia’s software development initiative. Referred to as Angus.Tech, this software development initiative involves transitioning the software that is utilised to manage Angus Australia’s extensive pedigree, performance and genomic database, from generic software available from 3rd party service providers, to in-house software that is specifically tailored to the needs of Angus Australia and our members.
Ordering DNA Services Using Angus ONLINE Angus Australia members are encouraged to manage their DNA testing using Angus ONLINE. Using Angus ONLINE, Angus Australia members can: · order new DNA services, removing the need to complete a DNA Services Order Form · track the progress of current DNA orders · view the results of past DNA orders Angus Australia members wishing to manage their DNA testing using Angus ONLINE need to click on the “Angus ONLINE” option in the menu at the top of the homepage on the Angus Australia website, and sign in to angus.tech as normal. Once signed in, the DNA Services menu will appear at the top of the page to either create a new DNA order, or view existing DNA orders.
Comprehensive tutorials on how to use Angus ONLINE to manage your DNA testing are available from the Angus Education Centre (www.angusaustralia.com.au/education). Assistance on using Angus ONLINE is also available by contacting the Member Services team at Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600 or via email regos@angusaustralia.com.au. Members who do not wish to utilise Angus ONLINE can still request DNA services from Angus Australia using the DNA Services Order Form that is available from the Angus Australia website.
Visit the Education Centre
14
New features when listing your catalogue on Angus SELECT Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer
Angus SELECT has been a hive of activity over the past few months with the spring selling season in full swing. Listing a catalogue within Angus SELECT is a great place to display animals for sale and provided prospective buyers with the latest information. Angus SELECT is loaded with features designed to assist users with utilising the full potential of the Angus Australia database and the wealth of information it holds. Whilst some of the features of Angus SELECT have been well utilised, like the addition of photos and vendor comments, there are some feature which are going unused. These features are free and can be the key to standing out.
Link the Hardcopy / PDF catalogue
A sale catalogue within Angus SELECT is often supported by a PDF catalogue, which contains further information relating to the sale of the animal. These are often printed and mailed to potential clients. With the features of Angus SELECT, members can ensure the PDF catalogue is is also available to anyone looking at the animals in Angus SELECT. The feature is free and members simply need to provide a PDF copy of the catalogue to Angus Australia and request it be linked to your sale catalogue in Angus SELECT.
Link to a Pre-sale video
With the current COVID-19 restriction, videos have been of increasing value to purchasers who may have limited ability to view animals. A pre-sale video can be a great way to showcase a draft of bull and attract clients in to look at a catalogue in further detail. A pre-sale video can also be linked to a catalogue in Angus SELECT, simply by providing Angus Australia with a YouTube link to the video and requesting it be linked to the sale catalogue.
How to view a PDF catalogue or Pre-sale video in Angus SELECT
To view either a PDF catalogue or a pre-sale video in Angus SELECT, navigate to the Sale Catalogue page. Click on the lightning bolt in the far-right hand column for the catalogue that you wish to view and select either the PDF catalogue or pre-sale video for from the drop-down box. The options will not appear if a PDF catalogue or pre-sale video has not been linked to the catalogue. For further information contact staff at Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600 or office@angusaustralia.com.au
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 15
Marketing
AngusSELECT providing marketing opportunities for all members Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager
Did you know that Angus Australia’s catalogue services are not just for members hosting auction sales? With significant growth in searches across AngusSELECT in 2020, members selling bulls and females privately or whom have semen or embryos for sale are encouraged to include those listings on AngusSELECT. The Angus Australia website and AngusSELECT is online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, meaning that your bulls, females, semen and embryos for sale, can be searched for and seen at any time. Now more than ever, people are going online to search for their next bull, female or genetics purchase, and they want to do their research first. If your sale is not listed you may be missing out on this opportunity, as AngusSLEECT allows users to conduct searches across individual or all catalogues, so if you bulls, females, semen and/or embryos aren’t listed they will not be front of mind!
Getting your bulls and females in front of a large and wide-ranging audience
In today’s time poor society, prospective purchasers want to be able to look for their information in the one place, without having to go searching across multiple websites. Listing your offering on AngusSELECT may also open you up to new clientele. Searches across catalogues in Angus SELECT have seen a significant increase throughout 2020, particularly during both the autumn and spring selling seasons. February saw a 38% increase compared to 2019 in searches across catalogues, while June saw a 46% increase and August a massive 64% increase, with over 45,000 searches. This means that members who are selling bulls, females, semen and embryos privately and those not listing their catalogues online with Angus Australia are missing out on reaching a larger audience!
Linking to other sites and sharing across social media
If you have listed you catalogue with AngusSELECT, links from for whole catalogues or individual animals can be shared with companies like AuctionsPLUS, posted on social media and linked to websites, sharing the most up to date registration and TACE information on your listings with prospective clients.
Photos and videos?
An absolute must in the current climate, giving the user the full experience to inspect your cattle even if they cannot be there in person. Part of the catalogue service offered by Angus Australia allows the loading of images and videos to individual animals, meaning that when a prospective client clicks through to view the details on one of your animals they can view that animal from the comfort of their own home.
Are you missing out?
If you are a member whom hosts an annual auction and doesn’t already access Angus Australia’s catalogue services, or offers animals and genetics for sale privately on farm and you want more information on utilising Angus Australia catalogue services and subsequently being listed online with AngusSELECT, please contact us today to learn more, E: sam@angusaustralia.com.au, Ph: 02 6773 4600, or visit www.angusaustralia.com.au
WHAT IS AngusSELECT™?
AngusSELECT™ consists of a modern and intuitive suite of genetic selection tools that enable users of Angus genetics to identify the Angus genetics that are most aligned with their breeding goals and objectives. Using the AngusSELECT™ suite of tools, Angus breeders can: · view upcoming sales featuring registered Angus genetics · search and sort for registered Angus animals, semen or embryos that are currently available for sale, and identify the most suitable Angus genetics for use within their breeding program · find suppliers of registered Angus genetics · access education modules that assist users of Angus genetics to identify those animals that best meet their genetic selection criteria More information on accessing AngusSELECT and the range of tools available can be viewed by visiting the Angus Education Centre at www.angusaustralia.com.au Visit AngusSELECT
16
Framing your business: Putting your best foot forward when it comes to your social media Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer
Do you have a social media profile set up for your business? If not, it’s not a bad idea! Social media is an excellent way to advertise your business, without the splurge on marketing resources. All you need is your phone and access to the social media applications of your choice. While social media is an excellent way to capture your seedstock or commercial business on farm, there are a few things to remember when utilising your social media as a marketing resource. If you are establishing a social media page with the intention of utilising it to help advertise your cattle and give your potential buyers a look into your life on-farm, you need to keep in mind that while you want to capture the heart of your business, you have to remember the importance of keeping a professional image to your brand. A business social media page is a representation of your enterprise. While you can use your social media to express yourself and have a bit of fun, don’t forget that your audience is vast, so you don’t want to share anything that doesn’t represent your brand or business well. While many of us don’t really have a professional camera handy, in this day and age some pretty great photography can be captured with a smart phone. But this doesn’t mean just any old iPhone photo should be used on your business Instagram or Facebook. If you are photographing or videoing your cattle, you have to ask yourself, ‘Does that photo best represent your herd?’. By comparison, if it were to go into the newspaper, would you be happy with the photo? If its blurry, for example, and doesn’t show what you are trying to communicate well, does it need to go up? Being slightly picky about what you post can be an excellent way of curating your feed to not only capture the essence and intrigue of your business but can also work to better represent your top-quality herd when it comes to sale time.
@nat_wedderburn
@eaglehawkangus
There are plenty of tips for some great cattle photography that you can capture on your smartphone: · Timing in the day: While some moments are understandably “you’ve got to be there” situations that have to be captured then and there (e.g. a funny moment, or equally a pretty cute one), when it comes to capturing general photos of your herd, there are some golden hour times that you should try and hit to get a great image. Ideally the couple of hours after sunrise and the couple of hours before sunset are best, with the sun behind you. You want to avoid the sun being directly above you. · If you’ve zoomed in quite a lot to capture a photo at a distance, unfortunately this can compromise the quality of the image. Adding to this if the lighting isn’t great, then your beautiful Angus animals can just look like little black marks. If possible, try to avoid maximum zoom in from a distance, because more often than not, the audience isn’t seeing the excellent view that you are. · Practice makes perfect! Obviously, while these are just tips to give you a hand, just capturing some great moments on farm is an excellent start to your social media marketing and practice makes perfect. Keep going, keeping in mind these tips, and good luck!
@bulliacangus @weeranangus @photog
raphy.bro
@geneticsaustralia
oke_ The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 17
Marketing
Angus Producer Marketing Crash Course
Part 2: The Angus breeders video guide Video Video Marketing Video S VideoVideo Marketing Marketing Statistics Video Marketing Video Marketing S Video Video Marketing Statistics 81% of Video Marketing Statistics Video Video Marketing Marketing Statistics Video Marketing Video Marketing Video Marketing Statistics S 81% of businesses use video as Statistics a market 81% of 81% of businesses use video as Statistics Statistics Statistics Statistics a marketing tool. Up use from 63% Statistics ofStatistics businesses 81% of usevideo videoasas aover the market of81% businesses use a81% marketing tool. Upbusinesses fromvideo 63%as Kate Reynolds, Graphics & Multi Media Officer
Anyone who has spent any time on the internet lately will have noticed that videos are everywhere. Video marketing has infiltrated every corner of every industry. We’re at a point where if you’re not taking advantage of video marketing in your business, you’ll soon be left behind. Video marketing has been proven to increase sales, build brand awareness, as well as trust, keep current customers informed, and to reach out to potential new customers. YouTube recently announced an amazing statistic - the platform now serves one billion hours of content per day to viewers. That figure towers over last reported numbers from Facebook (100 million hours of video content per day). Searching for something on YouTube is now as commonplace as ‘Googling’. As Australian consumers increasingly get information through video, it makes sense to present your brand with appealing, interesting, or informative videos. Now is a great time to jump on board to attract customers to your business and keep up and/or stay ahead of your competitors. Now that most sales and open days have moved online, people are seeing the convenience of viewing animals from the comfort of their homes or offices. This is an opportunity to take advantage of a market that can more easily access what you have to sell, rather than only those who may be willing to drive several hours to come and see you personally. The main factor that holds many businesses back from jumping into video relates to not knowing if it is a form of marketing that will work for them and their business. If you decide that you do want to try out the video format for your organisation and want to be able to track its efficiency, here are some key metrics to keep track of its effectiveness: · Cost of video production (money, time, and effort) · Increase in brand awareness or increase in sales · Number of views or ‘engagement’ signals · Direct web traffic from the video to your website or social media page/s. · Video click-through rate · ASK – it’s ok to ask people if they saw your video and what they thought of it. This is often a great way to get feedback on whether people are seeing what you’ve made and if they can think of ways that you can improvewhat you’re doing. Keep in mind that the video format has been used for marketing for quite a few years now and viewers are aware of what qualities convey a professional standard from a business. Filming something on an old mobile phone with poor lighting and bad sound quality isn’t going to win you any merit points. Engaging in video marketing should be taken as seriously as all other aspects of your business. You will need to ensure that the quality and content are displaying you at your best. A poorly filmed video can be detrimental to your message and your business. 18
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· An effective video marketing strategy combines great ideas and great execution. · Video content with bad visual or sound quality may leave a bad impression and will not position you as a leader in your industry.
Aside from pure information or focusing squarely on sales it’s important to make sure that these aren’t the only videos you create. Interesting videos can increase audience engagement with your business and resonate with your target audience, conversions will follow. Sales may not be immediate but if you produce interesting content, your business will come to mind when a customer is next looking to make a purchase. Viewers will become more engaged and will stick around to learn more about your business if your message is interesting. So you’re convinced, but what are the next steps? It’s time to start planning!
Here are some ideas for creating interesting videos: Property Walk Through – show viewers around your property. This is a great way to show off some happy cattle and what makes your business stand out from the others. Your breeding objectives – Tell people about your production system - the who, the what, the why. Get the word out there on what’s special about your cattle and your breeding achievements. Show off your star animals and why you’re so proud of them. Who’s who and what they do – fairly self-explanatory, introduce everyone on staff (at least those willing to be on camera), and what they do. If you run a small operation, it could just be you and your family members, for larger
organisations, you could do custom video profiles of everyone or just a walk around and get everyone to say hi. What’s happening – seasonal updates or anything new that’s happening. Calving season? You may have noticed that cute videos get a lot of traction online, definitely take advantage of showing baby calves. Got a new tractor? Cool! Show off what you’ve got. It all shows that you’re investing in your operation to increase the value of what you grow and sell. Even typical day to day stuff is great for a quick video on Facebook or Instagram (or both!). You’re better off sharing videos regularly, even if they’re just filmed on your phone. It all helps to keep you fresh in peoples’ minds. Informational videos – tips and tricks for how you handle certain common problems or how you look after your animals. Recipes – Head into the kitchen and share what you do with your beef, it could be tips on how to prepare and cook and awesome steak, your grandmother’s beef wellington, roast beef, even side dishes that complement a meal. Testimonials - Follow up with people who have bought from you before and who are happy with the results. In the next part of our video marketing guide, we’ll take you through filming basics, what you’ll need to start producing your own videos and easy steps you can take to make them look as high quality as possible.
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1800 300 593 | performancefeeds.com.au The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 19
Northern Focus
Northern Development Consultative Committee Selected Jen Peart, Northern Development Officer
Angus Australia’s Northern Development Program has elected its second term Consultative Committee members. The Northern Development Program is a strategic program implemented by Angus Australia to provide support to members and producers utilising Angus genetics and deliver topical research, development and extension to the northern beef industry. The program aims to improve productivity and profitability in the northern beef supply chain through the utilisation of Angus influenced cattle. The Consultative Committee’s primary role is to provide guidance in developing policies, strategies and plans relating to the Northern Development Program. Jen Peart, Angus Australia’s Northern Development Officer feels that the value of this committee is now a proven commodity given that this is the second term since the program’s inception. “The committee is such a valuable source of information and experience – it has been advantageous to be able to ground truth our plans and strategic direction and ensure we are going to deliver value to members and producers alike,” says Jen. Strategic Programs Manager Christian Duff echoed Jen’s sentiments. “Member input into these programs is invaluable and contributes to a program’s success. Given the scope of opportunity in northern Australia, having well placed and experienced committee members is crucial,” says Christian.
As such, Angus Australia is pleased to announce the new Northern Development Consultative Committee as follows;
Ben Noller
Palgrove Ultrablacks, Dalveen, QLD “Over the last decade, the number of Angus influenced cattle used in northern production systems has grown significantly. I believe there are still significant growth opportunities in fertility, carcase quality and market acceptance that can be explored by a committee such as The Northern Development committee.”
Ben Mayne
Texas Angus, Warialda, NSW “This a great initiative by Angus Australia and timely as the infusion of Angus genetics are progressively spreading throughout Northern Australia. Production costs are extremely important to any breeder but crucial for these large scale northern operations and therefore fertility is their main profit driver. This program will be instrumental in developing strategies of getting the Angus message across to potential northern cattle breeders of the benefits of our breed.”
Simon Falkiner
Murdeduke Angus, Winchelsea, VIC “Angus genetics has the opportunity to increased reproductive rates in northern production systems, which is paramount to improving northern cattle operations profitability and resilience. They have a good temperament, reduce the need for dehorning and can favourably contribute to meat quality.” Ben Mayne
Ben Noller
Johnathan Schmidt
Johnathan Schmidt
Burenda Angus, Dalby, QLD “Through the development of a largely untapped market for Angus in a cross breeding program for Northern Australia, the infiltration of Angus genetics into Bos Indicus based herds has the ability to improve fertility and carcase qualities and deliver value to northern producers.”
Tim Vincent Simon Falkiner
Tim Vincent
For more information on the Northern Development Program please visit – https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/ northern/
Booragul Angus, Piallaway NSW “I believe the Northern Development Program is of high importance as Northern Australia is a major producer of beef and represents great opportunities to improve meat quality through Angus influence.”
Advertise in the Summer 2021 Angus Bulletin Bookings Close 23 November 2020 - Available online from approximately 15 December 2020 www.angusaustralia.com.au 20
Producer Bull Selection Criteria Preferences Temperament is # 1
Jen Peart, Northern Development Officer Temperament is considered the most important bull selection criteria by cattle producers, a recent survey of Australian beef breeders has revealed. The survey was conducted during May and June 2019, by an independent market research group as part of an MLA Donor Company and Angus Australia co-funded project. In a key component of the survey, participants were asked to rate the importance of a range of traits and information that are available to select bulls. This survey was primarily undertaken to produce baseline values in which to gauge practice and attitude change over a 5-year period to 2023, when a second quantitative survey will be undertaken. The survey results will also be used to inform policy and strategic direction by the Angus Australia Board and staff. The data represents over 1,000 Australian beef producers, 406,000 head of beef cattle and 108 different breeds and their crosses. Given the known implications that poor temperament poses, to both individual bulls, and to the wider herd through its progeny – the importance producers give this trait is well placed. The benefits of good temperament (i.e. docility) are widely documented and acknowledged within industry. These include lower production costs, easy handling and reduced damage, injury and OH&S risk. Performance is also expected to be superior in environments such as feedlots, during situations such as trucking and result in better eating quality with decreased risk of dark cutting at slaughter. The long-term impact of temperament is realised though its moderate heritability as a trait, similar to yearling weight. With a bull’s substantial genetic influence on a herd – selecting for described docility genetics which enter the herd is therefore paramount. For Angus bulls, this is available as the Docility Estimated Breeding Value (EBV), which is produced from the Trans-Tasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE).
The Docility EBV is based on Docility scoring – collected through yard or crush assessment conducted at weaning. In the September 2020 TACE analysis, over 250,000 docility scores were analysed showing the importance placed on this trait by Angus bull breeders. Fortunately, docility has no known, strong antagonistic genetic relationship with other production or management traits. This means many bulls can be identified that have high Docility EBVs as well as meeting expectations of other breeding objective traits, such as calving ease, weight, fertility or carcase quality. For more information on temperament, docility scoring or the TACE Docility EBV, please visit the Angus Education Centre. Producers in all states listed temperament as the most important of bull selection criteria, except for those in South Australia which prioritised polledness and Northern Territory which valued BullCHECK, which on a national basis came in as second and third, respectively. For more insights derived from this survey, please visit the Australia Beef Breeder Insight report, available on the Angus Australia website, which provides a detailed summary of the survey findings.
