Introducing 'Red Choice' for Profitable and Successful Heifers - October 2021

Introducing ‘Red Choice’ for Profitable and Successful Heifers by Harold Bertz, Director of Commercial Marketing

Beginning as a concept, moving into a pilot program and now available to the industry, the Red Angus Association of America is pleased to introduce the Red Choice heifer development program. Modeled after the extremely successful Show-Me Select program in Missouri, Red Choice incorporates vaccination, breeding and management protocols to create top-level bred heifers. The Red Angus female has long been considered the industry’s most-preferred; Red Choice will add another layer of management and planned mating to strengthen that value.

Working closely with staff at the University of Missouri, RAAA staff has developed specific criteria to aid producers in developing high-quality replacement females. Beginning with vaccination protocol at weaning, heifers registered with RAAA or enrolled in the Feeder Calf Certification Program are eligible for enrollment in Red Choice. One of the unique features is a pelvic measurement and tract score. Sorting large groups of heifers based on their stage of puberty, as measured by tract score, can have a significant role in the success of early breeding. By sorting these heifers early, management decisions can be made quickly, cutting costs and increasing breeding success.

Female replacement strategies can have a greater longterm effect on cowherd profitability than many other decisions made by cow-calf producers. Ranchers must evaluate long- and short-term effects of replacement choices and the combined sensitivity of market prices and the long-term reproductive integrity of their herds. Decision-making systems that focus only on the short-term effects of female replacement strategies do not measure such things as:

reproductive soundness, replacement rate, comparative productive capacity between heifers and cows, death and morbidity rates, disease incidence, conception rates, comparative pregnancy distribution between heifers and cows, calving interval effects on weaning weight and prices, and effect of birth weight on dystocia and subsequent reproduction.

Despite multiple publications outlining the various methods to increase ranch profitability through heifer development strategies, many ranchers have been slow to adopt methods that could significantly improve both genetics and profit. Because of the obvious potential to improve production, reproductive efficiency and individual ranch income, the Red Choice program for Red Angus and Red Angus commercial producers throughout the country allows them to focus on development of the replacement beef heifer.

Selection and management of replacement beef heifers involve decisions that affect future productivity of an entire herd. Programs to develop heifers have therefore focused on the physiological processes that influence puberty. Age at puberty is most important as a production trait when heifers are bred to calve as 2-year-olds and in systems that impose restricted breeding periods. The number of heifers that become pregnant during their first breeding season and within a defined time period is correlated with the number that exhibit estrus early in the breeding season.

Red Choice will add another layer of management and planned mating to further strengthen the value of Red Angus females.

reproduction status and breed type or genetic make-up of the heifers involved. A number of factors influence the ability of a cow to calve in a given year and successively over a number of years. Heifers that calve early during their first calving season have higher lifetime calf production than those that calve late. Because most calves are weaned at a particular time rather than on a weight-constant or age-constant basis, calves born late in the normal calving season are usually lighter at sale time than those

born early. This tends to decrease the total lifetime profitability of their dams. In many cases, subjective methods of selecting replacement heifers have not afforded suitable focus on reproductive traits. The ability to identify heifers with the greatest reproductive potential prior to the breeding season should result in increased reproductive efficiency resulting in improvements in total cowherd productivity and profitability.

To qualify as Red Choice females the document on page 56 lists all eligibility requirements.

The timeline on page 58 gives a brief outline of management procedures required to qualify for the Red Choice program and general recommendations for time of application. Both of these documents, as well as the enrollment form, are available at: RedAngus.org/red-choice/

The Red Choice program is designed to assist in ranch profitability and success. By using proven protocols for vaccination, breeding and management, ranchers will be able to add another layer of predictability and value to the industry’s most-preferred female.

For more information, please contact a member of the Red Angus Commercial Marketing team or visit RedAngus. org/marketing/marketing-services/red-choice.. •

Red Choice Program Eligibility Requirements

Enrollment To enroll contact Chessie Mitchell at RAAA, chessie@redangus.org. Enrollment deadlines are February 1st for spring breeding season and September 1st for the fall breeding season.

Ownership Heifers enrolled in the program, if home raised, must be enrolled in the Feeder Calf Certification Program, Allied Access Program, Premium Red Baldy, American Red or be registered through the RAAA. If purchased, heifers must be owned a minimum of 60 days prior to breeding and have been enrolled in the FCCP, PRB or AR programs prior to purchase at the ranch of origin. For cattle enrolled in PRB or AR, all sires must be eligible Red Angus sires.

Minimum Vaccination Requirements Follow label directions for all products used. A comprehensive herd health vaccination program starting at weaning age or before should be administered under the advice and guidance of a veterinarian in the context of a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship. The following vaccination program is required at a minimum:

Weaning Vaccination against IBR, BVD, PI 3, BRSV, leptospirosis (5-way), vibriosis (optional) and 7-way clostridia. Heifers must be 5 months of age or older at time of vaccinations, and receive booster vaccination according to label directions.

Prebreeding Between 30 and 60 days prior to breeding, booster vaccinations must be given against IBR, BVD, leptospirosis (5-way) and vibriosis. Modified live vaccines for IBR and BVD are recommended. If killed viral vaccine products are used, two boosters are strongly recommended.

