Feedback drives consistency in breeding

Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager

The desire for feedback to drive their genetic selection process and ensure they are using the right article, has seen Rohan Giles and family from Crower Partners enter Angus cattle in to the Southern Grassfed Carcase Classic in 12 out of the 13 years the competition has been running.

The Southern Grassfed Carcase Classic is the largest of its kind known in at least the southern hemisphere and possibly even the world. Crower Partners has been located at Lucindale in South Australia for 21 years, where they are producing predominately cross bred ewes and lambs, but also run 350 Angus cows. Prior to running their cattle breeding operation, the Giles family used to run up to 450 predominately Angus weaners. But as they evolved their operation over the years, they moved more down the breeding path. No stranger to success in the Southern Grassfed Carcase Classic, the Giles Family have won the Champion carcase at least once, as well as the highest MSA score for eating quality award at least four times. This year Crower Partners won the coveted Champion pen of ten steers, which is the highest score for ten individual carcases out of the 1354 entered. The result came as a shock to Mr Giles because he may not have won overall Champion, but to have 10 animals perform so consistently in the competition is the aim of his breeding program. ‘Obviously we’re doing something right here,’ said Mr Giles. When asked what he has learnt over the last twelve years of receiving comprehensive feedback, Mr Gileswas very clear that his involvement in the competition has helped drive his breeding program. ‘I like the feedback you get, it gives you a pretty accurate picture of where you’re going against others, if you just look at your own figures, you don’t get any measurement against everyone else’. ‘I’ve learnt that when I first started in Angus cattle I used to be a bit below budget and I’d be buying the type of bulls that no one else would bid on. And I soon learnt that I had really low EMA and zero IMF and a few other things were missing when looking at the kill sheets. So Mandy, my daughter brought in this rule that if they weren’t above breed average on the EBVs, I couldn’t bid on them’. ‘It’s a very slow process to change some of the attributes in your cow herd, but where we have changed our focus, it seems that it is starting to pay off. We have got more even results on those kill sheets.’ ‘The change in breeding direction has meant a more consistent product and we are pretty confident that there will be marbling and eye muscle area without needing to crossbreed’. When selecting his Angus bulls, Mr Giles is looking for attributes to breed into his herd that will continue to prove successful. ‘We started to focus on the traits that we were leaving behind. Originally we were looking at the 600 day growth and would buy as much of that as we could without blowing out the birth weight too much, with a bit of focus on some low birth weight bulls for heifers’. ‘But now we have dropped all that and if they are breed average for birth weight that’s good, if above breed average for weight, that’s good and especially above breed average for eye muscle area and IMF, then we are really happy.’ Mr Giles stressed that the eating quality traits are important in selection and that is what he is chasing. He noted that consumers want to eat good quality beef, “It’s what we like to eat and its what the market is looking for’. Mr Giles noted that he enjoys receiving sale catalogues in the mail and looking at the available genetics and appreciates that seedstock producers are working towards the same aims that commercial producers have. ‘They are ensuring they are using the genetics that will produce the ideal beef product at the end of the day. Everyone is on the same page’. Having been in the south east for a significant amount of time Mr Giles recognises that the area is very suited to beef production and has enjoyed seeing how the cattle industry has evolved. ‘It is a great cattle producing area that can produce high quality beef on grass, its has been proven’, he said. Feedback from the competition is really relevant to how Crower Partners operates. ‘The kill sheet really shows if you are on the right track with what you are doing and how well your breeding is working and what your judgement is when preparing the cattle for slaughter.’ And how does he plan to stay on top with consistent results? ‘Make sure I have the right genetics and hope the feed is where it needs to be to get that MSA grading right up near the top.’