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 21
Northern Focus
SPRING 2020 SEXED SEMEN SPECIALS 45
75
$
$
$
WARRAWEE PATROL P29 BW: +3.1 600D: +144 %IMF: +2.6
KENNYS CREEK PINNACLE P481 BW: +3.4 600D: +122 %IMF: +5.3
LAWSONS MOMENTOUS M518 BW: +4.1 600D: +124 %IMF: +5.0
FEMALE ONLY
MALE & FEMALE AVAILABLE
MALE & FEMALE AVAILABLE
75
80
$
$
MUSGRAVE CRACKERJACK BW: +2.1 600D: +126 %IMF: +0.6
QHF WWA BLACK ONYX BW: +1.1 600D: +144 %IMF: +1.2
MALE AVAILABLE
MALE & FEMALE AVAILABLE
75
$
80
MYERS FAIR-N-SQUARE BW: +3.9 600D: +133 %IMF: +1.2 FEMALE ONLY
75
$
$
$
70
PARINGA JUDD J5 BW: +2.5 600D: +122 %IMF: +3.3
CONNEALY COMMONWEALTH BW: +0.7 600D: +83 %IMF: +0.8
SS NIAGARA BW: +2.4 600D: +141 %IMF: +1.7
FEMALE AVAILABLE
FEMALE AVAILABLE
MALE & FEMALE AVAILABLE
Spring Specials - Order 10 straws save 10%, Order 20+ straws save 15%. Orders can be of an individual or multiple bulls
Freecall: 1800 039 047 22
75
www.genaust.com.au
Angus influences 48% of breeding females Jen Peart, Northern Development Officer
An independent survey has identified that Angus genetics have a significant impact in the Australian cattle population, with substantial penetrance into northern Australia. The results identified that approximately 5.6 million breeding females in the national beef herd are influenced by Angus genetics, accounting for 48% of the beef breeding population. Of these females, approximately 2.4 million are purebred Angus. Based on their influence, Angus was the most utilized breed genotype in all states except Queensland and the Northern Territory. The survey, conducted by an independent market research group, as part of a MLA Donor Company supported adoption project, was primarily focused on collecting baseline data on producer’s breeding preferences and genetic technology adoption. In addition, data captured from the survey was used to quantify the level of Angus penetration in the Australian beef industry. The data represents some 406,000 head, 108 different breeds and crosses. In commenting on the survey findings, Angus Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Parnell said “Whilst the survey had successfully provided essential baseline data to enable future evaluation of the impact of Angus Australia’s research and adoption initiatives, it also clearly showed that the influence Angus genetics was such that the benefits of these initiatives would have a very significant impact on a large segment of the Australia beef industry”. Penetration of Angus genetics in the Australian beef cattle herd was gauged several ways, including the number of head influenced by Angus genetics. For example, one pure bred cow and one F1 Angus cross heifer would equate to two head influenced by Angus genetics. Due to the sheer number of cattle in the state, the largest populations of Angus influenced females resided in Queensland (1.8 million head) – despite Angus being the third most utilised breed. However, in terms of herd proportion, Angus influence was most significant in South
Australia (78%), New South Wales (78%) and Victoria (77%). Bulls selected by producers were predominantly Angus (46%) and were mostly pure bred, with survey results indicating that 89% of respondents elect to use pure bred bulls. “An interesting result captured by the survey was the penetrance that Angus already had into northern Australia”, said Dr Parnell. “These results strongly demonstrated the interest in and influence of Angus genetics in northern Australia, and endorsed the importance of Angus Australia’s Northern Development Program being led by Jen Peart (Northern Development Officer) based in central Queensland”, he said. “The Northern Development Program will provide critical support for producers in the use of Angus and Angus cross genetics in Northern Australia, particularly in their adoption of best practice breeding principles to realise the full potential of Angus genetics in their production systems” Dr Parnell said. For further information on Angus Australia’s Northern Development Program contact Jen Peart on 0417 219 405, or go to the Angus website www.angusaustralia.com.au.
More Information
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Northern Focus
Turn-off and Tackling Ticks Jen Peart, Northern Development Officer
Tim and Megan Allen of ‘Argyle’, Mundubbera have been successfully running Angus cross cattle for more than 20 years.
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Parasites cost you money, they will knock the weight off your cattle and cost you production
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Their operation encompasses a breeding enterprise of approximately 1,300 breeders, run over three properties – “Cheltenham”, “Narayen” and “Williwin”, and a backgrounding and fattening enterprise on “Argyle”, under 300 acres of irrigation. Originally running a Brahman breeder herd, the Allens decided that they needed to cross-breed and trialled several breeds. However, they found that when they were finishing cattle on the irrigation that the Angus cross steers were outperforming their peers. “We noticed that the other crosses got left behind – the Angus were sold before anything else, they were maturing earlier and they had fat coverage” Tim explained, “they were meeting the criteria of what the market was demanding at that stage”. From this basis, Tim and Megan’s herd of 1,300 breeders is now approximately 70% Angus cross cows and has seen a shift from producing bullocks to now targeting a mixture of the feeder market and the domestic grass-fed market – with the majority of each year’s steer progeny being turned off before 18 months of age. Joining over a five-month period (October to March), the breeder herd is self-replacing, with heifers first joined at 18 months old. Replacement heifers are selected on temperament, udder structure, balanced confirmation and moderate frame. “We are to the point now where we are selecting lovely soft heifers. They are a little slicker than their pure Angus counterparts due to the Brahman influence, but it seems to be working, they are certainly performing” says Megan. On the back of what the Allens describe as a pretty bad season, pregnancy test results for 2020 were 89%. Empty heifers and cows are culled while re-breeders (second calf heifers) – pregnancy testing in calf at 70% on average – are given some leniency depending on the season and need for breeder numbers. Nutritional management has proved vital to maintaining the high PTIC and calving rates Tim and Megan are achieving
in their breeding herd. As a result, the Allens feed a protein and phosphorus lick pre-calving and have worked on establishing legumes such as fine stemmed Stylo, Cassia and Secca in pasture. The breeding herds are run as mixed age herds for a number of reasons, including mitigating dingo risk. As a result, birthing ease is a priority for the Allens – catering for maiden heifers and cows, alike. As such, low birth weight EBVs are prioritised in bull selection, second only to temperament. High 200-day growth weight EBVs and structural soundness are also considered critical while larger eye muscle area and positive rib and rump fat EBVs are also sought after. Come weaning (June), all calves are weaned from “Cheltenham”, “Narayen” and “Williwin” to “Argyle”, where 300 of 3,000 acres are under centre pivots, irrigating a high protein, winter dominant mix of rye grass and clover. The replacement heifers reach a top of 450kg at 16 months and are trucked back to the breeder herds to acclimatise and be joined in October. Meanwhile their cull counterparts are taken through to supply the Coles Graze program at around 2 years of age. Steers are backgrounded to sell directly into the heavy feeder market. Majority reach 400-500kg and the age of 18 months while those who overshoot the grid end up destined for the abattoir. Tim and Megan are EU and MSA accredited and are suppliers to both the Coles Graze and Teys Grasslands programs. “This variety of accreditations has made it very easy marketing weaner steers down south, should the need or opportunity arise. People ask me ‘Why Angus?’ and I say ‘cause I can sell them’” says Tim.
Location ‘Nerayen’, Mundubbera - 24,000 acres ‘Cheltenham’, Mundubbera - 16,000 acres ‘Williwin’, Mount Perry - 4,000 acres ‘Argyle’, Mundubbera - 3,000 acres Target market Heavy feeder market and domestic grass-fed market Annual Rainfall 660mm p.a.
“The market options with Angus have given us the ability to sell into any market because they are a desired item” adds Megan, “you can go sell them as stores, you can sell finished cattle – we have a variety of options, we can choose our markets and what direction we want to take them”. In terms of challenges, controlling the tick burden in a relatively high Angus content herd in the tick zone certainly comes to mind but Megan and Tim all but dismiss the idea. “Parasites cost you money, they will knock the weight off your cattle and cost you production and we are all about trying to get cattle as heavy as we can, as quickly as we can for sale. If you let the tick burden get away from you it costs you a lot of money and we can’t afford that. It is just a matter of keeping them clean and maintaining your tick regime, regardless of breed” says Tim.
Using a combination of dipping, chemical treatment, blooding and burning on some properties the Allens aim to give their cattle protection from tick fever while eroding the overall tick burden. Overall, the marketing options that utilising an Angus cross provides has been very much realised by Tim and Megan, with the combination of breeding and backgrounding/ finishing under irrigation well suited to capturing a number of target markets. Tim feels that by producing a desirable article that the market wants, it has made their enterprise more profitable. “Don’t go out to the market and say I am going to produce these cattle because that’s what I like – go and see what sells, and then breed a good article because you will be more profitable” says Tim.
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Northern Focus
Murrays’ Angus success Matt Sherrington, Queensland Country Life
The Murray family are receiving a premium for the predominantly purebred Angus article they’ve been producing for close to 25 years.
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We encourage people to build arelationship with the studs they purchase bulls from ...
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Julie Murray, her son Brad and daughter-in-law Leesa run the operation from Moorelands, 16km west of Roma, where young Jack and Geoff Murray are the seventh generation on-property. The family also own Trawalla, 65km southwest of Roma, which has been in the family since 1928, and Cremorne, acquired in 1995, 50km north-west of Roma. Leesa Murray said across the combined 5000ha operation Moorelands and Trawalla are strictly used for breeding purposes, while Trawalla is utilised for mature cows and the young cows and heifers being kept at Moorelands so they can monitor them more closely. “During dry seasons the breeding stock might be moved to Cremorne, but it’s predominately used as a backgrounding block for the steers we purchase. We prefer to background Angus but this is directed by the markets,” she said. The family also run a nursery, café and function area on Moorelands which started as a hobby but has grown into a business that allows them to diversify their income stream, which has proven crucial in drought years. The Murrays target the feedlot market with steers and cull heifers weighing 400kg to 500kg at milk and two-tooth age, and sell cull heifers, with the potential to breed, to the restocker sector, via private sale, saleyards or AuctionsPlus. Very occasionally when season and market pressures dictate they sell to the meatworks. “We receive good feedback and we have repeat buyers (privately and through feedlots). In the past we’ve been offered premiums as feedlot buyers recognise the proven performance of the article we produce.” The family produce pure Angus calves from the herd. “We always purchase quality Angus bulls from a reputable breeder and join them with our Angus cows. The resulting progeny have desirable growth and temperament qualities and often receive the top tier premium. “On occasion, when the season and market dictates we purchase Droughtmaster or other northern breed cross cows and join them with our Angus bulls. However, this is a short term solution to market or seasonal pressures.
“We find that the Angus genetics over a northern breed produces large framed, fast growing calves often fetch a second or third tier premium at feedlot.” It was close to a quarter of a century ago that the Murrays changed to an Angus herd. “We enjoy working with the even temperament of Angus cattle and find that the majority are excellent mothers. They have high yields and their weight gain and marbling are exceptional.” She said they’re currently running 576 head in total, including 355 mature cows, 206 heifers, weaned in 2019 and 2020, and 15 bulls. “The mature cow numbers are lower than usual as we culled old cows in preparation for the drought. Our heifer numbers are higher than usual as purchasing trading steers
The Murrays target the feedlot market with 400 to 500kg steers and cull heifers at milk and two-tooth age, and sell cull heifers, with the potential to breed, to the restocker sector, via private sale, saleyards or AuctionsPlus
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We enjoy working with the even temperament of Angus cattle and find that the majority are excellent mothers.
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is currently out right now. If conditions are right we’re hoping to start building our cow numbers again from this year by selecting keeper heifers with desirable physical traits and mothering abilities.” The Murrays put the bulls in the paddock from October to April, after which the bulls are rested at Moorelands and given supplementary feed if the conditions require it. “They’re vaccinated (3 day, lepto, clostridial disease), examined for physical health and fertility tested at the end of the rest period and then drafted by birthweight EBV to join with either heifers or mature cows. We also consider the temperament and relationships between the bulls when choosing companions for multiple-sire mating.” “We look for bulls with qualities in terms of growth and temperament and are well prepared for sale with great EBVs and physical characteristics.” The Murrays progeny are performing well and throwing calves with good weight gains and physical traits. “Our current weaners have had a difficult start to life due to the dry conditions but we’re looking forward to seeing the calves that will start dropping from next month. We’ll
be keeping some of the female progeny to restock after the dry conditions as the addition of genetic traits from the bulls to our herd will be of great benefit in the long-term.” “We encourage people to build a relationship with the studs they purchase bulls from as the owners and managers are an excellent source of information and can often provide insights into the breed and beef production. The bull breeders have worked with us since 2003 to help us build a profitable commercial Angus herd and they’re always happy to offer assistance and advice.” When making their purchases the Murrays place priority on birthweight as they have bulls with low and high birthweights to allow them to match bulls with heifers when necessary. “We also focus on IMF as this ensures that we’re sending a product to the feedlots that will produce quality marbled meat, and periodic weight gain indicators, as the faster we can get a steer to market weight the better. We pay attention to scrotal size as its a great indicator of fertility, and we always target bulls with healthy feet and legs, as even the most fertile bulls with the best EBVs are no good if they can’t walk.” In addition to building up their cow numbers again, if the season goes in their favour, the Murrays are also trying to replenish their fodder stores, which almost ran out at the start of the year. “We had excellent rain in late summer and we’re going into winter with bulk dry feed. If the wet winter eventuates and the market holds then we’ll be in a good position to these goals.”
“A small but outstanding range of sires available in Australia” Semen available from leading studs including Musgrave Angus - WMR Angus - Matauri Angus & more.... Genetic Choice Australia
0417 748 231
www.geneticchoice.com.au The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Commercial Supply Chain
? How do you really know it’s angus
ANGUS BRAND VERIFICATION The Angus Society of Australia Limited 28
Verified Black Angus Beef tops 2020 Royal Queensland Food & Wine Show Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer
It was triumph at the recent 2020 Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show for Verified Black Angus Beef brand, Angus Reserve.
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Our brand reputation is built on two strong foundations – quality and taste – so for the judges to award us the Champion MSA Graded Branded Beef of show is testament to that.
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NH Foods Australia took out champion MSA Branded Beef with their Angus Reserve product, in addition to a Gold Medal in the grain fed class. The cut in the spotlight during the lunchtime presentation, which took place Tuesday July 14 at the RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, was a whole striploin from a 150-day grain fed Angus animal. Judging for the event took place on July 6th and 7th. The win, which follows Angus Reserve being medallists in 2018 and 2019 and narrowly missing a win in 2016, was achieved with a total point score of 81 points. Winning this award is an excellent highlight for Angus Reserve, as the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Branded Beef competition calls for a showcase of the best beef in the country. Angus Reserve representative Mr Stephen Moy, Group Livestock Manager for NH Foods Australia, said that the win cements Angus Reserves’ reputation as a premium quality brand. “Our brand reputation is built on two strong foundations – quality and taste – so for the judges to award us the Champion MSA Graded Branded Beef of show is testament to that. “To become Australia’s largest Verified Black Angus Beef brand takes dedication, and with over 40 years’ experience in the local industry, consumers are very pleased with the consistency of our product which is achieved through the vertical integration of our feedlot (Whyalla Beef, Texas, QLD) and processing plant (Oakey Beef Exports, Oakey, QLD). “We source all our black Angus for the Angus Reserve brand from across the east coast of Australia, and we are
continually looking for additional suppliers to become part of this award-winning program.” Angus Reserve is independently verified by Angus Australia through the Angus Brand Verification Program. NH Foods Australia work closely with Angus Australia, as the representative of all Australian Angus farmers, to ensure integrity and truth in labelling and confidence for the consumers that their brand is verifiably ‘Angus’. Angus Australia Commercial Supply Chain Manager Liz Pearson congratulates Angus Reserve on their achievement. “It is excellent to see a Verified Black Angus beef brand achieve this result in such a prestigious competition, and we congratulate NH Foods Australia in their win with Angus Reserve.” “This win is a testament of the excellent eating quality of Angus beef, being showcased coming out on top against some of the best beef from around the country.” “We would encourage Angus breeders who are looking to become an integral part of the value chain of such a successful verified brand to contact NH Foods directly or through your preferred agent” Charles Green, Grant Coleman and Tony Fitzgerald from NH Foods Australia
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Commercial Supply Chain
Mackas Australian Black Angus Beef joins the Verified Black Angus Beef ranks Liz Pearson, Commercial Supply Chain Manager
Mackas Australian Black Angus Beef is the latest brand to join the suite of Verified Black Angus Beef brands.
A Independently verified by Angus Australia and solidifying their places in the domestic and global premium beef market as brands of superior quality and integrity, protecting the Angus breed now and into the future. The Mackenzie farming history started in 1884, when Robert’s grandfather and aunties started raising cattle in the Hunter Valley. Robert, a 4th generation farmer, is carrying on the legacy with his father Bruce and two sons James and Jack. The original brand created in 1884 greets visitors to all the Mackenzie properties and brandishes every Mackas Australian Black Angus Beef carton. Today, the Mackas legacy spans 15,000 acres across eight properties around Gloucester and Newcastle running 3000 Angus cattle and is still growing. The properties presentation from the front gate all the way to the back gate is of utmost importance to this impressive operation. Naturally, animal husbandry is delivered with very careful attention. The genetics focus of the team on the farms is producing exceptional results. The business is continuing to improve their excellent herd exponentially with the aim to build up the Angus breed. Currently in the Macka’s herd, bulls have been sourced predominately from the Hunter Valley region. The progeny are assessed based on their farm and feedlot performance and processer feedback. When selecting bulls Mackas look for structural soundness and doability while utilising selection tools such as EBVs, ensuring that desirable eating quality carcass traits are passed onto the progeny, and ultimately giving the customer the same quality every time. All Mackas breeding cattle are independently assessed with 400 of the best commercial females retained each year as replacement heifers. For many years Mackas sold cattle into saleyards exclusively. The family felt there were other opportunities and were 30
compelled to change their normal when marketing Mackas cattle. Mackas began backgrounding cattle alongside their own bred Angus and supplying cattle for sale via AuctionsPlus and directly to feedlots. Mackas has sold indirectly to major supermarket chains and other well recognised Australian retail outlets over recent years and is expanding rapidly. Robert began to feel a disconnection once the cattle had left the farm. He was left wondering where they would go and who would benefit from the family’s hard work and most importantly, would the industry value the beef at the level it deserved. So, the Mackenzie family changed their entire business model and strategy. In more recent years, Mackas have enter the premium beef export market, predominantly into China, supplying a true Paddock to Plate story with the Mackas brand. Mackas success in the beef export market has been a challenge, but by building a highly skilled and successful team, their capability to impact with significant improvements in their business, commercial acumen, marketing and expanded networks Mackas have pushed further into
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A: Bruce, Jack & Robert Mackenzie, B: Woko Station cows and calves at Gloucester, C: 5-7 year old Woko Station cows, D: Mackas Black Angus Jerky, E: Barrington Station weaners
B new export markets and have developed stronger relationships locally. Regarding export markets, Mackas sell predominantly into the foodservice industry with direct relationships with many chefs across several countries, taking advantage of the pride and prestige these chefs place on presenting the Mackas product to the world. Mackas has also stepping into the domestic value-added product space, utilising their secondary cut, Topside, for Mackas Australian Beef Jerky. Their jerky is hand trimmed to remove as much visible fat as possible then sliced and tumbled to coat with their select spices and flavouring. These steaks are racked and dehydrated in a temperature-controlled environment for 15 hours producing a tender piece of jerky bursting with flavour. Keep your eyes peeled for an exclusive offer for this outstanding product to come later this year. With many requesting Mackas Black Angus product, this a testament to its quality. Overall, it all comes together with drive, passion, and teamwork and the Mackas team has bucket loads!