Pregnancy Check A booster vaccination against leptospirosis (5-way) is required at pregnancy examination.

Calfhood Vaccination against brucellosis (Bangs) Official calfhood vaccination (OCV) tag number will be recorded as a secondary ID. Note that brucellosis vaccination must be given by an accredited veterinarian in accordance with state and federal regulations (i.e. prior to heifers reaching over 12 months of age).

Prebreeding Evaluation A prebreeding reproductive evaluation is required for all heifers and must be performed 30 to 60 days prior to breeding. Individual animal identification, pelvic measurement and reproductive tract score is required at this time. Heifers must have a minimum pelvic area of 150 cm 2 . Heifers with a pelvic area smaller than 150 cm 2 may be re-measured at the initial pregnancy exam, performed within 90 days from the start of the breeding season. At that time, heifers that are re-measured must have a minimum pelvic area of 180 cm 2 to qualify.

Breeding Producers using artificial insemination must report breeding dates as well as method of estrus synchronization (if applicable). Natural service bull exposure dates are also reported. To ensure accuracy when distinguishing between AI versus natural service pregnancies, heifers that are bred artificially may not be exposed for natural service for a minimum of 14 days.

Pregnancy Examination An initial pregnancy examination must be performed within 90 days from the start of the breeding season. Individual animal identification, pregnancy status and fetal age (in days) are required. Reporting of fetal sex is optional. Any heifer that fails to become pregnant, or loses a pregnancy following the original breeding season, is no longer eligible for the program.

Genetic Requirements

Sire Requirements Eligible sires must have a known ID, be registered with the RAAA, be Category IA, 1B or II and have complete EPD information. All sires, AI or natural service, must be a minimum of 14 for the CED and have GE-EPDs.

Red Choice-Plus Classification Heifers tested with a heifer genomic prediction panel approved by Red Choice coordinators will be given the designation of Red Choice-Plus Heifer. These include GE-EPD or Red Navigator. DNA samples must be submitted to the RAAA.

Fee Structure Red Choice fees will be $2/head enrollment fee for cattle enrolled through December 31, 2023, moving to $5/head enrollment after for females enrolled after January 1, 2024.

For females with Red Navigator results (Red Choice Plus) or registered females with GE-EPDs (Red Choice Plus), the enrollment fee is waived.

Red Choice Replacement Heifer Program Timeline and Data Collection

Weaning

❏ Vaccinations: IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV, 7-way clostridial, and brucellosis

Procedures

❏ Evaluate structural soundness and blemishes (scarred eyes, rat-tails, injuries)

❏ Parasite control as needed

All products listed must be used according to label directions. Consult your veterinarian regarding any questions on health procedures. Forms for data collection will be provided from a Red Choice coordinator. All data should be forwarded immediately after collection to Erin Larimore – LarimoreE@missouri.edu.

Pre-Breeding 30-60 days prior to breeding

Procedures

❏ o Vaccinations: IBR, BVD, vibriosis, 5-way leptospirosis

❏ Pelvic measurement

❏ Reproductive tract score

❏ Evaluate structural soundness and blemishes

❏ AI sire EPDs and accuracies must meet requirements

❏ Parasite control as needed

❏ Confi rm eligibility of planned service sires

❏ Natural service sires must have GE-EPDs and meet calving ease EPD requirement

Required Data

❏ Individual ID

❏ OCV (brucellosis) tag number

❏ Reproductive tract score

❏ Pelvic measurements

❏ Breed or breed cross

❏ Coat color

❏ Blemishes/unsoundness

Optional Data (if available)

❏ Registration number

❏ Genomic test

❏ Body condition score

❏ Hair shedding score

❏ Docility

❏ Sire registration number

❏ Birth date

❏ Weight

❏ Hip height

❏ Notes/concerns

❏ Foot score

Breeding

Required Data

❏ Breeding program

❏ Artifi cial insemination (AI)

❏ Breeding date(s)

❏ Service sire registration numbers

❏ Natural service

❏ Bull exposure dates

❏ Estrus synch protocol

❏ 1 Shot PG

❏ CIDR + PG

❏ MGA + PG

❏ Select Synch + CIDR

❏ 7-d CO-Synch + CIDR

❏ 5-d CO-Synch + CIDR

❏ 14-day CIDR + PG

❏ Breeding management

❏ Heat detection

❏ Heat detection and clean-up AI

❏ Fixed-time AI

❏ Split-time AI

❏ Individual animal records

❏ Heat expression (if known)

❏ Breeding date (mo/day)

❏ Breeding time (am/pm)

❏ Technician information

❏ Initials

❏ Lay versus professional

Pregnancy Exam Maximum of 90 days after start of breeding

Procedures

❏ Booster vaccination: 5-way leptospirosis

❏ Pregnancy exam

❏ Body condition score

❏ Re-measure pelvis on heifers less than 150 cm 2 at pre-breeding

❏ Evaluate for structural soundness and blemishes

❏ Parasite control as needed

Required Data

❏ Individual ID

❏ OCV (brucellosis) tag number

❏ Number of days pregnant

❏ Pelvic measurements (if re-measured)

❏ Blemishes/unsoundness

Optional Data (if available)

❏ Fetal sex

❏ Body condition score

❏ Genomic test information