Mating predictor running ‘red hot’

Matt Reynolds, Breed Development Officer

With the bull sale season firing on all cylinders, the Angus Mating Predictor is running ‘red hot’ as users use the tool to better understand the impact of their breeding and selection decisions.

Since the 1st of June, criteria like birth weight, IMF and 400day weight have been leading the EBV criteria applied to animal searches within Angus.Tech and with the addition of a new feature this focus can now be taken into the Angus Mating Predictor. The Angus Mating Predictor enables users to generate mid-parent EBVs for the potential mating, giving breeders a glimpse into what the average progeny for the pairing may look like. In addition, the Angus Mating Predictor also calculates the inbreeding coefficient of the mating, enable breeders to further understand the impact of the decision. A new feature which enables users to transfer the animals within their results page to the mating predictor, represents a powerful tool to breeders who can now combine tools like Angus SaleSELECT and Angus SemenSELECT, seamlessly with the Mating Predictor within Angus.Tech. Users can begin by using either Angus SaleSELECT or Angus SemenSELECT to identify bulls which meet their breeding objective. Once animals are brought up using either of the Angus SELECT tools, users need to check the box in the far left-hand column of the bulls they want to use in the mating predictor. For further information on using the features of Angus.Tech contact staff at Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600.

Once the bulls have been checked, users can then click the lighting bolt, located in the far right-hand side header column, and select ‘Transfer Animals to Mating Predictor’. Users will then be taken to the Angus Mating Predictor, where they will find the animal IDs of the transferred animals prefilled in the sire identifier box. Users will then need to enter the females they wish to use in the mating prediction. Due to the limit of 200 total search results within the Angus Mating Predictor, users may need to identify a subset of their cow herd to run through the mating predictor, which may represent the top females or a representative group. Tools like the Report centres, Result summary report, Trait distribution and Trait comparison report can assist members looking to identify this representative group. Combining these features of Angus.Tech further enhances the experience breeders have when looking to draw on the power of the Angus Australia Database. By seamlessly integrating these tools Angus.Tech continues to demonstrate what a powerful tool the database is for Angus breeders. For further support in utilising any of the features of the Angus Australia database, visit the Angus Education Centre. Containing step by step tutorials through all the features of the database the Angus Education Centre is a great resource right at your fingertips.