Qualities like these are enhanced with extensive support from the MLA, NSW DPI, AusTrade, and Angus Australia just to name a few, ‘Without their support we would be years behind’ Robert Mackenzie says. Mackas Australian Black Angus Beef is Angus Australia’s latest Verified Black Angus Beef brand. This brand is HGP free with a minimum of 150-days on grain. The decision to become verified by Angus Australia was strongly supported by the entire Mackas team and customer base. The verification process is thorough and ensures Mackas brand exceeds industry standard. Mackas expresses their pride in placing the Verified Black Angus Beef logo side by side with their brand. ‘I am so proud of the consistent quality of our product after all the hard work our team have put in’ Robert says The brand has grown so much over the last 12 months thanks to the hard work and dedication of the whole team at Mackas and aligning our brand the premium status of Verified Black Angus Beef further promotes Mackas commitment to the Angus breed and delivering great Aussie Angus beef to the world.
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Around the Saleyards A: Kempsey Stock and Land agent Laurie Argue with Bruce Neils Angus steers that topped 526.20c/kg or $1289.19 at Kempsey NSW 27/08/20. Image: The Land, B: $3,550 for 47 Angus cows and calves, offered by Rocking W Pastoral Company Pty Ltd, Bathurst NSW. AuctionsPlus 4/09/20, C: Roslin Grazing Co, Mungallala Qld, sold 400 Angus and Angus cross steers to 443c/kg, reaching a top of $2048 to average $1804, Roma QLD 30/06/20. Brad Neven Watkins and Company Roma and client Ella Walker of Roslin Grazing Roma. Image QCL, D: Malcolm Dean, Springvale, Evandale, sold Angus steers, 371kg for $1531 or 412c/kg at Powranna, on Thursday. Powranna TAS 20/08/20. Image Stock & Land, E: Geoff Youl, St Kitts, Yambuck, sold Angus steers that made 500c/kg at Warrnambool or $1485 on weights of 297kg, Warrnambool VIC 28/08/20. Image stock and land, F: Hayden Lambert, Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson, with 18 Angus steers , 488kg, which made top dollars-per-head price of the day at $2030 or $4.16/kg sold for their client Invalock, Penola, Mt Gambier SA 11/09/20. Image: Stock Journal
NVDs – Accepted Breed Descriptions Liz Pearson, Commercial Supply Chain Manager
The National Vendor Declaration (NVD) is a key control point for the verification of any black Angus programs by Angus Australia. For cattle to be eligible and meet market requirements of beef supplied into any Verified Black Angus Beef program, their breed description and physical attributes must comply with all requirements of the Black Angus Cattle Assessment Guidelines.
BLACK ANGUS CATTLE ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES NVD Breed Description options Angus x Angus · AA x AA
Compliance with all below standards required Straight black and representing Angus phenotype Small amount of white underline (underline defined as no white visible from the front of the animal) No white legs and feet · No horns Scurs are acceptable, however they must not be fixed to the skull No bos indicus or dairy characteristics such as loose sheath, bos indicus ears or hump
Angus x Angus AA x AA
Example of ACCEPTABLE Breed Description
These brands are included in the Verified Black Angus Beef program and more information can be found on the Angus Australia website.
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Commercial Supply Chain
Wallings set with Angus Matt Sherrington, Queensland Country Life
The marketability of the Angus in combination with their consistency for use in crossbreeding programs has kept the Wallings family invested in the breed for more than 25 years.
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“We join from May to June to avoid the problems caused by summer calving, and again from early September through to the end of October as we like to get the calves on the ground in June and July when conditions are more favourable. “We pulled back from October to November as we found we were getting better results by joining earlier.” The Wallings are flexible with the markets they target with the article they generally turn off at 500kg or more.
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We had a 93pc fertility rate across the herd under drought conditions last year
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Andrew and Sandy Wallings, run their breeding operation under the banner of Wallings Pastoral Company, on Collaroy Station, situated between Cassilis and Merriwa, on the north-west end of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. The Wallings purchased the 5000ha property, which lies on undulating basalt soils, just over six years ago, after moving from the family farm in the Bylong Valley. All cattle are fattened on pasture, cereal crops and grain at Collaroy, though breeding activities are carried out there and on another 850ha family-owned block at Walcha in the New England high country. Mr Wallings said they’ve been using Angus bulls for more than 30 years and Angus cows, to varying degrees since the mid-1990’s. “We’ve been building up our Angus herd for 25 years, and since we introduced them we’ve never looked back. They’re a good overall package with excellent market acceptance,” he said. “Also, the Angus cow works well in pure and crossbreeding programs, whereas you can run into problems crossing other breeds.” Their breeding herd consists of close to 75 per cent pure Angus cows with the sum made up of Black Baldy and euro-cross cows. “We generally put Angus bulls over the euro-cross cows.” While the family are currently running a herd of 1200 breeders they’re aiming boost that number to 1300 to 1400 head with the addition of 200 autumn calvers over the next 12 to 18 months.
Your Christmas shopping is sorted with
Angus Merchandise “We focus on the supermarket trade, but depending on the season we’ll finish steers for the feedlots and the heavier export trade.” Mr Wallings said said when purchasing Angus bulls and heifers their key criteria are structure, high fertility, good carcase attributes, and excellent maternal traits in the females. “Tivoli purchased this bull as an embryo from Millah Murrah which was put into one of their recip cows. We joined him to our nucleus cows from which we breed our own bulls. He did a great job in that program.” To benchmark their operation the Wallings have been entering steers in the Merriwa Show Feedlot Trial. “We’ve never won anything but we’ve been happy with the results as our Angus steers often finish in the top 20pc for weight gain.” Mr Wallings said after receiving just 292mm of rain for in 2019, the rainfall this year has been excellent. “We’ve received 500mm to date. We had more rain in the first week of February than we received over all of last year. This has given us a good bulk of feed. The summer feed is starting to hay off a little bit but we’re going into Winter in a pretty good position.” He said overall the Angus game is pretty good if you have the right cattle. “We’re tracking along pretty well. We’re just making subtle changes to the program here and there. “We had a 93pc fertility rate across the herd under drought conditions last year. “We’ve been preg-testing and culling for fertility for more than 25 years, and through that process our results are starting to speak for themselves.”
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We’ve been building up our Angus herd for 25 years, and since we introduced them we’ve never looked back
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Commercial Supply Chain
Hawkesdale calves hit target for premiums in the saleyard Kylie Nicholls, The Land
Producing high quality Angus weaners is the focus for Victorian beef producers Peter and Gerard Ryan, with their calves in strong demand from local restockers and breeders. Originally running a dairy farm on their 305-hectare property at Hawkesdale in south-west Victoria, the Ryan brothers made a move into beef production about six years ago for ease of management. Currently running 260 Angus cows, the pair had always joined Angus bulls to their Friesian cows and sold the F1cross calves, so it was an easy decision to switch to a pure Angus herd due to the breed’s market premiums. And the change has paid dividends, with their drafts of Ryan Pastoral calves regularly topping the weaner category in the Western Victoria Livestock Exchange November store sale at Mortlake. Last year’s prices reached 359 cents a kilogram for their heifers and the steers hit 341c/kg, while in the past, their weaners have made more than 400c/kg. The Ryans were also very pleased to be awarded the best presented pen of steers at the 2019 sale. “We are very happy supplying the weaner market and it suits our operation. “It takes time to build up your herd in terms of genetics and quality, you can’t do it overnight. “We’re aiming to get as much weight and growth in our calves as we can by eight to 10 months of age and sell them at Mortlake each year.” With assistance from their Mortlake-based agent Glenn Judd, Southern Grampians Livestock, the brothers initially
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sourced quality lines of commercial heifers and cows from breeders at Naracoorte, SA, and locally from Warrnambool and Colac. “It was a big outlay at the start, you have to be careful what you are picking out when you are buying stock, but Glenn has put us on the right track. “The type of cows we look for have a moderate to large frame with length and a good carcase shape. “Structural soundness and good feet is also important.” The Ryans have been buying Angus bulls, with selection focused on structure, growth, temperament and calving ease. “During the last two years, with help from Glenn, we have been adjusting our estimated breeding values (EBVs) for growth,” they said. “We are now looking for bulls with figures of +80 for 200day weight, +100 for 400-day weight and 600-day weight up to about 130. “Birth weight and calving ease is important, we look for a moderate birth weight EBV between 5.5 to 6.5. “We want a large-framed well balanced bull that is structurally sound and walks well and if the figures match up to our visual appraisal, that’s the bull we will buy.” Cows are joined on April 25 for eight weeks to start calving from February 1 onwards. The Ryans like to use a high joining ratio of four bulls to 90 cows to maximise herd fertility.
The herd is pregnancy tested with current conception rates averaging about 95 per cent. Depending on the season, the cows will be supplemented with a small ration of pasture hay in the lead-up to joining and through calving. “The cows don’t receive any special management before they calve,” they said. “We are lucky as we have some heavier flats which stay green through the summer. “The cows also have access to artesian water which flows through the property so we don’t have to worry about supplying troughs to the flats.” The calves are all yard-weaned in early November about three weeks prior to the sale. They are supplemented with a mix of pasture hay and vetch hay for added protein and are handled extensively by the Ryans. “In the first year we started giving them vetch hay and it just finishes them off nicely in those last couple of weeks before they are sold. “We like to sell them all off then rather than hold onto them until the weaner sales in January for ease of management. “It also means the cows get a 10 week break before they start calving again.” All the cows receive their 5 in1 vaccination, drench, and are pregnancy tested and have their tail trimmed for hygiene at the same time.
The calves are split into their sexes and each sold in one main line with the steers averaging from 380kg up to more than 410kg while the heifers average from 345kg to 410kg. The weaners are keenly sought by repeat buyers including feedlots and local breeders and restockers. “We sell all the heifers and buy in our replacements which works better for us,” they said. “We have very few empties and culls, so we only need about 20 replacements each year. “It’s easier for us to go out and buy 20 heifers that are going to calve when we want them to, rather than try to grow our own out, it’s a much longer turnover.” The Ryans’ experience in dairy farming and pasture management has been a key factor in their success. “Our experience in growing grass for milk production has really helped, the better your pasture quality is, the better product you end up with in your weaners. “The cattle are rotationally grazed through the paddocks and the calves can take advantage of the spring pasture growth, and they really take off at that time of year.” Pastures comprise a mix of annual grasses including ryegrass and various clovers. Regular fertiliser applications are carried out with the pastures receiving 80kg per ha of urea in May and a hay booster fertiliser at 130kg/ha in the spring. About 600 to 700 bales of grass hay is produced each year, which is mainly fed out through the winter for roughage. The Ryans will also opportunity trade young cattle through the summer to make the most of any excess feed.
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Commercial Supply Chain
Boosting female quality with every generation at Ardcheil Ruth Schwager, The Land
Focusing on maternal traits is allowing NSW weaner producers Rob Toole and Amanda Harris to improve genetics in their breeders, while turning weaner steers off as early as possible.
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We need to make sure our cattle can calve, and we have a very low percentage of assisted calving
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The couple runs about 170 breeders at Ardcheil, near Gloucester, after shifting to Angus from Hereford cattle about 20 years ago to maximise marketing opportunities with weaners. Selecting bulls based on maternal traits of fertility and milk is particularly important as Mr Toole rebuilds his herd following four years of drought. “We’re looking for milk because we continue to raise our heifers as future breeders, and we hope to keep 70 per cent of the heifers to rebuild this year,” Mr Toole said. “We normally run 140 cows and calves and around 35 replacement heifers, and we’re retaining heifers every year to keep the herd predominantly young, with cows no more than eight years of age. Because I’m away from the farm so often we’ve tended to push for better fertility in our cattle.” Genetics plays a part, along with management. “We join the heifers for six weeks only and preg test, then sell the empties, which makes everything more efficient. Once they’ve had their first calf they’ll be with the rest of the herd for an eight-week joining period. “We run the operation that way to minimise the amount of time we’re mustering cattle. They’re in single-sire mobs of 35 cows, with one third joined on the June 1 and the rest joined on October 1, just to keep the options open for markets that may be available at different times of the year. All replacement heifers are yard weaned and trained through the crush. “To get to the feed they have to go through the crush which gives them a temperament check,” Mr Toole said. 38
B
“Those heifers then go on to the better feed that’s available on the property through joining and for the first six months of their pregnancy. “Then in the last few months they’re in a tighter paddock where they have to walk so as to reduce pelvic fat and prepare them for an easy calving. “We need to make sure our cattle can calve, and we have a very low percentage of assisted calving.” Focusing on maternal characteristics, along with semen testing every bull prior to joining, has helped with long-term fertility across the herd, Mr Toole said. “If you don’t police the measures of fertility and milk you’re letting your herd down, and I feel that semen testing is the safest form of insurance of fertility that I can get.
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A: Amanda Harris and farm manager Leo Dillon with Angus heifers at Ardcheil, Gloucester, B: high quality genetics: Rob Toole’s heifers. Mr Toole has been looking for maternal traits when selecting bulls.
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I think if you sell 10 good quality steers, what you get for those, is what you can afford to pay for a bull
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“If he’s going out with 35 cows, in today’s market, with what we’re getting for weaners, it makes the semen testing a pretty cheap insurance policy.” The pasture mix includes setaria, kikuyu, and haifa and strawberry clovers, and paspalum, with oats and ryegrass sown each year. “We bale pasture hay and for the paddocks we’ve stripped we’ll go back in with a light Roundup to retard the growth and direct drill into that chicory, oats and ryegrass,” Mr Toole said. “That gives us an opportunity to either feed heifers up or cell graze the cattle that might need better nutrition. “We rotate cattle every 10 days, seasons prevailing, so they’re going on to fresh feed all the time. Both steers and heifers are sold through the local Gloucester store sale, weighing from 230 to 250 kilograms, with many of the heifers going to local restockers.
“Farmers know I have a strict regime on the fertility with these heifers, so they’re buying them as breeders, and having them used to going in a new paddock every 10 days helps them when they go to a new property.” “I’ve been happy with prices through the saleyards, and I use the steer weaner market as a guide on what I need to pay for my bulls. “I think if you sell 10 good quality steers, what you get for those, is what you can afford to pay for a bull.”
REILAND ANGUS Reiland Plymouth P960 - Semen Available July 2020 TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation
Calving Ease
EBV Acc Perc
EBV Acc Perc
EBV Acc Perc
Calving Ease Calving Ease Dir Dtrs
Gest. Length
+4.6 +2.5 52% 59% 52 34 Fertility
Days to Calving
-8.3 42% 4
-8.5 67% 5 Temp
Scrotal Size
+2.5 73% 22
Birth Wt
+2.1 75% 9 Feed
200 Day Growth
400 Day Weight
+52 70% 25
+92 71% 27
Docility
NFI-F
Carcase
EMA
-
+0.50 58% 88
+77 65% 10
+8.4 64% 11
Structural
FA
FC
RA
RH
RS
-
-
-
-
-
Angus Breeding
$158 2
Growth
600 Day Weight
Mat. Cow Weight
+93 66% 58
+119 73% 34 Carcase
Rib Fat
Rump Fat
+0.5 +0.5 68% 65% 28 23 Selection Index Domestic
$132 3
Milk
+23 61% 8
RBY
IMF
-0.2 66% 79
+4.1 64% 2
Heavy Grain
$186 2
Heavy Grass
$142 3
Traits Observed: BWT,200WT,400WT,600WT,SC,Scan(EMA,Rib,Rump,IMF),Genomics Statistics: Number of Herds: 0 Prog Analysed: 0
Top priced sire at autumn sale $28,000. An impressive, positive calving ease Lotto son. Phenotypically appealing, versatile bull for use on heifers or cows. Pedigree stacked with carcase and maternal excellence. A real time Angus breed improver with top 8% in birthweight and days to calving whilst holding top 2% IMF and gestation length.
NLR P960 - REILAND PLYMOUTH P960 SV Sire: ESSLEMONT LOTTO L3 PV
MARK LUCAS 0428 693 585
Dam: REILAND LOWEN M407 #
Breedleader for all indexes. Limited semen available for 2020
www.reilandangus.com.au
SAM LUCAS 0402 450 686
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Advertorial
Your one-stop shop for all stockfeed needs and advice McKenzie Ag Services
McKenzie Ag Services launches off more than 20 years of experience to provide incredible advice and feed.
For all your supplementary feed requirements, McKenzie Ag Services is the place to go. After twenty years involvement in ruminant nutrition, ration formulation, grain/fodder trading and intensive Beef and Lamb production, Lachlan McKenzie and his wife Maryanne launched McKenzie Ag Services in 2017.
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Their combined knowledge of the grains industry and intensive livestock production is hard to come by.
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Simon O’Donnell – Wingara Cattle
Australian Test Cricketer, media personality and now beef producer Simon O’Donnell says he now relies on McKenzie Ag Services for feedlot business advice, in addition to them supplying his feed and formulating his rations. “Their combined knowledge of the grains industry and intensive livestock production is hard to come by,” Simon comments. Simon O’Donnell – Wingara Cattle Lachlan McKenzie has grazing properties near Ballarat and Hamilton, western Victoria. Both properties operate under an intensive grazing system with high inputs. The cow herd and ewe flock are fed in confinement each autumn to allow optimum pasture growth before winter grazing, livestock are fed to meet optimum joining weights and lambs and calves are finished on grain for specific markets. This ‘hands on’ experience, combined with a career in ruminant nutrition, has resulted in Lachlan having a comprehensive and practical understanding of what it takes to run a sustainable and profitable intensive feeding system enterprise. “McKenzie Ag Services supply all our supplementary feed requirements for our stud stock as well as our commercial operation,” Kelly Angus’s Pat Joyce says. 40
“The nutritional advice we receive is extremely helpful and we couldn’t be happier with the feed quality. “When it comes to feeding livestock, the products and services from McKenzie Ag come with our highest recommendation.” Pat Joyce – Kelly Angus McKenzie Ag Services offer competitively priced, and reliable, supplies of various feeds. They can create customised grain and pellet mixes so you can achieve your desired outcome and get the exact feed you need, or you can use one of their pre-mixed feeds such as Beef Finisher Mix, or their Lamb Finisher Pellets. High-quality protein supplements are also available in the form of Canola Meal and Soybean Meal – McKenzie Ag Services have been known to supply these to many beef, lamb, pork and dairy producers around Australia. If these protein supplements aren’t your style, there are also legumes and legume meals available such as Bean Kibble and Pea Pollard. Traditional cereal grains can be delivered in semi-trailer loads or B-Double loads, with a blower system available so the feed can be unloaded directly into your silos, and are offered either on a spot basis or via a fixed-supply contract.
