THE VALUE OF A REGISTRATION PAPER

From The Corner Office By Megan

SLATER

There are many options when it comes to adding new bulls to the herd, however not every bull on the market comes with a registration paper. But why does that matter? What is the value of purchasing registered seedstock?

Registered animals are accompanied by a tracked pedigree and expected progeny differences (EPD), both of which provide more information to the owner of the animal and any potential buyers. Tracked pedigrees are important when considering mating decisions and can assist in monitoring the different types of breeding methods, such as out breeding, line breeding or inbreeding. In addition, the buyer can better predict the performance and longevity of the animal by looking at the history of sire and dam and utilizing EPDs.

EPDs provide a wealth of information on the animal’s genetic merit that can’t be seen through phenotypic evaluation of the animal on sale day. They are a useful tool when it comes to making selection decisions to best meet the objectives of one’s herd and can be used to compare cattle from all across the country. To better serve the commercial producer, the American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) is a part of the International Genetic Solutions (IGS) multi-breed genetic evaluation. Being a part of this evaluation allows for Gelbvieh and Balancer® growth and carcass trait EPDs to be directly comparable to other breeds within the evaluation such as Red Angus, Simmental, and Limousin (just to name a few), making the search for the right bull even easier for commercial producers. This genetic evaluation, powered by BOLT technology, uses the advanced single-step method, which better incorporates genomic data directly into the evaluation.

Single-step genetic evaluation is the most advanced technology currently available for the genetic evaluation of beef cattle. Efficiently utilizing the vast amount of genomic data on animals within the evaluation help explain more variance for each trait, leading to higher accuracy selection tools for producers. Higher accuracy genomic-enhanced EPDs benefit commercial producers by reducing risk when it comes to buying young bulls for breeding. Genomic enhancements are often the equivalent of several calving records, making the performance of animals more predictable.

Buyers who receive a registration paper are able to see all the animal’s information in print and have 24/7 access to the animal’s most up-to-date information and EPDs using the AGA’s Online Registry Service.

Not only do registered animals tend to have more information, but buyers also receive other benefits when the registration paper is transferred to them through the AGA. The first benefit is receiving a year subscription to the Gelbvieh World magazine. The magazine provides a monthly connection to the Gelbvieh and Balancer® breed, including information on AGA programs and services. Balancer® Edge is a source and age verification program in partnership with IMI Global for feeder calves sired by Gelbvieh or Balancer bulls. Producers also have the option to participate in additional program levels such as NHTC and verified natural.

In addition, the AGA also helps producers to market load lots of Gelbvieh and Balancer-influenced feeder cattle via email through the AGA’s Feeder Finder service. Producers with load lots of feeder cattle are encouraged to fill out the form found on Gelbvieh.org. A description of the load, where and how they are selling is sent a list of feedyards across the countries. This is a free service provided by the AGA. Producers interested in these and other programs are encouraged to contact the AGA at 303-465-2333.