McKenzie Ag Services can even deliver hay and straw anywhere across Australia with their own drop deck B-Double hay trailers – including lucerne, vetch, oaten, wheat/barley, clover, and pasture hays, and barley straw and wheat straw. Complemented by their comprehensive feed supplies is McKenzie Ag Services’ expert ration formulation and advice on feedlot design, infrastructure requirements, feedlot health and livestock trading. In addition to the ration formulation and delivery services already mentioned, Lachlan utilises his own extensive experience and testing with feeding to provide key advice and assistance. McKenzie Ag Services can help you decide on the right feeding system for finishing livestock – taking into account budget, infrastructure, time, and projected financial result. “When the feed price, livestock purchase price and sales price is locked in, the only variable is the growth rates/ performance from the feeding program,” Lachlan says. “Our system enables you to finish livestock with confidence of the financial result prior to the program commencing, and with very little capital outlay or workload.”
You can ship your cattle off to McKenzie Ag Services for them to finish for you, or there are many options to increase your own feeding infrastructure. “Correct stocking rate, bunk/feeder and water trough placement, fencing, laneways, weighing and scanning systems etc are critical for any feeding system, regardless of size,” Lachlan says. He tried Bale Up Feeders after years of struggling with other infrastructure for feeding and was so impressed that he contacted the manufacturer to become an official distributor of the product. “Bale Up Feeders have the capacity for three bales,” Lachlan explains. “The bales sit inside a cradle which is mounted above a corrugated iron dome-shaped floor, which enables rainfall to infiltrate through the hay and then drain off. “This, in conjunction with the surrounding sheet metal wall, ensures that hay does not spoil, is not pulled from the feeder and spread around the paddock, and results in very little waste.” McKenzie Ag Services also works closely with other self-feeder manufacturers, so you know you’ll get the best possible design for whatever your feeding application is – from low volume limit-lick feeders to bulk ad-lib commodity feeders. JBS southern livestock manager Steve Chapman says McKenzie Ag are a critical component of the operations at Yambinya Station. “Their assistance with ration formulation, feed budgeting, grain and fodder inventory control and supply contracts are critical to our business,” Steve says. “We rely on McKenzie Ag to provide the most appropriate rations for our beef and lamb feedlots at Yambinya Station, as well as assisting many of our farm assurance and great southern producers. “McKenzie Ag comes with my highest recommendation.” Steve Chapman – JBS Australia Contact McKenzie Ag Services today by emailing admin@ mckenzieag.com.au or visit their website mckenzieag. com.au The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Angus & Angus influenced cattle prove market versatility Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager
Angus and Angus influenced cattle have once again demonstrated their market demand and versatility with a dominant performance in the 2020 RNA Paddock to Palate competition. The three-phased competition, comprising best aggregate weight gain, carcase competition and an MSA eating quality competition, provides producers with the opportunity to benchmark their cattle against the best of the best in a commercially relevant environment. The success of Angus and Angus influenced cattle in this competition goes to prove why Angus cattle are Australia’s cattle and why commercial breeders across the country are snapping up Angus genetics for their breeding programs.
Class 37 – 100 Day HGP Grainfed Export OVERALL PEN OF 6
Champion: Palgrove Pastoral Co P/L, Angus influenced Reserve Champion: MacIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT GAIN
Class 38 – 70 Day HGP Trade Class OVERALL PEN OF 6 Champion: Russell Pastoral Company, Angus Cross
WEIGHT GAIN PEN OF 6 2nd: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT GAIN 1st: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
EATING QUALITY 1st: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus 2nd: Burenda Holdings Pty Ltd, Angus & Angus Influenced 3rd : McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL INDEX SCORE 1st: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
Palgrove Pastoral Co P/L, Angus influenced
CARCASE PEN OF 6
1st: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus 2nd: Palgrove Pastoral Co P/L, Angus influenced
CARCASE INDIVIDUAL
Reserve Champion: Palgrove Pastoral Co P/L, Angus influenced
EATING QUALITY
Class 40 – 100 Day HGP Free Grainfed CARCASE PEN OF 6 2nd: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus 3rd: Minnamurra Pastoral Co, Angus influenced
CARCASE INDIVIDUAL Champion: Minnamurra Pastoral Co, Angus influenced
1st: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus 2nd: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
EATING QUALITY 2nd : McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus 3rd: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL INDEX SCORE
1st: McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus
A B
C
A: Class 37B overall winners: Ben Noller, Palgrove Pastoral Company, Mary and Hamish McIntyre, McIntyre Agriculture, and Steve Carswell, JBS, B: McIntyre Agriculture had success across all section of the competition with Angus cattle. Pictured are, McIntyre Agriculture’s Mary McIntyre, Simon Maller, Hamish McIntyre and Simon Lakin, Elanco C: An Angus steer from McIntyre Agriculture 42
Angus – for grain or grass Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager
There was success for Angus and Angus cross cattle in both the Grassfed and newly introduced Grainfed section of the Southern Carcase Classic, run in South Australia. Robe, SA producers David and Penny Bayly, Stonehut Pastoral, entered two pens of Angus cross steers in the Grassfed section, with one of their animals taking out the Southern Grassfed Carcase Classic grand champion carcase from nearly 1350 head. The 352.4kg carcase scored 90.92 points from a possible 100 for market specifications, saleable meat yield and eating quality, excelling with an eye muscle area of 106sqcm and 8mm of rib fat. Victorian Angus breeders Annette and Harold Cocking, saw success in the Grainfed section, with their four teams finishing in the top five overall and a team of Angus taking out Champion team and best team for feedlot performance. The Cockings’ cattle put on more than two kilograms a day compared to the average daily weight gain of the 18 teams over the 100 day feeding period which was less than 1.5kg/day.
Above: Annette and Harold Cocking, Euroa,Vic, were the inaugural winners of the champion grainfed team with some AI-bred Angus steers. Below: Penny and David Bayly, Stonehut Pastoral being presented with their award by Ben Glatz. Images: Stock Journal.
Results:
Southern Grassfed Carcase Classic 1st Class 3 – Angus, exhibited by Stonehut Pastoral Grand Champion Carcase– Angus x Hereford, exhibited by Stonehut Pastoral Southern Grainfed Carcase Classic Champion Team and Best team for feedlot performance Angus, exhibited by H & A Cocking Nom Pty Best team for Carcase quality – Angus, exhibited by HL Robertson
Angus for eating quality With the cancellation of the 2020 Royal Adelaide Show, the on hook competition for steers still went ahead with Angus claiming awards in the RA&HS’s steer carcase competition The Faith Lutheran School, Tanunda, had an impressive day out, winning champion eating quality carcase overall, as well as receiving the reserve champion export carcase, for an Angus steer bred by John and Caroline Hassing, Carrical Angus, Flaxman Valley, which received a total score of 87.83.
Faith Lutheran College year 7 student Patrick Stewart, agricultural assistant Jason Stewart, Caroline and John Hassing, Carrical Angus, Flaxman Valley, Faith Lutheran College agricultural coordinator Bob Mitchell, and agricultural teacher Craig Moore, with the champion eating quality carcase broadribbon. Image: Stock Journal The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020 | 43
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C
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E
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Out & About A: Bill Greenhill, Albury, Don Star, Bungowannah and Ian Peake, The Glen Angus at the Ardrossan Angus Sale. Image: The Land, B: La Carne Premium Butchery in Abu Dhabi, UAE promoting the Verified Black Angus Beef program highlighting the real marketplace value of Angus Australia’s Brand Verification, C: Rob Tindall and Hugh Kraefft, Tivoli Angus, Merriwa with James and Jack Laurie, Knowla Livestock at the Rennylea Angus Sale. Image: The Land, D: Annie Pumpa and Bill Cornell from ABS Australia with Angus Australia’s Breed Development Officer Matt Reynolds and CEO Peter Parnell during a visit to the Angus Australia office, E: Margaret Jones, Inverell, Adelie Botes, Kingston Angus, Inverell, and Judi Earl, Coolatai, at the Texas Angus sale. Image: The Land, F: Dick Whale of Independent Breeding & Marketing Services with Scott Guest, Delungra, at the Clunie Range Angus Sale. Image: The Land. 44
Where are they now? Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer
Featured in this edition of “Where are they Now” is John Sundermann.
John Sundermann What is your earliest memory participating in Angus Youth activities? When I first came home from school to work on the farm there was very little in the way of Angus Youth activities, the first one I came across was at Leongatha. They ran an Angus Feature Show and at the conclusion of the show they had a junior judging competition, which I happened to win, I was probably the only entry. However, this did get me interested in judging cattle but there really was no avenues to gain more knowledge, only what you learnt from talking to other breeders. It was not that long after this that the Angus Society Board and the National Show and Sale Committee decided to offer a scholarship to the University of Illinois for the winner of the National Judging Competition. These forward looking members had wondered that as we continued to use overseas judges that could place cattle well, entertain the audience and explain their decisions to onlookers so that all could understand these decisions, why couldn’t we have Australian judges do the same. Each State was to run a field day and judging competition with the winner and runner-up to represent their state at the National Show and Sale. The Victorian day was held at Harry and Rob Williams Victoree Stud at Benalla. Graeme Collins and I were lucky enough to be selected to represent Victoria. What activity/event stands out to you the most (eg Roundup, leadership clinic, scholarships etc)? I think the first judging competition was probably a bit over whelming for everyone as no one had really been in any competitions like this before. We were taken out to the Scott family’s farm at Henty and given paper and pen to describe and place the pens of bulls, cows and heifers the Scott family had yarded for us. Don Currie, who was the judge at the National Show that year, also did the Judging Competition. He came around and talked to us all separately and you had to give him your opinion on the animals you were looking at. The next day at the conclusion of the national judging he had selected four contestants to judge four bulls in the ring at the Wodonga Showgrounds. I must have got some of the placings right because he chose me as the winner and I was off to Illinois. It was one of the great days I had with Angus cattle as we had exhibited the champion bull at the Show and Sale, and I had a lot of fond thoughts for Don Currie after that. In terms of opportunities that you received for being part of Angus Youth, how did your involvement positively influence your development in the beef cattle industry? The time at the University was fantastic as anyone who has done it will tell you, and when I came home there were endless opportunities to judge, talk at field days and meet with groups to try and impart some of what I had learned. Over the next few years I had judged at six Royal Shows,
many local shows, Dalgety Beef Herd of the Year many times, and spoke at numerous field days. Winning of the scholarship gave me many opportunities to be involved in experiences that otherwise I would not have had a chance of doing. What were the key learnings you developed through these experiences? One of the main things I have learnt from going into these competitions is that the experience will help you right throughout your life. It will help you explain yourself so people can understand what you mean, it will give you confidence that you can undertake any activity and be successful, and above all it showed me not to be frightened to have a go and have confidence in your ability. It also instilled me with resilience as you can’t win all the time and you have to have the ability to take things as they come. In the last few years with the drought this has come in more than handy. How are you involved in the beef cattle industry now/ where are you now? My brother and I still run the Pinora Angus Stud at Heyfield in Victoria, which the family have run for over 60 years. We also run a dairy farm and a Poll Dorset sheep stud, so we are occupied. I was lucky that my father was so involved with the Angus Society that it came naturally to me to want to be involved and help the breed. I steward in the Angus section at the Royal Melbourne Show and I am currently the Chair of the Victorian State Committee, which due to the dreaded virus has been an easy task. Why would you encourage others to become involved in the Angus Youth Program? I would encourage anyone to become involved in the Angus Youth Program, it is much better and improved from when I first started. The opportunities they provide can be life changing, a trip to America, a trip to New Zealand, meeting new people who will become lifelong friends or opening up new business opportunities. The reasons to become involved are endless, why would you not want to be part of it. The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Angus Youth
Get competitive stud stock rates Find out why more farmers are choosing Achmea A critical part of risk management can be taking out adequate stud stock insurance to cover loss of use, which can come from accidental causes, sickness, disease, mortality or transporting the bull home from the sale. Along with tailored farm insurance, Achmea offers Stud Stock insurance, designed to protect the stud bull from the moment the hammer falls. With our Stud Stock insurance cover, you
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decide what you need, when you need it and how you need it. And for each option, you decide whether you need 3, 6 or 12 months coverage, giving you greater control over what you need. You can contact us on 1800 724 214 or email angus@achmea.com.au To find out more about our competitive rates for stud stock insurance and our All-in-One Farm Pack, call us now on 1800 724 214 or email angus@achmea.com.au
Insurance issued by Achmea Schadeverzekeringen N.V. ABN 86 158 237 702 AFSL 433984. The information in this advertisement or article is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs (your personal circumstances). Before using this information to decide whether to purchase the insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances and the relevant Policy Wording available from the ‘Downloads’ section of our website www.achmea.com.au
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Advertorial
Achmea’s contribution to Landfall bull sale adds to buyer confidence Achmea Australia
Despite the global pandemic playing havoc with their autumn bull sale, Landfall Angus Stud in Tasmania achieved their highest average ever.
Frank Archer (left) is pictured with Tasmania Farm Insurance Specialist Peter Wilkinson
The turnout to Landfall’s autumn bull sale, held on 23 March 2020, was significantly reduced due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and speaking as part of Achmea’s Keeping Farmers Farming series, Stud Co-Principal Frank Archer was concerned it would impact the result. “Several clients were unable to attend to attend the property sale in March and unfortunately, they will also be unable to attend the spring sale. “On the flip side however, the positive outcome of COVID-19 is that it has further strengthened the relationships with our clients as we have had to further assist them in selecting bulls for their breeding programs when they are unable to attend sale day,” Frank said. The Archer family have been farming their property on the northern outskirts of Launceston since 1876 and established the Landfall Angus Stud in 1948, with the purchase of 12 cows from the mainland which were shipped to the family’s farm in Tasmania. Frank and his brother Ed along with other members of the family are fifth generation farmers and have grown the stud significantly during their tenure, they run 2200 stud cows and hold biannual bull sales, through which they offer more than 300 Landfall sires annually. Landfall’s March sale offered a catalogue of 154 bulls and despite their concerns over reduced on-property attendance, the stud sold 152 bulls to an average of $9,243 and a top of $33,000. Frank said their outstanding results were due to a combination of factors, including having an online auction platform through AuctionsPlus* to allow the remote purchase of their sires.
Of the 152 bulls sold, 64 were purchased through AuctionsPlus, and 138 bulls were bid on by 42 online buyers. To put that in perspective, Frank said in normal circumstances, AuctionsPlus would see less than 10 per cent of the stud’s total purchases. He believes a strong cattle market was also a factor in their sale success, with confidence still relatively strong in the early stages of the pandemic. Landfall is a client of Achmea and the specialist farm insurer also has a multi-year strategic alliance with Angus Australia. It is a relationship Frank is grateful for and he said Achmea’s contribution to the stud’s bull sale added to buyer confidence. “I cannot put a dollar value on the service that Achmea has provided Landfall for the sale, it instilled even more confidence in buyers knowing that the bulls will be covered for three months at the fall of the hammer. “The support by Achmea helps provide Landfall and our clients another way to improve a beef breeding enterprise’s bottom line. “Unprecedented times or not, adequate insurance is important to any business and their activities but having an insurance cover on a young bull when he is going to work for the first time is particularly important. “I look forward to working with Achmea in the future,” Frank said. Achmea has launched the Keeping Farmers Farming series to share important risk management strategies, stories from farmers and insurance insights to help protect the livelihoods and business continuity of farmers around the country.
*AuctionsPlus was the service used by Landfall and is not affiliated nor endorsed by Achmea.
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it! Performance recording is an important component of your breeding enterprise, as it is a critical step in order to improve any trait. Furthermore, it’s very important for variation and contemporary group information to be included for the calculation of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs). For Angus producers, there are a number of traits that are heavily weighted in terms of their importance within their seedstock and commercial operations. However, Angus Australia has observed that levels of performance recording for docility, mature cow weight and structural soundness do not reflect the importance that is placed on these traits in modern breeding programs.
In response to this Angus Australia has compiled a series of informative resources that assist our members in firstly, collecting these important traits, but also additionally provides some literature regarding common performance recording problems and how to utilise management groups on farm.
Don’t forget, if you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it! Collecting Docility
Docility is an important trait and this significance was highlighted in a recent survey of over 1200 beef producers across Australia, which found temperament was the most important trait when selecting a bull. For seedstock producers’ temperament is of particular importance due to the significant impact it has on the profitability of their clients’ operations. Importantly temperament is highly heritable and lacks any known antagonistic genetic relationships, meaning we can make improvements in temperament without impacting negatively on other traits within the breeding objective.
Collecting Mature Cow Weight
Mature cow weight has been a topical trait in 2020 and whether your breeding program aims to increase, decrease or remain constant the genetic merit of to the herd for the trait, the critical practice remains the same. We need to be recording mature cow weights, as it is only with the accurate description of the trait that we as breeders can make the selection and breeding decisions which will ultimately drive the direction of the breed.
Collecting Structural Scores
Structure can be an important component of a breeding program, with structural scores accepted for animals less than 750 days of age, for inclusion in TACE, or mature females as part of recent work into Research Breeding Values (RBVs). The ability to collect structural scores means breeders are able to benefit from the information, because it is only once we measure it, can we improve it.
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Common Performance Recording Problems
The term “rubbish in – rubbish out” is often used when discussing the requirements of performance recording with the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE). In other words, the reliability of the EBVs are produced for the animals in a seedstock herd is a direct reflection of the reliability (or quality) of the information that is submitted to Angus Australia. In reality however, the majority of performance quality problems are caused by the submission of performance information that is simply of limited use for genetic evaluation.
Understanding Management Groups
Whilst the actual performance record the animal receives (e.g. birth weight of 30kg) is important, a critical piece of information for the accurate calculation of estimated breeding values (EBVs) is management group information. This is because the management group information will allow the contexting of the animals performance. The underlying principle of managements groups is that only animals that have equal opportunity to perform are directly compared together. It is only when animals can be directly compared on an even playing field that we can accurately account for non-genetic factors and calculate the genetic merit of the animal Angus Australia encourages members to utilise the Angus Education Centre if they would like additional support resources to assist them in collecting traits on farm. Furthermore, the Education Centre has a number of modules covering different subjects, which work to assist our members with strategies and tools that will help them explore world leading genetic evaluation technologies to enhance the value and profitability of their cattle throughout the beef supply chain.
TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation Analysis Dates The upcoming submission deadlines for inclusion of performance data in TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation analyses are as follows.
Submission Deadlines for TACE Analysis
Submission Deadline
Results Available (Indicative)
Mid October
October 1
October 16
November
October 15
October 31
Mid November
November 1
November 16
December
November 12
November 30
Mid December
November 25
December 11
January
December 9
December 24
Mid January
January 1
January 15
February
January 15
January 31
Mid February
February 1
February 15
March
February 15
February 28
Mid March
March 1
March 15
April
March 15
March 31
Angus Australia members participating in the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation are encouraged to make sure that all of their registration details, DNA and performance
data is submitted well ahead of the submission deadlines to guarantee that updated EBVs are available when they are needed. The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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TACE
Introducing Angus DataCHECK Angus Australia was pleased to announce the availability of Angus DataCHECK in August. Angus DataCHECK is a new service that enables Angus Australia members to review the completeness of the pedigree, performance and genomic information that is included in the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE) for animals within their seedstock enterprise. Angus DataCHECK is available initially to each member participating in TACE as a pdf report, with reports being updated after each bi-monthly analysis and made available for download from Angus ONLINE. In time, it is envisaged that Angus DataCHECK will be delivered via a more modern, interactive online portal. The new Angus DataCHECK reports replace the “Completeness of Performance” reports previously supplied, with statistics summarising the pedigree, weight, carcase, birth, fertility, docility and structural soundness information that has been recorded. Of particular note is the inclusion of new information summarising the genomic testing that has been conducted for animals, along with reports summarising the performance measurements that have been collected for newer traits such as mature cow body condition and height.
Angus DataCHECK complements the results routinely published from the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation, with the following reports now being made available to each member after each bi-monthly analysis: · Herd EBV Report · Genetic Benchmarking Report · Exclusions Report · Angus DataCHECK Report · EBV_EXTENDED csv file Should you have any questions, or wish to provide feedback regarding Angus DataCHECK, please contact Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager, on (02) 6773 4618 or andrew@angusaustralia.com.au.
Breeding Better Breeders – Updated Sire RBVs Now Available Updated Research Breeding Values for Mature Cow Body Condition and Mature Cow Height for sires were published in the August 2020 TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation. The updated RBVs can be downloaded from the “Research” menu on the Angus Australia website. By comparison to the RBVs last published in November 2019, the updated RBVs include a considerably increased number of performance measurements, with 29,454 body condition scores and 11,044 hip height measurements now analysed respectively. A number of improvements have also been made to the analytical software that is used to calculate the RBVs, including the capability to include a greater number of measurements for each individual female, and the publication of percentile band values for each RBV. The calculation of RBVs for Mature Cow Body Condition (MBC) and Mature Cow Height (MCH) is part of a partnership between Angus Australia and the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England (UNE) to undertake research into the genetics of traits related to the productivity and profitability of the female breeding herd. 50
The development of RBVs for mature height and body condition complements the existing Mature Cow Weight and Milk EBV that are published routinely for Angus animals in the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation, providing a more complete genetic description of Angus animals for the traits that are associated with differences in cow maintenance requirements. With updated sire RBVs now available, development is nearing completion that will enable Angus Australia members to view and download MBC and MCH RBVs for their animals on the Angus Database Search. Further announcements are expected shortly about this. Should you have any questions, or wish to provide feedback regarding the updated Research Breeding Values for Mature Cow Body Condition and Mature Cow Height, please contact Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager, on (02) 6773 4618 or andrew@ angusaustralia.com.au.
Third times a charm… 3rd annual Spring Bull Night Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer
The Angus Australia Spring Bull Night once again took place on Wednesday, August 19, with great success.
View online here
With presentations from Semex Australia, ABS Australia, Agri-Gene, Genetics Australia, Breeders Genetics, Texas Angus and World Wide Sires, the event showcased the latest Angus AI sire line-ups from each of the organisations. A number of sires from Australia and around the world were showcased in the presentations, giving producers a look forward to some of their options when it comes to their Spring AI joining period. For those who presented, the event provided the excellent opportunity to reach and supply information to their clients prior to the beginning of Spring joining, with Jack Laurie from Breeder Genetics explaining that the event was an excellent way to reach his current and potential cliental. “It was a no brainer to once again take part in the 2020 Angus Spring Bull Night,” Mr Laurie said. “The event provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase what Breeder Genetics has to offer the beef industry. It is such a great way to connect with domestic and international clients.”
Mr Semmens agreed that the opportunity to reach clients in these times is of great benefit to both company and consumer. “The Angus Australia Spring Bull Night gives us the opportunity to present our sires to the Angus Australia membership right across Australia all on the one night reaching a number of customers who are in remote areas,” said Mr Semmens. “In 2020 with COVID-19 travel restrictions making it difficult for us to get out and visit customers, the Spring Bull Night gave us the opportunity to partner with Angus Australia to present our team of Angus sires that are available for Spring 2020.” Angus Australia Breed Development Officer Matt Reynolds said the 2020 Spring Bull Night gave breeders a chance to look at the latest AI sire offerings from the comfort of their own homes. “This is the third year we have run the Spring Bull Night, and I would like to thank all those who participated in the event, the organisations involved, and to those who tuned in.”
In agreeance with this was Nigel Semmens representing Genetics Australia, who said the following. “Genetics Australia presented at the inaugural Angus Australia Spring Bull Night and have proudly participated in the event every year. Genetics Australia see this as a great opportunity to showcase the team of Angus sires, we have available to a targeted audience of enthusiastic Angus breeders.” “You only have to look at the ARCBA statistics for beef breed registrations to see that Australian Angus breeders are the most progressive beef producers in Australia by utilising Artificial Insemination & Embryo Transfers to increase the genetics gain and profitability of their herds using leading Australian and imported Angus sires.” The event lent to support those currently isolated due to restrictions posed around the country in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“An important aspect of the Spring Bull Night is being able to facilitate a service and opportunity for Angus Australia members and Angus producers to be able to have access to detailed insight into sire line-ups whilst not being necessarily able to directly access the organisations who featured in the event.” “Now more than ever, due to the circumstances of COVID-19, the ability to access events like the Spring Bull Night online and from your own homes is definitely important and it was great to see such success with the event,” said Mr Reynolds. “We hope viewers were able to utilise the information provided to make informed selection decisions in the lead up to their Spring AI joining.” With over 1,600 views at the time of print, the 2020 Spring Bull Night is available to watch in full via the Angus Australia YouTube page.
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Education
Genetic Variation – Can I capitalise on it? Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer
A recent study undertaken by Angus Australia, with the assistance of funding from the Meat & Livestock Australia Donor Company, has reinforced that there is a significant amount of genetic variation between animals within the Angus population and this variation presents a lot of opportunity to improve the productivity of Angus beef enterprises by utilising better genetics. Birth Weight
Gestation Days To 200 Day 400 Day 600 Day Net Feed Length Calving Weight Weight Weight Intake
Carcase Carcase Weight EMA
Carcase IMF
Carcase Carcase MSA MSA MSA Rib Fat Rump Fat Index Marbling Ossification
HIGHEST 5 SIRES
4.4 5.0 25 19.9 30.6 52.3 1.51 46.4 9.4 3.8 5.6 6.8 2.2 147.1 17.5 kgs days days kgs kgs
kgs
kg/ day kgs
cm2
%
mm
mm
-
-
-
LOWEST 5 SIRES The study examined the performance of progeny produced as part of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Programs (ASBP) in cohorts 5, 6 and 7, and compared the average progeny performance of sires with highest performance for the trait compared to the average of the five sires with the lowest progeny performance. By comparing these two averages enables an understanding to be reached of the potential improvement that could be made in the trait by selecting animals with superior genetics.
It is all genetic
The differences identified in the study account for the non-genetic factors which affect the progeny’s performance, with the differences presented reflecting the differences in the progeny performance that can be attributed to differences in genetics. The differences identified in the study therefore reinforce the significant opportunity breeders have to make improvement across key traits with their selection decisions. Considerable potential to improve calving ease and fertility The study identified a 4.4 kg difference in the average birth weight between the sires with the heaviest performing progeny and the lowest performing, gestation length was 5 days shorter and the days to calving was 25 days earlier between the highest and lowest progeny groups for the respective traits and progeny groups. This indicates there is considerable potential to improve calving ease and female fertility through selection of Angus animals with superior genetics for these traits.
An opportunity to improve growth
A difference of 19.9 kg was identified in the average progeny performance between the top performing progeny groups and the bottom performing groups for 200 day weight. Similarly, progeny by the five sires with the heaviest 400 and 600 day weights were on average 30.6 kg and 52.3 kg 52
than the progeny by the five lightest sires in the each of the respective cohorts and progeny groups. This clearly indicates the potential for improvement in growth of animals through selection of Angus animals with superior genetics for these traits.
Potential to increase efficiency
1.51 kg/day was the difference identified between the average of progeny performance of the progeny by the five sires with the highest net feed intake were compared to the progeny by the five sires with the lowest net feed intake. This reinforces the potential to increase the feed efficiency of Angus animals through the selection of animals with superior genetics for net feed intake.
More valuable carcases are possible
The potential to improve carcase yield and quality with the selection of animals with superior genetics for carcase traits was illustrated in the study. When the average performance of the top performing sires was compared to the average of the lowest performing sires for the carcase traits, an average difference of 46.4 kg in carcase weight, 9.4 cm2 in eye muscle areas, 3.8% in intramuscular fat and 5.6 and 6.8 mm in rib and rump fat, was identified respectively. The potential for improvement in the carcase composition traits was also reflected in the measures of carcase quality, with a difference between the progeny groups with the highest MSA index score, 2.2 points better than the average progeny performance of the five sires whose progeny had the lowest MSA index scores, reflecting a 147.1 point difference in MSA marbling score and 17.5 point difference in ossification between the top five progeny groups compared to the lowest progeny groups for the traits. Full results of the study undertaken by Angus Australia are available from the “Lessons from the ASBP” section in the “Sire Benchmarking” section of the Angus Australia website.
Figure 1 - Difference between the average progeny performance for the highest and lowest five sires
Genetic Condition Module in the Angus Education Centre Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer
The management of genetic conditions is a part of modern breeding programs and Angus Australia currently monitors 9 genetic conditions found in Angus. Genetic conditions have been identified in most species, including humans, and over 400 genetic conditions have been identified in beef cattle. Whilst some genetic conditions are relatively new, others were described as far back as the 1950s. A new module in the Angus Education Centre explores these 9 conditions, as well as the implications for managing and reporting the conditions with Angus Australia. The module explores each of the conditions monitored by the society with a description and picture of the associated symptoms. Those wanting further information on the conditions can also find helpful links to further reading on the individual conditions. The conditions monitored by the society are; · Arthrogryposis multiplex (AM) · Contractual arachnodactyly (CA) · Developmental duplications (DD) · Dwarfism (DW) · Horns (HH) · Alpha-mannosidosis (MA) · Neuropathic hydrocephalus (NH) · Oculocutaneous hypopigmentation (OH) · Oesteopetrosis (OS) The module also explores two of the most common approaches to managing genetic conditions within a herd; managing the incidence of affect animals and managing the incidence of carriers; including a discussion of the role DNA testing can play, replacing the need for extensive progeny testing programs or the eradication of known relatives of affected animals.
It is important members remain vigilant about any abnormalities they see within their herd, as the potential for new genetic conditions to develop always exists. In the event breeders notice something abnormal that cannot be explained by a prior understanding of the genetics of the animal, the environmental conditions in which the animal was bred, or non-genetic causes, they are encouraged to notify Angus Australia. For further information contact staff at Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600 or office@angusaustralia.com.au
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Genomics
Understanding Angus Australia’s DNA Services Angus Australia, in collaboration with our partners, Neogen Australasia and Zoetis Animal Genetics, offer members a comprehensive range of DNA services for utilisation within their Angus breeding enterprise. The provision of DNA services is part of Angus Australia’s commitment to ensure members and their commercial customers have access to world leading genetic evaluation technologies, and associated tools for genetic improvement, which will ultimately enhance the value and profitability of Angus genetics throughout the beef supply chain. The DNA services that are available have a wide range of applications, such as the verification of parentage information, the identification of carriers for recessive genetic conditions, improved accuracy of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for Angus seedstock animals, and more accurate
selection of replacement Angus females in commercial breeding programs. Developing a strategy for utilising the DNA services that are available within your breeding program can be daunting, but a number of staff at Angus Australia are available to provide assistance, along with staff at Neogen and Zoetis. Contact staff at Angus Australia today on (02) 6773 4600 to discuss your DNA service requirements. Information is also available by contacting staff at Zoetis on 1300 768 400, or Neogen on (07) 3736 2134.
Angus Australia – DNA Services - Zoetis Animal Genetics
Genomic Tests
Genetic Conditions
Zoetis HD50K for Angus
$51.45
Arthrogryposis Multiplex (AM)
$25.85
Add Parentage Verification
Included
Contractural Arachnodactyly (CA)
$25.85
1
Add Core Genetic Test Panel
$24.75
Developmental Duplications (DD)
$25.85
Add Full Genetic Test Panel
2
$41.25
Dwarfism (DW)
$25.85
Add Arthrogryposis Multiplex (AM)
$8.25
Alpha-Mannosidosis (MA)
$25.85
Add Contractural Arachnodactyly (CA)
$8.25
Add Developmental Duplications (DD)
$8.25
Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH)
$25.85
Add Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH)
$8.25
Oculocutaneous Hypopigmentation (OH)
$25.85
Add Coat Colour (RG)
$8.25
Osteopetrosis (OS)
$25.85
Add BVDV (PI)2
$9.90
¹ Includes AM, CA, DD & NH 2 Includes AM, CA, DD, NH, DW, OH, OS, MA, HH, RG, and Myostatin (NT821) 3 TSU samples only
Angus HeiferSELECTTM
$42.65
Add BVDV (PI)
$9.90
4
4
Genetic Traits Coat Colour (RG)
$25.85
Myostatin (NT821)
$25.85
DNA Sample Types
TSU samples only
Hair
No charge
Parentage Verification
Semen
No charge
$29.15
Tissue
No charge
Included
Tissue (TSU)
No charge
Base Panel (280 SNPs) Add Parentage Verification
Use AngusSELECT to find Angus animals and tap into the unlimited potential of Angus genetics 54
Angus Australia – DNA Services – Neogen Australasia
Genomic Tests
Genetic Conditions
Angus GSTM
$48.15
Arthrogryposis Multiplex (AM)
$25.85
Add Parentage Verification
Included
Contractural Arachnodactyly (CA)
$25.85
Add Core Genetic Test Panel 1
$24.75
Developmental Duplications (DD)
$25.85
Add Full Genetic Test Panel 2
$41.25
Dwarfism (DW)
$25.85
Add Developmental Duplications (DD)
$8.25
Horns (HH)
$25.85
Add Coat Colour (RG)
$11.00
Alpha-Mannosidosis (MA)
$25.85
Add BVDV (PI)
$9.90
Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH)
$25.85
Oculocutaneous Hypopigmentation (OH)
$25.85
Osteopetrosis (OS)
$25.85
Includes AM, CA, DD & NH 2 Includes AM, CA, DD, NH, DW, OH, OS, MA, HH, RG, and Myostatin (NT821 only) 1
Angus HeiferSELECTTM
$40.45
Genetic Traits
Add BVDV (PI)
$9.90
Coat Colour (RG) Myostatin (6 variants) 5
Parentage Verification Base Panel (543 SNPs)
$30.25
Add Parentage Verification
Included
Build SNP Profile 4 4
$220.00
Involves building an animal’s SNP profile from the genotypes of their progeny. Requires availability of genotypes for a minimum of 10 progeny, plus genotypes of the progeny’s other parent/s.
$25.85 $25.85
5
Includes NT821, C313Y, E226X, F94L, NT419 and Q204X variants
DNA Sample Types Hair
$3.30
Semen
$11.00
Tissue
$11.00
Tissue (TSU)
No charge
Angus Australia – DNA Services – Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous Fees Angus Australia DNA Hair Collectors (10 pack)
$12.00
Angus Australia DNA Hair Collectors (100 pack)
$120.00
Transfer DNA profile to another DNA lab
$5.50
Parentage Discovery
$66.00 p/hr
Base Animal Surcharge
Incorrect Hair Collector Kit Surcharge 1 2
$27.50
1 2
$2.20
Surcharge covers access to the Angus Australian genomic reference population in th TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation Applied to hair samples not provided in an Angus Australia Zoetis hair collector kit
• View & search individual catalogues • Search across multiple catalogues • View upcoming sales • Find suppliers of Angus genetics • See how Angus Australia can help you To access AngusSELECT visit the Angus Australia website: www.angusaustralia.com.au The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Genomics
Enhancing heifer selection with genomics Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer
The use of genomic testing to enhance replacement heifer selection has become common place in Australian dairy breeding programs that are looking to maximise their herd’s rate of genetic gain. Genomic technology enables a more informed selection decision to be made earlier in an animal’s life, providing equivalent accuracy in breeding values to what would be achieved from 7 lactations for a dairy heifer. The impact of this has been an increase in the rate of genetic gain within the Holstein breed, and widespread use of genomic technology. Angus seedstock breeders can benefit similarly from genomic technology and a recent analysis conducted by Angus Australia has demonstrated the very same opportunity exists to benefit from genomics. The analysis examined the effect that genomics had on the breeding values for a group of 57 heifers in the herd of a current Angus Australia member.
Increasing the accuracy and spread
The opportunity genomics provides to replacement heifer selection is to better identify the animals within the group which will be retained as future breeders within the seedstock breeding program. Genomics does this by enhancing the accuracy of the breeding values of tested animals. This offers two key applications within beef breeding programs; 1) The identification of embryo donors 2) The identification of cull heifers For the purpose of this article we will only examine the second application. One of the key features seen when comparing breeding values within a group of tested animals after the introduction of genomics, is the increase in spread and accuracy of the breeding values. The increase in spread provides a more accurate description of the genetic merit of the animals within
the group and is the key scenario that enables genomics to potentially increase a herd’s rate of genetic gain. Figure 1 shows the change in breeding value spread that was observed for the group of heifers in the analysis with the inclusion of genomics, into the calculation of the Angus Breeding Index (ABI). As illustrated in the figure, the spread in ABI values within the group increased from a range of $47 ($117 to $164) to a range of $64 ($106 to $170). A similar impact was observed across all the examined traits, as shown in Table 1. Importantly, while the spread increased, the average breeding value for the group across the examined traits remained the same. The average ABI of the group before genomics being included was +147 compared to +148 with genomics. A feature of the inclusion of genomic information is the increase in breeding value accuracy representing the increase in information feeding into the breeding value calculation. When we examine the impact of the inclusion of genomics into the heifers breeding values we see, as expected, a greater increase in accuracy in the hard to record trait compared to the easier to record traits (Table 2).
Where has the increase come from
The increase in breeding value accuracy for an individual animal from the introduction of genomics can be attributed to two key sources of information; 1) We know what genes the animal actually inherited from its parents, and 2) We better describe the relationship between the animal and the reference population, meaning more data can
Figure 1 – Shows the change in distribution of heifers based on ABI with and without the inclusion of genomics.
Table 1 – Shows the change in breeding value spread with the inclusion of genomics into the breeding value calculation. 56
Table 2 – Shows the change in average breeding value accuracy for the group of heifers with the inclusion of genomic information.
feed into the animal’s breeding values, from animals that share genes in common. Both these additional sources of information result in an increase in the breeding value accuracy which can also be achieved in other ways, if the animal wasn’t genomically tested, such as with the inclusion of progeny performance information. Importantly the inclusion of progeny performance information requires significantly more time and is typically achieved after a selection decision has been made. The improvement in accuracy results in re-ranking of animals, and a change to the heifers that are retained within the breeding herd. In this analysis, an example objective of retaining 42 of the 57 heifers in the group was used. If we examine the ABI values of the 57 heifers, we see that whilst a proportion of the ’cull’ group without genomics (indicated by orange markers) remain in the ‘cull’ group with genomics (markers completely within the yellow box), we also note that 6 animals from the ‘cull’ group were replaced animals which would otherwise have been retained. A key point to note is that one individual had the second highest ABI without the inclusion of genomics, however after the inclusion of genomic information fell into the ‘cull’ group.
This highlighting the potential value genomics can deliver to embryo donor selection. The study has illustrated how genomics has enabled the identification of these animals prior to a selection decision being made and therefore the breeding program has the potential to benefit from their inclusions, or removal, and ultimate optimise the rate of genetic gain for the herd. For further information contact staff at Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600 or office@angusaustralia.com.au
Figure 2 – ABI change with the inclusion of genomic information and those identified for culling after the inclusion (yellow box), orange markers indicate the bottom 15 based on ABI without genomics. The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Genomics
Improved Genotyping Platforms Available to Angus Australia Members Angus Australia, in association with Zoetis Genetics and Neogen Australasia, recently announced improvements to the HD50K for Angus and Angus GS genotyping platforms. HD50K for Angus and Angus GS are genomic products for Angus seedstock cattle that assess the genetic makeup of an animal at thousands of locations across the animal’s genome (known as SNPs or single nucleotide polymorphisms), with the resulting genomic information incorporated into the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation to calculate Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for a range of economically important traits. While Angus Australia members may not notice any considerable difference in the short term, the improvements to the genotyping platforms, offered at no additional cost, include additional SNPs that explain a greater proportion of the genetic differences between Angus animals, which in time, will enable EBVs to be calculated with higher accuracy.
Updates to HD50K for Angus
The updated HD50K for Angus genotyping platform now includes 56,000 SNPs, representing an additional 19,000 SNPs by comparison to the current HD50K for Angus platform.
“Zoetis maintains a strong continuous improvement strategy whereby genotyping technologies are reviewed, refined and updated based on new science, internal research and development as well as laboratory innovations” said Mr Daniel Abernethy, Zoetis’ Genetics Manager for Australia and New Zealand. Central to the Zoetis internal research and development program is the the first-ever Angus Reference Genome, or complete DNA sequence, which forms the basis for future product innovations. “The latest update incorporates additional markers resulting from this continuous improvement program, and is a demonstration of Zoetis’ commitment to delivering the latest technology to Angus Australia members” said Mr Abernethy. The process for ordering the updated HD50K for Angus is the unchanged, with HD50K for Angus available from Angus Australia for a price of $51.45 (inc GST).
Table 1 – Comparison between “updated” and “previous” HD50K for Angus genotyping platform Updated HD50K
Previous HD50K
Price
$51.45
$51.45
Testing turn-around time
4 – 6 weeks
4 – 6 weeks
Sample types accepted
Hair, semen, tissue (TSU), tissue
Hair, semen, tissue (TSU), tissue
Parentage verification 1
Included
Included
Included in TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation
Yes
Yes
Number of SNPs
56,419
37,260
Availability of add-on tests
Yes
Yes
+ $24.75
+ $24.75
+ $41.25
+ $41.25
- Arthrogryposis Multiplex (AM)
+ $8.25
+ $8.25
- Contractural Arachnodactyly (CA)
+ $8.25
+ $8.25
- Developmental Duplications (DD)
+ $8.25
+ $8.25
- Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH)
+ $8.25
+ $8.25
- Coat Colour (RG)
+ $8.25
+ $8.25
- Core test panel - Full test panel
- BVDV (PI)
2 3
+ $9.90
4
+ $9.90
* All prices listed are GST inclusive, Subject to availability of DNA profiles for parents, AM, CA, DD & NH, AM, CA, DD, NH, DW, HH, OH, OS, MA ,RG and Myostatin, 4 TSU samples only 1
58
2
3
Improvements to Angus GS Genotyping Platform
The new content added to Angus GS, representing an increase in density from 49,000 to 72,000 SNPs, includes the addition of markers that are particularly relevant to the economically important traits of calving ease, birth weight, marbling and female fertility. Neogen’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Sarah Buttsworth, said that Neogen was delighted to continue to grow its partnership with Angus Australia by delivering the new version of the Angus GS product to Angus breeders in Australia from mid-August. The improved genotyping platform includes, among other elements, SNPs discovered in sequenced animals that have never been part of any commercial genotyping array in history. “The continued improvement of Angus GS is really a testament to Angus breeders worldwide and their commitment to innovation,” Ms Buttsworth said. “We are
pleased to partner with Angus Australia so that producers gain deeper insights into their Angus genetics and enhance the future of their operation and the Angus breed.” The process for ordering the improved Angus GS is unchanged, with Angus GS available from Angus Australia for a price of $48.15 (inc GST).
Further Information
Further information regarding the HD50K for Angus and Angus GS products is available from the Angus Australia website. Advice and assistance is also available from staff at either Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600, Zoetis Animal Genetics on 1300 768 400 or Neogen Australasia on (07) 3736 2134.
Table 2 – Comparison between “updated” and “previous” Angus GS genotyping platform Updated Angus GS
Previous Angus GS
$48.15
$48.15
Testing turn-around time
4 – 6 weeks
4 – 6 weeks
Sample types accepted
Hair, semen, tissue (TSU), tissue
Hair, semen, tissue (TSU), tissue
Parentage verification 2
Included
Included
Included in TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation
Yes
Yes
Number of SNPs
72,669
49,541
Availability of add-on tests
Yes
Yes
- Core test panel
+ $24.75
+ $24.75
+ $41.25
+ $41.25
- Developmental Duplications (DD)
+ $8.25
+ $8.25
- Coat Colour (RG)
+ $8.25
+ $8.25
- BVDV (PI) 5
+ $9.90
+ $9.90
Price
- Full test panel
1
3
4
* All prices listed are GST inclusive, 1 Surcharges apply to hair ($3.30), semen ($11.00) and tissue ($11.00), 2 Subject to availability of DNA profiles for parents, 3 AM, CA, DD & NH, 4 AM, CA, DD, NH, DW, HH, OH, OS, MA ,RG and Myostatin
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Member Services
Member Services Matters Scott Wright, Member Services Manager
The Angus Australia Member Services staff are responsible for enabling members to conduct all transactions with Angus Australia in a manner that is as streamlined and as efficient as possible. Writing this within the spring bull sales season, it has been largely a very successful sale season for many of our members. Speaking with members, they have been elated to be having such a buoyant bull selling season. High cattle prices, good seasonal conditions and a positive seasonal forecast in many areas, have many in the industry smiling. A tremendous turnaround in the eastern states after the last two years!
Electronic Calf Recording Forms
As a result of COVID-19 much of our communication with members has been delivered electronically via email. Generally, the response has been very positive. This was necessitated by staff working from home and while staff have returned to office documents such as Inventory and Calf Recording Forms were despatched by email. We have had recent enquiries from members who may have missed our communication about emailed Calf Recording Forms. Please be sure to check your email inbox or junk mail for your Calf Recording Forms. If you cannot locate the email (or would like printed forms posted), please email regos@ angusaustralia.com.au or call Member Services and we will have them sent again.
Calving Books
This year no Calving Books were sent to members due to Inventory Forms being sent by email. If members require Calving Books please email regos@angusaustralia.com.au including your Herd ID and number of Calving Books that you require and one of our Member Services Officers will post them out straight away.
Registration Certificates
Recently we had several member enquiries regarding posting Registration Certificates following the transfer of sale bulls. In the past we have automatically posted certificates to bull buyers when a registration has been transferred. Angus Australia no longer automatically posts Registration Certificates to bull buyers however if members would like Registration Certificates posted this service is still available. Members simply need to request that certificates be posted to buyers when they submit their transfer request. Certificates can also be generated at any time by members through Angus Database Search. If you would like assistance producing certificates, please contact Member Services staff or alternatively, visit the Angus Education centre on www. angusaustralia.com.au to learn how to utilise this function.
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Pending Animals
Many members have a number of animals “pending” on the Angus Australia database. This can create issues for members coming up to sale periods, as they are not fully registered and will not be included in the TACE analysis. If members would like a list of animals that have not been fully registered, please email regos@angusaustralia.com.au. The Member Services team will be able to supply you with a “Request for Further Information Report” that will allow members to deal with registration issues.
Export heifers
Angus Australia provides the verification service to exporters seeking to supply these markets. A couple of tips if you are selling Angus heifers for live export: 1. Ensure well before your sale that you are a current financial member of Angus Australia; and 2. Angus heifers that are exported need to be verified to their sire. If you are a commercial producer purchasing bulls, please ensure that the vendor whom you have purchased bulls from, requests that the bulls be transferred into your ownership on the Angus Australia Database.
Genomic and DNA Services
Angus Australia provides a range of genomic products available to both seedstock and commercial producers. In addition, Angus Australia offers a comprehensive range of DNA parentage and genetic condition tests. If any members are seeking any guidance with regards to which test or service is required, please do not hesitate to contact the Member Services team.
To make sure the process is as smooth as possible there are a couple of helpful things to be aware of: · Firstly, before sending DNA samples please make sure the animal is registered – even if it is just pending. If we don’t have an animal ID, we can’t submit a sample for testing; and · Secondly, please use the correct Order Form and complete the form to the best of your ability - if you’re unsure please call. You can find the form on our website or call and ask a Member Service Officer to email or post it to you. If there is no order form, we can’t process the DNA test.
Important Changes to Animal Identification
Page 63, in this bulletin regarding changes to the Animal Identification system commencing in 2021. There are two significant changes that will come into effect from January 2021 that will affect members. Currently, the unique animal ID assigned to each animal recorded with Angus Australia consists of the breeder’s herd identifier, a breeding year letter and an animal number. e.g. ABCS1. While this animal ID format has served the Angus breed well for many years, it has a major shortcoming being the duplication of animal IDs every 24 years. For example, ABCS1 (birth year 1973), ABCS1 (birth year 1997) and ABCS1 (birth year 2021). To remove the duplication of animal IDs, the unique animal ID assigned to animals with a birth date of 1/1/2021 onwards will be changed to consist of the breeder’s herd identifier, a two-character year of birth, a breeding year letter and an animal number. That is, rather than ABCS1, the animal ID assigned will be ABC21S1. With NLIS now entrenched as Australia’s National Livestock Identification System, it will also be a requirement for NLIS to be used as one of the forms of permanent identification, with members able to elect whether they apply either a tattoo or freeze brand as the second form of permanent identification.
Contact
If you have any issue regarding anything affecting your Membership, Registrations, Transfers, Performance Recording, DNA or any other Member Services matter please call and speak to one of our Member Service Officers or myself. If you have any particularly difficult matters or grievances please don’t hesitate to contact me directly, either by email or phone 02 6773 4636. Would you like any aspect of Member Services covered in more detail in future bulletins? Please email scott.wright@angustralia.com.au.
For all your enquiries, please contact…
SEMEN AVAILABLE NOW IN AUSTRALIA Monique Estrada - 0423 817 289 targetlivestock@gmail.com
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Learn how to download and print registration certificates
Understanding Genomics
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Member Services
Additional DNA Requirements for Animal Registration When Parents are Born After January 1st, 2018 Angus Australia members are reminded of the additional DNA requirements when registering calves with Angus Australia when the sire and/or dam is born after 1/1/2018. 1. If the sire of the animal being registered is born after 1/1/2018, a DNA profile must be recorded with Angus Australia for the sire with > 5000 SNPs (i.e. the sire must have been genotyped with HD50K for Angus or Angus GS, or the predecessors of these products). 2. If the sire of the animal being registered is born after 1/1/2018, and the animal being registered was bred by artificial insemination (AI) or embryo transfer (ET), the sire must also be tested for the 9 genetic conditions monitored by Angus Australia. 3. If the animal being registered was bred by ET, and the donor dam is born after 1/1/2018, a DNA profile must be recorded with Angus Australia for the donor dam with > 5000 SNPs (i.e. the donor dam must have been genotyped with HD50K for Angus or Angus GS, or the predecessors of these products). A full list of the DNA requirements when registering calves with Angus Australia in the Herd Book Register (HBR), Angus Performance Register (APR), Angus Commercial Register (ACR) or Multibreed Register (MBR) is provided below.
New Registrations
· If the sire of the animal being registered is born after 1/1/2004, a DNA profile must be recorded with Angus Australia for the sire · If the sire of the animal being registered is born after 1/1/2018, a DNA profile must be recorded with Angus Australia for the sire with > 5000 SNPs (i.e. the sire must have been genotyped with HD50K for Angus or Angus GS, or the predecessors of these products). · If the animal being registered was bred by artificial insemination (AI) or embryo transfer (ET), and the sire of the animal being registered is born after 1/1/2018, the sire must be tested for the 8 genetic conditions monitored by Angus Australia. · If the animal being registered was bred by ET, and the donor dam is born after 1/1/2004, a DNA profile must be recorded with Angus Australia for the donor dam. · If the animal being registered was bred by ET, and the donor dam is born after 1/1/2018, a DNA profile must be recorded with Angus Australia for the donor dam
with > 5000 SNPs (i.e. the donor dam must have been genotyped with HD50K for Angus or Angus GS, or the predecessors of these products). · If either the sire or dam of the animal being registered was under 11 months of age at the time of conception, the animal must be DNA sire verified. · The application to record a “Base” male must be accompanied by DNA sire verification (APR, ACR and MBR only).
Modifications to Existing 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. The sex of an animal that is more than 24 months of age can only be amended if the animal is DNA sire verified.
Registration of Animals Recorded with Other Breed Associations
· An application for registration of an animal recorded with another breed association must be accompanied by either a DNA parentage profile from an Angus Australia approved laboratory, or a DNA sample for testing at an Angus Australia approved laboratory. To further discuss the DNA requirements when registering calves with Angus Australia, please contact staff at Angus Australia.
Key Facts 1. If the sire of the animal being registered is born after 1/1/2018, the sire must be genotyped with either HD50K for Angus or Angus GS 2. If the sire of the animal being registered is born after 1/1/2018, and the calf was bred by AI or ET, the sire must also be tested for the 9 genetic conditions monitored by Angus Australia. 3. If the animal being registered was bred by ET, and the donor dam is born after 1/1/2018, the donor dam must also be genotyped with either HD50K for Angus or Angus GS
Updated Angus Australia Regulations Now Available Several updates were made to the Angus Australia Regulations at the Angus Australia Board meeting in August. It is important that members are familiar with the Regulations when utilising services from Angus Australia. As specified in the Angus Australia Constitution, the Regulations are binding on all Members and enable the 62
proper control, administration and management of Angus Australia’s affairs, operations, finances, interests, effects and property. A copy of the current Angus Australia Regulations, along with copies of the current TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation Member Agreement and DNA Test Member Agreement, are available for download from the Angus Australia website.
Important Changes to Animal Identification Two important changes will apply to the identification of animals recorded with Angus Australia that are born from January 1st, 2021 onwards.
1. Change to Animal IDs
The unique animal ID assigned to each animal recorded with Angus Australia consists of the breeder’s herd identifier, a breeding year letter and an animal number. e.g. ABCS1. While this animal ID format has served the Angus breed well for many years, it has a major shortcoming being the duplication of animal IDs every 24 years. For example, ABCS1 (birth year 1973), ABCS1 (birth year 1997) and ABCS1 (birth year 2021). This shortcoming requires Angus Australia to add a suffix to the animal ID for animals born greater than 24 years ago (e.g. ABCR1+72, ABCR1+96), which causes considerable problems in circumstances where the original animal ID has previously been recorded in other databases. For example, in herd recording software programs managed by individual members, or when animals have been recorded with overseas Breed Societies. To remove the duplication of animal IDs, the unique animal ID assigned to animals with a birth date of 1/1/2021 onwards will be changed to consist of the breeder’s herd identifier, a two character year of birth, a breeding year letter and an animal number. That is, rather than ABCS1, the animal ID assigned will be ABC21S1. The change will only apply to the ID of animals born from 1/1/2021 onwards. No change will be made retrospectively to the ID of animals already recorded with Angus Australia, or who are recorded in the future but are born prior to 1/1/2021. Further, the change in format only applies to the animal ID assigned by Angus Australia, and does not require any change to the current practice of displaying only the year letter and number (e.g. R1) when tagging, tattooing or branding animals. The change to the animal ID format for animals born from 1/1/2021 onwards will ensure the animal ID assigned to animals is indeed unique, and will remove the current difficulties and inconvenience to Angus Australia, members and other organisations that result from the need to add a suffix to the IDs of historic animals that are born more than 24 years ago.
2. Requirement for NLIS ID
The manner in which animals born from 1/1/2021 onwards and recorded on Angus Australia’s Herdbook Register (HBR), Angus Performance Register (APR), or Multibreed Register (MBR) need to be permanently identified will be modified.
Presently, at least one form of permanent identification must be applied to an animal prior to weaning, being either a tattoo, freeze or fire brand, or a NLIS tag, followed by a requirement to apply a second form of permanent identification before the animal is 18 months of age. With NLIS now entrenched as Australia’s National Livestock Identification System, it will be a requirement for NLIS to be used as one of the forms of permanent identification, with members able to elect whether they apply either a tattoo or freeze brand as the second form of permanent identification. Full details of the manner in which HBR, APR or MBR animals born from 1/1/2021 onwards need to be permanently identified, as identified in the Angus Australia Regulations, will be as follows: 6.33 PERMANENT IDENTIFICATION Every animal in the HBR, APR, or MBR shall have an approved National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) tag applied to the right ear; and either: (i) Be tattooed in the left ear with the registered tattoo mark of the Breeder; and, in either the left or right ear with a breeding year letter and animal number; or (ii) Have a freeze or fire brand applied that includes the registered brand symbol, relevant year letter and animal number. 6.34 Every animal recorded in the HBR, APR or MBR shall have a minimum of one form of permanent identification applied by weaning, and two forms of permanent identification applied by 18 months of age. 6.35 Either the visual NLIS number or NLIS RFID of every animal recorded in the HBR, APR or MBR must be recorded with the Society before the animal is 12 months of age. If a NLIS tag is replaced for any reason, the Society must be notified of the new number or RFID within 30 days of application. The availability of NLIS identification for all animals on the Angus Australia database born after 1/1/2021 will make the process for confirming the Angus Australia ID for an animal easier, facilitating a more seamless process for confirming the ownership and registration details of Angus seedstock animals.
Questions and Further Information
To further discuss these two important changes applying to the identification of animals born from January 1st, 2021 onwards, please contact staff at Angus Australia.
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Member Services
Behind the Beef – Angus Australia Member Services Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer
Angus Australia Member Services are an integral part to the day to day assistance that Angus Australia provides to our valued members. The staff within the Member Services team receive a number of frequently asked questions with regards to the services provided by Angus Australia. We caught up with Member Services Manager Scott Wright for the ‘Behind the Beef’ Podcast, to answer some of these frequently asked questions, in order to provide clarity to members for any issues they may be having on farm. What is your role within the member services team? I’m the Member Services Manager, so basically it means I coordinate and oversee the team. We’ve got nine Member Services Officers, and we do all the day to day transactions with the members, so it’s great to be able to interact with our members on a regular basis. To give an overall look before we go into specifics, what do the Member Services Officers facilitate for Angus Australia members? We do all the transactions for members submitting data to Angus Australia. We sign them up as members of Angus Australia, we do all the cattle registrations, transfers, process performance data, and any DNA requests. What is the goal for the Member Services team? Our goal is to allow members to conduct all transactions with Angus Australia in a manner that’s as streamlined and efficient as possible. What are some important things for members to remember about the Member Services team when it comes to getting in contact with you? First of all, we are here to help, so if members are ever unsure about how to submit data or are unsure about anything to do with Angus Australia, please call and ask first. It’s often easier to make sure of what you need to do ahead of submitting information, so please ring as we are all here to help. One of the other requests we make is to ask that everything is in writing. Sometimes that annoys members and they get a little frustrated at times, but we are very busy and we get a lot of data coming in and requests in writing just helps us track all the jobs that come through, so that’s pretty important. When it comes to putting requests in writing, while it may seem tedious to the member, why is it important and necessary to put everything in email form, and why can’t you, for example, fix information over the phone? This is very important because if we were to fix a registration for a particular animal over the phone, that will influence the pedigree of the animal and the resulting EBVs. We understand that, those animals are pretty valuable, so if we were to make a mistake, you need to be able to trace where that mistake has happened. 64
We want to avoid as much human error as we possibly can. Angus Australia has got over 100,000 females on the database, 76,000 calf registrations for 2019, and over 1000 full members, so as I said before, it’s a busy little hub and we can’t remember everything we are told. So, it’s great if we have got it in written form so we can process the work as accurately as we can, based on the members’ request. Speaking of making changes, who can make changes to anything within accounts? We have got signatories on member accounts. A membership could be set up as a sole trader, or it could be a company with staff involved, so what we do is make sure the people who want to request changes are a signatory on the account. That way we don’t have just anybody ringing up and requesting changes, it’s got to be authorised by the member.
Exports How important is the export marketing? This has been a been a big area for Angus Australia especially over the last couple of years where we have processed around 45,000 heifers a year. Especially during the drought. This market really helped underpin the Angus premium members are receiving, especially commercial members, for their cattle. We receive quite a few questions from members with regards to what they need to supply to their agents. For example, “The agent told me I need a ‘number’ from Angus Australia – do I get this number as soon as I press send on my Membership form?” For somebody to sell export heifers which are then verified with Angus Australia, they need to be a member of Angus Australia. We’ve got a membership form which they can find on the website, complete, and send into us. They will often ask for a membership number, which is actually a
three letter membership ID, for example VPN or NBB. Once they submit the form, our membership coordinator will get in contact with the member to go through and just double check the information is correct. Then the member will receive an email that will confirm their member ID, and that’s the ID you used to fill out the export forms for the agents.
Inventory & Registrations Why do members need to complete their Inventory every year? It’s very important as this is the basis with which cattle are registered at Angus Australia. Every active female needs to have an inventory fee paid in a calendar year and there is either an autumn inventory or a spring inventory. An inventory return is sent out to members to go through to tell Angus Australia whether a cow is to remain active or inactive, that is has the female been sold or died etc, and there are various disposal codes to be used. It’s pretty important to return this information, because Angus Australia bills members based on their active females, so if they don’t go through and dispose of those animals, they will be charged fees that they don’t need to be charged. Also, sometimes members might want to bring another animal back on to the database, so they need to pay the inventory fee on that cow so that a calf can be recorded against her. What are some important details members must remember when it comes to fates? When the inventory is sent to members, at the bottom of the forms there are various fate codes, so it’s very important to use the correct fate code. We often have members telling us what they are going to do with the animal in the future, but it’s a record of what you have done, so it’s either disposed of with a certain code or it’s not for that point in time.
What do Angus Australia members need to ensure before registering their calves? The dams of those calves need to be on the inventory for that particular season and the inventory fee needs to have been paid. There also needs to be a DNA profile on file for any sire that a particular calf is going to be registered by.
DNA What are the turnaround times for DNA and what are the costs of the services? Once DNA samples arrive at the office, the MSO team conducts Q&A checks and then send the DNA to one of the two labs that Angus Australia has partnerships with, Zoetis or Neogen. Prior to COVID-19 the turn around time was down to four weeks, however with COVID-19 there is extra lab time taken, so members are probably looking at a safe six weeks at the moment. It is however suggested to allow the most time as possible and not leave any DNA requests to just before a sale. The costs for DNA services are available in the fee schedule on the Angus Australia website, with costs depending on which lab you use. Can you send in DNA if you don’t know the sire and you haven’t sent in the animal registrations yet? The animal needs to be on the system in order to send the DNA away, so a member may not know the sire, but if they have got a calf, register it and it will go up on the system as a pending animal. Then fill in the correct DNA order form and submit this along with the DNA using an approved collector and we should be able to determine which of those particular bull is the sire of that calf. I have received an email with DNA approval – where are the results? There is a DNA approval form that get emailed to the member when they submit DNA. This is actually telling the member that everything has been approved, these are the charges you will incur, these are the tests that you have ordered and then the DNA is sent off to the lab. There is still some time before the DNA comes back to Angus Australia, so the approval report just tells the member what’s about to happen. Do you get results? A lot of DNA requests are all about parent verification and genetic conditions. So in those cases, yes the member will receive the parent verification or genetic condition results via email. But in terms of genomics, these results get loaded into the TACE analysis in a single step process. So, the member doesn’t actually get physical results, but the results may influence the animals EBVS that are generated from the TACE analysis.
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Member Services It’s not an automated system? No it is not. Angus Australia is working towards an automated system more and more, but at the moment it is still more of a manual process. Often members think when they submit DNA and the results come back it’s just automatic, but we have two particularly dedicated staff that have to go through each of those results and make sure that any parentage is updated on the registration system and that emails go through to the member. Are there any requests from Angus Australia back to members when it comes to DNA? The office receives some interesting things at times with DNA. The other day someone sent some partial ears in the mail, so we really need members to take the correct samples and send them through in the proper way and actually identify the sample coming and from which animal. You’d be surprised, sometimes people send in DNA and they don’t tell us which animal it relates to. All the information you need on collecting DNA can be found if you visit the website.
Registrations Can I send in my paddock book as registration information? As nice as that would be, no you can’t. We need the registrations completed on the approved registration calf recording forms sent out to people via email. Members can also send in a file from an approved electronic herd recording program or use the approved spreadsheet that can be download off the website. How long do you get before late registration fees come in? Members have 12 months from when the calf is born to register the calf before the late fee is applied. Do you resubmit batches if you get a pending report and corrections are needed? Registrations for a calf only need to be submitted once. If there is an issue with a registration, a member of the team will come back to the submitting member with some questions, which is a request for further information. This will be received via email and it is really important to respond and confirm what corrections are needed to be made. Please don’t submit the registrations again so we don’t end up with duplicates on the system. What are some important areas people need to remember regarding registrations? The biggest is that if a member has submitted any registrations, to make sure that they please check their email. That’s how Member Services staff communicate with the members, so if a member has submitted anything to Angus Australia, check your email. There will either be a registration or a request for further information. What happens if the information is submitted incorrectly or if people use the incorrect spreadsheets to submit? One thing that happens quite regularly, is members take the Angus Australia spreadsheets and change them. While members might think they have a better way of setting spreadsheets up, this can cause issues because the database has been programmed to accept data in a 66
particular format, if an altered spreadsheet is uploaded into the system, the data gets put in the wrong way which creates issues in the registration of the animal, therefore it is very important to just stick to the templates provided. When it comes to sale catalogues, how can registrations affect the information going into catalogues, and what do people need to keep in mind when preparing their sale catalogues? Timeliness is probably most important! If a member has a sale coming up and requires a catalogue to be processed, the member needs to make sure the animals are fully registered on the system, and that they are not sitting there as pending animals. Often people will submit their registrations and not realise there might be a problem with the registration, so if they can get it done accurately and make sure the animals are all on the database well in advance of a sale, that will save a lot of stress down the track. If there is any DNA testing that needs to happen it is suggested that it is submitted well and truly ahead of time, to ensure the DNA tests have been done, the animals are on the system, and the animals have been through the TACE analysis. What about when it comes to recipient dams? When putting recipient dams on the system just be aware that members need to provide all the details required, dam ident, birth year, breed code, etc. Prior to any animal going into the TACE analysis, what needs to be made sure that it is completed? For an animal to go into the TACE analysis the animal needs to be fully registered on the database.
Transfers What do people have to make sure they do when it comes to transfers, which obviously effects registrations, costs and exports? This is actually a really important part of the export verification process, and can be very important for other reasons as well. If a member is selling bulls and the bulls are to be transferred to the new member, please ensure all the complete details for the buyer, including the sale date, and, if the purchaser is a member of Angus Australia, their herd ID is included.
There is also sometimes confusion with females of whom pays the transfer fee. While the regulations do state that ‘The transferor will be invoiced any applicable transfer fees, unless the Transferor has provided written confirmation that the Transferee is to pay the fees’, it is suggested that members make their intentions known, when selling females, with the buyers. And if that can be clearly identified when requests for female transfers are submitted, then that would be really helpful. How long after the completion of the transfer can the new member get the registration certificate? Angus Australia has moved to a system where members can produce their own registration certificates using angus.tech which is really useful for members, to be able to generate these automatically. Once the transfers have been completed by the Members Services Team, by the next day a member should be able to see the animals on the system in their ownership, and can generate a registration certificate.
Angus.TECH angus.tech is obviously widely use by Angus Australia members, and the Member Services team receive a lot of queries and concerns regarding the system. When it comes to angus.tech, what can you recommend to members if they are have any questions about the program? The office receives some great one liners from members, we had a email last year that said something like ‘changing the system that was in place is like taking the ice cream out of the cone and throwing it away in order to eat the cone’ and while, there is a bit of frustration, I need to say angus. tech is a really great system. It’s like when Windows came in, it was a big change for users, but like Windows angus.tech offers a lot of ability to do searches and conduct transactions in the system that weren’t there for members before, and going forward there are going to be further options for the way members will submit data to Angus Australia. My suggestion, is that if you are not comfortable with using angus.tech now, then I encourage members to have a good
go at using it, to log on, and if you have any trouble the staff are more than happy to help and will walk you through what you need to do, whether that be finding specific reports in the download area or using the database search or any of the tools available there. There are also some really good resources on how to use angus.tech in the Angus Education Centre section of the website. It has been a change and it will continue to evolve, but it’s probably one of the greatest tools that Angus breeders have to develop their business, so if you’ve got any questions at all please give us a call. If members are having any issues regarding anything we have discussed today, how do they get in contact with you, or a member of your team? There are nine staff in the Members Services team, so I suggest that members please always ring, if unsure. Angus Australia has a new phone system now, so you when you dial Angus Australia’s office, you just press one for Member Services and you’ll get put through to one of the team whom will be able to assist. Everyone in the team has got a slightly different speciality, but we are very, very happy to talk to members, it’s one of the enjoyable parts of the job. Please call me directly if you’ve got any trouble at all. My email is scott.wright@angusaustralia.com.au if you would like to write to me and ask anything, or contact any of the other team members via regos@angusaustralia.com.au.
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The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
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Horns Recognised as a Genetic Condition The Angus Australia Board has resolved to officially include horns in the list of genetic conditions monitored by the Society. Angus cattle are expected to be homozygous polled, meaning that they are not only visually polled, but carry two copies of the polled allele. Recent DNA testing has however revealed that there is a small percentage, albeit an extremely low number, of Angus seedstock animals that are carrying the horned allele. The inclusion of horns in the list of genetic conditions monitored by the Society will ensure the same strategy is adopted for the managing the horned allele as is currently adopted for by Angus Australia for managing other genetic conditions with low frequency and relatively low economic impact, such as Alpha Mannosidosis (MA), Dwarfism (DW), Oculocutaneous Hypopigmentation (OH) and Osteopetrosis (OS).
¡ a requirement for all AI sires born after 1/1/18 to be DNA tested for the presence of the horned allele The conduct of a gene probability analysis is not deemed necessary at this stage. To further discuss the inclusion of horns in the list of genetic conditions monitored by Angus Australia, please contact Andrew Byrne, Breed Development & Extension Manager, on (02) 6773 4618 or andrew@angusaustralia.com.au.
This includes: ¡ the availability of a DNA test to enable members to identify whether an animal is carrying the horned allele ¡ the display of the result for any animals that are DNA tested on the Angus Database Search, and in other Angus Australia publications (e.g. registration certificates, catalogues)
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Sire Benchmarking
Angus Australia and Vetoquinol extend partnership Cheyne Twist, Communications Officer
Following a successful five-year collaboration, Angus Australia and independent global health company Vetoquinol are pleased to announce they will be extending their partnership. The partnership extension will see Vetoquinol provide support to the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP), primarily through assistance for the joining program of Cohort 11 of the ASBP, set to take place during spring of 2020. Over several years, Vetoquinol has supported the ASBP by assisting the fixed time Artificial Insemination program through the supply of necessary products such as the CueMate® devices. “Angus Australia is pleased to announce the extension of our ongoing relationship with Vetoquinol,” said Angus Australia Strategic Projects Manager Christian Duff. “The products provided by Vetoquinol’s Repro360 arm are essential to the ongoing success of the ASBP. Without the ability to execute a fixed time AI program the ASBP would cease to function as it should. Vetoquinol not only contribute to the program through supply of their products, but also with valued support and advice from their knowledgeable Repro360 team.” Dr Sophia Edwards, Vetoquinol Business Unit Manager, says Vetoquinol is committed to being Australia’s leading assisted reproduction specialist, “Playing an integral role in the development of genetic tools for the beef industry is central to Repro 360’s vision”.
Vetoquinol is one of the largest animal-only health companies in the world, with reproduction in livestock being a strategic domain. 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 TACE and building a comprehensive phenotype and genotype reference population on Australian Angus for genetic evaluation, along with genomic technology validation, research and development. For further information regarding the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program visit the Angus Australia website.
Top image: Peter Duff and Nick Butcher, Angus Australia’s Strategic Projects Officer, during a Cohort 9 Fixed Time AI program in 2019 Bottom Image: Vetoquinol have played an integral part in the ASBP for a number of years
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Late calving females can be a major source of reproductive wastage in Australian beef herds, contributing to economic losses, lower weaning weights and heifers unable to reach mating weights. The 365 day reproduction cycle relies on a cow calving, reproductive tract involution, return to oestrus and conception within 84 days. Coupled with this, within a progressive, profitable cow herd, calves fall in a concentrated calving distribution, aligned with a seasonal pasture availability and prioritizing farm labour resources to breeder management. Minimising the time from calving to resumption of oestrus and maximising the opportunity to conceive is the key to advancing the conceptions of late calvers and bringing them back into season with the rest of the cow herd. · Selection pressure for fertility is a must; reducing the incidence of the cows drifting out of season. Select cows capable of conceiving within two mating cycles and bringing a live weaner every year. · Energy availability greater than requirements for all other physiological requirements is the main driver for return to oestrus. - Relative to the dry cow - a lactating cow requires 1.5 x energy for maintenance - a growing, lactating first calf heifer requires 2.2 x energy i for maintenance. - The most economic way to maximise energy availability during this time is to calve cows in body condition score (BCS) 3.5 (1= too thin; 5=obese), they have body reserves for use when there is a deficit in provision of energy. - When BCS may appear inadequate, if high quality feed is on offer – over and above that required for growth and maintenance – adequate energy can be redirected to the reproductive process. · Early post calving hormone treatment has been shown to advance conception date. Late calvers can be selected for an AI program to commence synchronisation as early as 14 days post calving ii followed by exposure to a cover bull for two cycles. This method will not necessarily maximise conceptions to the AI round, however owing to early hormone treatment and oestrous synchronisation, will maximise conceptions earlier in the joining period. Treated cows will result in an earlier average conception date compared with an untreated mob. A twelve-week pregnancy test using ultrasound can diagnose conceptions to the AI round, 9 week pregnancies to the
first cycle with the bull and 6 week pregnancies to the second cycle with the bull. Management of the late calvers with this program offers control to the producer, aids in nutritional management from calving to joining of this group and gives choice for retention or cull at the preg test muster. · In order to maximise conceptions, frozen semen must be good quality and bulls must be fertile and in working order. There is no time for lost opportunities for conceptions. Ultrasound scanning and measurement of follicles at AI can provide valuable information on every cow, giving choice around what value semen to use and whether to AI at all, serving to reduce semen wastage. · Health events at calving including dystocia’s, infections, inflammation, metabolic disorders and acute nutritional disorders must be diagnosed early and managed well. Management of genetic selection, heifer growth prior to joining and during gestation, sound breeder nutrition will reduce the incidence of these events. Cows falling into this group will be difficult to advance conception date, and may require culling from the herd. Return to oestrus of late calvers is the key to early conceptions, tightening calving distribution and driving weaner weights in a beef production system. Late calvers fail to join and drop out of the system, late calves have fewer growing days to weaning, lighter weights at weaning and heifers have less days to reach mating weight. Good management and identifying opportunities to avoid the late calver or to advance the conception date will maintain a 365 day reproductive cycle and allow a concentrated calving distribution. For more information on this topic or any other repro questions, call the Repro360 Helpline on 1300 163 056 or visit repro360.com.au
MLA – More Beef from Pastures, ii Jasmin Hyatt -The effect of Early Postpartum Intervention on the Reproductive Performance of Anovulatory Anestrus in New Zealand Dairy Cows i
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 71
Sire Benchmarking
ImmuneDEX – Updated Sire RBVs Available Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager
Updated sire Research Breeding Values for ImmuneDEX have recently been published as an addition to the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE).
The collection of immune response phenotypes, and calculation of the associated ImmuneDEX Research Breeding Values (RBV), results from a long-term collaboration between Angus Australia and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The updated ImmuneDEX RBVs can be downloaded from the “Research” menu on the Angus Australia website. They are available for all Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) sires from Cohorts 1 to 9 (n=323) with at least 25% accuracy for the ImmuneDEX RBV. The RBVs are primarily based on the immune response phenotypes and genomic profiles. The top 20 ImmuneDEX RBVs sires are listed in Table 1. This RBV provides an estimate of genetic differences between animals for overall immune competence, a key component of resilience. Higher ImmuneDEX values indicate an animal is expected to produce progeny with an enhanced ability to resist disease challenges and therefore have lower disease incidence. As background, immune response has been assessed on over 4,000 Angus steers and heifers from the ASBP. This was undertaken through combining measures of antibodymediated immune responses (Ab_IR), through a blood test, and cell-mediated immune responses (Cell_IR), through a skin reaction test. Infectious agents, like the bacteria and viruses associated with Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD), differ in the way they infect the host animal. For instance, many bacteria live outside host cells while viruses replicate within host cells. The immune system tailors how it responds to different infectious agents with extra-cellular agents most effectively controlled by Ab_IR and intracellular agents by Cell_IR. Individuals identified as having a balanced ability to mount both a Cell_IR and Ab_IR response are expected to exhibit broad-based disease resistance against a wide range of 72
pathogens. For this reason, an index value (ImmuneDEX) was developed which combines research breeding values for the Cell_IR and Ab_IR traits into a single value. The process by which the ImmuneDEX value is generated ensures appropriate weightings are given to component traits so that high ImmuneDEX animals have a balanced response, and genetic gains in both traits are driven at similar rates. The ImmuneDEX value, and its component traits of AB_IR and Cell_IR, are moderately heritable (figure 1), being comparable to heritabilities associated with weight and carcase traits (Figure 1). ImmuneDEX is generally negatively correlated with several production traits (figure 2), particularly weaning weight and yearling weight. While a positive but weak relationship exists with rib fat. As is seen in other, more intensive livestock systems and species, this indicates that selection on performance traits alone, with no consideration of health & fitness traits, may lead to a higher incidence of disease.
Figure 1 – Heritability of ImmuneDEX, Antibody immune response and cell immune response.
Figure 2 – Genetic correlations between ImmuneDEX to component immune response traits and production traits.
Details of the full analysis undertaken to generate genetic parameters for the immune competence traits are currently being considered for publication in the Journal of Animal Science. By comparison to the ImmuneDEX RBVs last published in May 2019, the updated RBVs were estimated using an additional 655 immune response phenotype records collected on ASBP cohort 8 progeny. Additionally, the RBVs have been calculated on all ASBP sires (from cohort 1-9) based on genomic predictions, Name
rather than just those with immune response phenotyped progeny. This additional data, and enhanced modelling, has seen a greater spread in RBVs and a modification to the RBV accuracy values. For any questions on the updated ImmuneDEX Research Breeding Values please contact Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager, on (02) 6773 4620 or christian@ angusaustralia.com.au.
ASBP Cohort
Immune Competence Tested Progeny
ImmuneDEX RBV
RBV Acc
Angus Breeding Index
PARINGA RED PILBARA K146
6
20
+87
71%
+107
COONAMBLE KEVIN K314
7
13
+61
56%
+130
G A R SURE FIRE
7
22
+54
71%
+157
RENNYLEA H708
5
16
+54
70%
+166
GLENAVON REVENUE L039
7
12
+53
57%
+94
WAITAWHETA B11
3
14
+53
60%
+48
RENNYLEA C511
1
0
+51
54%
+137
HARDHAT GM AGRONOMIST Y21 J516
6
25
+51
69%
+81
KAKAHU BOND 13007
8
13
+50
56%
+126
BONGONGO E617
2
13
+50
57%
+98
DENHOLM GLEN G10 BARTEL J41
6
42
+49
73%
+139
ANVIL KOKODA K267
7
21
+47
68%
+136
GK 26 FEDERER F23
6
23
+47
73%
+50
PARINGA RED NEW MAN E128
1
0
+47
24%
+111
PARINGA IRON ORE E27
2
11
+46
56%
+114
BROOKLANA HI TOWER H64
6
22
+45
65%
+121
TE MANIA QUANTUM 09 490
2
8
+45
52%
+110
HAZELDEAN JAIPUR J140
7
19
+45
68%
+130
BOONAROO GRAVITY G013
4
0
+45
41%
+140
HARDHAT GM GRASS RANGE Y21 J518
6
16
+45
62%
+91
+33
49%
+117
Sire Average (ImmuneDex)/Breed Average (ABI) Table 1. Top 20 ImmuneDEX Sires from the Angus Sire Benchmarking program (ASBP)
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 73
Sire Benchmarking
ASBP – Focussed on Feed Efficiency and Structural Soundnesss Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager
A substantial volume of new feed intake data and structural soundness scores have recently been added to the Angus Australia reference population and included in the Trans-Tasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE). This data was collected on Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) Cohort 8 progeny, producing high accuracy Net Feed Intake and Structural Soundness EBVs for the ASBP Cohort 8 sires.
Feed Intake
Feed Intake data has been collected and analysed on 660, mainly steer progeny, of the Cohort 8 sires. This has resulted in high accuracy Net Feed Intake - Feedlot Finishing EBVs (NFI-F EBV), based on direct feed intake data, now being available for 299 sires in Cohorts 1 to 8 of the ASBP. As all ASBP progeny also have genomic profiles, the feed intake data captured also provides a general boost to the NFI-F EBV accuracy of all animals connected by pedigree or through DNA relatedness. The feed intake data is collected at either UNE’s Tullimba feedlot, Kingstown, NSW or Kerwee Feedlot, Jondaryan, QLD, using GrowSafe systems®. Collectively, this includes feed intake data on approximately 4,200 Angus animals from ASBP Cohorts 1 to 8, with 660 of the records coming from the Cohort 8 bred progeny. Feed intake and serial weight data are used to calculate net feed intake (NFI) values for each steer measured. NFI is a measure of residual feed intake after adjustment for differences in average body weight maintained and growth rate through the test period. Animals with a negative NFI value consume less feed than expected based on their
growth rate and body weight maintained. While animals with positive NFI value consume more feed than expected for their growth performance and average body weight. Importantly, the NFI data collected through the ASBP is analysed in TACE to produce the NFI-F EBV. This EBV is an estimate of genetic differences between animals in feed intake at a standard weight and rate of weight gain when animals are in a feedlot finishing phase. NFI-F EBVs are expressed as kilograms (kg) of feed intake per day. Lower, or more negative, NFI-F EBVs are more favourable. For example, a bull with a NFI-F EBV of –0.6 kg/day would be expected to produce progeny that consume less feed per day than the progeny from a bull that has a NFI-F EBV of +0.8 kg/day (when the progeny are of similar weight, are growing at a similar rate, and are in a feedlot finishing phase). Listed in table 1 are Cohort 8 ASBP sires that have an above average Angus Breeding Index (ABI) and a below average (i.e. more efficient) NFI-F EBV.
Structural Soundness
Feet and leg structural soundness scores, evaluated using the Beef Class system, has been collected on 966 Cohort 8 steer and heifer progeny. The steer progeny were assessed following approximately 100 days on feed around 16 months of age, while the heifers were assessed on farm at approximately 18 months of age.
Table 1 – ASBP Cohort 8 sires with an above average Angus Breeding Index (ABI) and below average (more efficient) NFI-F EBV (September 2020 TACE) Angus Breeding Index ($)
NFI-F EBV (kg/day)
NFI-F Accuracy
NFI-F percentile
+142
-0.79
81%
1
GLENAVON DOCKLANDS M049
+133
-0.79
78%
1
BRIDGEWATER STIMULUS K65
+125
-0.4
77%
3
TE MANIA LACKEY L27
+160
-0.34
81%
5
Name
AJC L172
NAMPARA LIBERTY L21
+121
-0.31
83%
6
LAWSONS LINKEDIN L483
+155
-0.18
78%
12
TE MANIA LANCASTER L64
+152
-0.13
85%
16
PATHFINDER MAXIMUS M558
+158
-0.12
80%
16
RENNYLEA M27
+144
-0.08
79%
20
KAKAHU BOND 13007
+126
-0.05
81%
23
TWYNAM L096
+162
-0.03
80%
25
PRIME LEGEND L77
+137
-0.02
79%
26
WATTLETOP BLACK PEARL M51
+149
-0.01
69%
27
CHILTERN PARK MARBLES M3
+143
+0.07
83%
37
MURDEDUKE KICKING K428
+132
+0.15
83%
48
Breed Average
+117
+0.17
74
Across Cohorts 1 to 8 of the ASBP, over 7000 progeny have now been assessed for the structural soundness traits, added to the Angus Australia reference population and analysed through TACE.
For further information please contact Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager on 0457 457 141 or christian@ angusaustralia.com.au
A list of the “top 10” Cohort 8 sires for each Structural Soundness EBV is shown in tables 2 to 6. Structural Soundness EBVS are interpreted as estimates of genetic differences between animals in desirable feet and leg structure. A higher EBV indicates that an animal will produce a higher percentage of progeny with desirable structure. There are five Structural Soundness EBVs produced being: · Front Feet Angle (FA) · Front Feet Claw Set (FC) · Rear Feet Angle(RA) · Rear Leg Hind View (RH) · Rear Leg Side View (RS) The latest NFI and Structural Soundness EBVs for all sires in the ASBP are available from the Angus Australia website through angus.tech and the ASBPSELECT tool (https:// angus.tech/enquiry/animal/asbp). Progeny average values and rankings for NFI, FC and FA are also listed in updated ASBP Progeny Performance Reports.
Table 3 – Cohort 8 Sires – Top 10 - Front Feet Angle EBV (September 2020 Angus BREEDPLAN analysis) Name WATTLETOP BIG SKY M34
EBV (%)
Acc.
Percentile
WATTLETOP BIG SKY M34
+26
52%
1
HARDHAT RES MICHELIN J536 M56
+21
71%
HIGH SPA M8
+21
67%
TE MANIA LANCASTER L64
+21
RENNYLEA L683
+19
TWYNAM L096
Acc.
Percentile
+27
49%
1
TE MANIA KIRBY K138
+25
95%
1
MURRAY PROCEED M204
+24
84%
1
LAWSONS LINKEDIN L483
+16
73%
7
RENNYLEA M27
+12
72%
15
PRIME LEGEND L77
+11
73%
16
TOPBOS LEADING EDGE L292
+11
80%
15
HARDHAT RES MICHELIN J536 M56
+10
73%
18
PATHFINDER MAXIMUS M558
+10
60%
17
WAITARA 292 LIBERATOR L16
+8
76%
25
ALLOURA LOCK STOCK & BARREL L94
+8
62%
27
HAZELDEAN KATZEN K416
+8
86%
28
Breed Average
+1
Table 2 – Cohort 8 Sires – Top 10 - Front Feet Claw Set EBV (September 2020 Angus BREEDPLAN analysis) Name
EBV (%)
Table 4 – Cohort 8 Sires – Top 10 - Rear Feet Angle EBV (September 2020 Angus BREEDPLAN analysis) EBV (%)
Acc.
Percentile
HARDHAT RES MICHELIN J536 M56
+20
57%
1
3
WATTLETOP BIG SKY M34
+18
39%
1
3
BROOKLANA INFINITY L39
+16
63%
1
88%
3
NAMPARA LIBERTY L21
+16
67%
1
76%
6
TE MANIA KIRBY K138
+14
90%
2
+17
60%
8
MURRAY PROCEED M204
+12
77%
3
LAWSONS LEO L488
+16
80%
12
TOPBOS LEADING EDGE L292
+11
73%
5
CHILTERN PARK MARBLES M3
+16
80%
12
GLENAVON DOCKLANDS M049
+11
48%
5
TE MANIA KIRBY K138
+13
95%
18
LAWSONS LINKEDIN L483
+10
63%
6
CLUDEN NEWRY ELEVATOR L61
+13
83%
20
PRIME LEGEND L77
+10
62%
7
Breed Average
0
Name
Breed Average
-1
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 75
Table 5 – Cohort 8 Sires – Top 10 - Rear Leg Hind View EBV (September 2020 Angus BREEDPLAN analysis) Name
Table 6 – Cohort 8 Sires – Top 10 - Rear Leg Side View EBV (September 2020 Angus BREEDPLAN analysis)
EBV (%)
Acc.
Percentile
EBV (%)
Acc.
Percentile
+6.5
67%
1
WAITARA 292 LIBERATOR L16
+0.3
58%
14
HARDHAT RES MICHELIN J536 M56
+5.0
50%
1
HAZELDEAN KATZEN K416
+4.4
63%
2
LAWSONS LEO L488
+0.3
63%
14
HAZELDEAN KATZEN K416
+0.2
77%
34
WATTLETOP BLACK PEARL M51
+3.3
29%
4
RENNYLEA M27
+0.2
55%
34
PATHFINDER MAXIMUS M558
+3.0
BRIDGEWATER STIMULUS K65
+2.7
38%
5
GLENAVON DOCKLANDS M049
+0.2
44%
34
49%
6
ALLOURA LOCK STOCK & BARREL L94
+0.2
46%
34
MURRAY GENESIS M208
+2.5
57%
7
BOOROOMOOKA LEROY L173
+0.2
70%
34
TOPBOS LEADING EDGE L292
+2.3
65%
9
BEN NEVIS JUDO J158
+0.1
27%
47
KAKAHU BOND 13007
+2.1
50%
10
WATTLETOP BLACK PEARL M51
+0.1
35%
47
CLUDEN NEWRY ELEVATOR L61
+2.1
64%
10
Breed Average
-0.3
Breed Average
-0.4
MURRAY PROCEED M204
76SPECIALIST BEEF AD AUG20 192X135.indd
1
Name
31/8/20 2:24 pm
Enhanced ASBP Progeny Performance Reports Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager
The Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) progeny performance reports have been enhanced to include progeny percentage (%) values for four categorical (i.e. scored) traits being: · Docility · Front Feet Claw Set · Front Feet Angle, and · Coat Type. As these traits have been scored on progeny in all cohorts since the projects inception, all current and historic reports have been updated to include the new information. This is displayed by way of a separate sire listing for each trait within each cohort. This listing includes the number of progeny scored for the trait, the percentage of ASBP progeny displaying the desirable score, and the rank within cohort (figure 1).
Figure 1 – ASBP progeny performance reports have been enhanced to include new progeny percentage (%) values for four categorical traits, with the Front Feet Angle example shown here. Below: Figure 2 – The new progeny % values have been included in the ASBP Summary tables.
As background, the ASBP reports contain a range of information to assist Angus breeders in determining the outcomes of sires used in the Angus Sire Benchmarking Project (ASBP). This includes a range of familiar information (TACE EBVs and selection Indexes) and additional progeny performance data (i.e. progeny average values and rankings) from within the ASBP. Also included are additional traits such as MSA Marble Score, MSA Ossification and MSA Index. While the progeny values are meaningful to understand how a sire is performing through its progeny within the ASBP, for selection purposes it is strongly advised to use the available TACE EBVs and selection indexes in the first instance. They are the highest accuracy information available as they consider all industry data, including the performance data and genotypes generated from the ASBP. They also account for information from all known relatives and genetic correlations between traits, as well as being comparable across cohorts and the Angus population. Additionally, the summary table at the end of each report has been updated with the new values. This includes the standard colour coding approach for easy interpretation (figure 2) being: · Rank 1 to 5 (dark green with white text). · Rank 6 to 10 (light green with black text). There is a separate report for each Cohort that can be accessed under the Sire Benchmarking menu item on the Angus Australia website (www.angusaustralia.com.au). The progeny values can also be accessed via angus.tech and the ASBPSELECT facility. For any questions related to the ASBP contact Christian Duff, Strategic Projects Manager on 0457 457 141 or christian@ angusaustralia.com.au.
The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 77
Peter Parnell
Ron Bower
Chief Executive Officer M: 0428 918 632 P: 02 6773 4605 E: peter@angusaustralia.com.au
Human Resource Manager
Human Resources
Chief Executive Officer
Staff Directory
David Cameron
Joy Howe
Administration Manager/ Financial Controller
Accounts Officer
Strategic Projects
Finance & Administration
P: 02 6773 4624 E: david.cameron@angusaustralia.com.au
78
P: 02 6773 4607 E: ron@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4612 E: joy.howe@angusaustralia.com.au
Carole Johns
Sue Webeck
Accounts Officer
Accounts Officer
P: 02 6773 4627 E: carole.johns@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4606 E: sue@angusaustralia.com.au
Amanda Wolfe Administration Officer P: 02 6773 4600 E: amanda@angusaustralia.com.au
Christian Duff
Nick Butcher
Strategic Projects Manager
Project Officer, ASBP
P: 02 6773 4620 M: 0457 457 141 E: christian@angusaustralia.com.au
M: 0427 701 236 E: nick@angusaustralia.com.au
Jen Peart Northern Development Officer P: 02 6773 4600 M: 0417 219 405 E: jen.peart@angusaustralia.com.au
Staff Directory Commercial Supply Chain
Liz Pearson Commercial Supply Chain Manager P: 02 6773 4608 M: 0488 758 360 E: liz.pearson@angusaustralia.com.au
Christopher de Crespigny
Marketing, Communications & Youth
Software Development
Information Systems Manager
Dale Curtis Computer Programmer
P: 02 6773 4619 E: christopher@angusaustralia.com.au
E: dale.curtis@angusaustralia.com.au
Gerard Hammond
Chris Nimmo
Computer Programmer
Computer Programmer
P: 02 6773 4600 E: gerard.hammond@angusaustralia. com.au
E: chris.nimmo@angusaustralia.com.au
Diana Wood
Robyn Brazier
Marketing & Communications Manager
Marketing Assistant
P: 02 6773 4601 M: 0411 242 001 E: diana@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4609 E: marketing@angusaustralia.com.au
Samantha Hamilton
Kate Reynolds
Marketing Officer – Sale Catalogues
Graphics & Multimedia Officer
P: 02 6773 4613 E: sam@angusuaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4600 E: design@angusaustralia.com.au
Ebonie Sadler-Small
Cheyne Twist
Graphics & Multimedia Officer
Communications Officer
P: 02 6773 4600 E: ebonie@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4635 M: 0408 799 279 E: communications @angusaustralia.com.au The Angus Bulletin - Spring 2020
| 79
Member Services
Breed Development & Extension
Staff Directory Andrew Byrne
Matt Reynolds
Breed Development & Extension Manager
Breed Development Officer
P: 02 6773 4618 M: 0418 412 042 E: andrew@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4626 M: 0433 532 453 E: matthew.reynolds@angusaustralia. com.au
Scott Wright
Nicky Carey
Member Services Manager
Senior Member Services Officer
P: 02 6773 4614 E: scott.wright@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4616 E: nicky.carey@angusaustralia.com.au
Adam Allingham
Josh Gunther
Member Services Officer
Member Services Officer
P: 02 6773 4602 E: adam.allingham@angusaustralia. com.au
P: 02 6773 4611 E: josh.gunther@angusaustralia.com.au
Robyn Kelly
Tammy McLeod
Member Services Officer
Member Services Officer
P: 02 6773 4615 E: robyn@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4604 E: tammy.mcleod@angusaustralia.com.au
Henry Newell-Hutton
Heather Rocks
Member Services Officer
Member Services Officer
P: 02 6773 4614 E: henry.newell-hutton@angusaustralia. com.au
P: 02 6773 4621 E: heather.rocks@angusaustralia.com.au
Sarah Scott
Lou Wood
Member Services Officer
Member Services Officer
P: 02 6773 4611 E: sarah.scott@angusaustralia.com.au
P: 02 6773 4617 E: office@angusuaustralia.com.au
Angus Australia Locked Bag 11, Armidale NSW 2350 P: 02806773 4600 | F: 02 6772 3095 | E: office@angusaustralia.com.au Website: www.angusaustralia.com.au
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