Seeing Both Sides

by Lindsay Upperman, Ph.D., Director of Breed Improvement

Over the past 15 years, genotyping has risen to the forefront of many conversations. Advancements in technology, and the incorporation of genomics into genetic evaluations, have created additional management decisions on when and which animals to genotype. As a producer, should genotyping the whole herd be the annual goal or is genotyping the sale bulls the best decision? Let’s chat about what benefits can come from various DNA testing as well as testing specific portions of the herd.

Parentage Testing

The basis for parentage testing comes from the idea of a parent giving a copy of an allele to the offspring. The application of parentage testing comes in handy to those producers who utilize multi-sire pastures or cleanup bulls after AI exposure. Furthermore, identifying the correct parents of a calf crop allows for more informative breeding and culling decisions. This is due to pinpointing the parents that are contributing the largest amount of genetic progress towards the producer’s breeding goals.

For example, let’s look at a single gene scenario of a calf with two potential sires in the chart below.

After evaluating the alleles for each parent and the offspring, the presence of the B allele in the calf had to be received from Sire 2, as that is the only parent with a B allele. Thus, the A allele in the calf was received from the dam. In this scenario, there is no possible way for a mating by Sire 1 and the dam to result in a B allele, thus excluding Sire 1 as a parent.

Yet, this can become more complicated when similar pedigrees are used within the same herd over multiple generations. In other words, referring to the single gene scenario above, think about what happens if a grandsire and son are utilized within a multiple sire pasture. These related sires are more likely to share the same alleles at multiple locations so identifying the correct sire of the calf may not be so clear cut. In this situation, having a dam sample on file is crucial to accurately identifying the correct sire of the calf, as this helps to more closely detect which alleles were passed by the dam and not a potential sire.

Genotyping Panels

As discussed with parentage testing, the same process occurs to identify parents of offspring when tested on a genotype panel, also known as, GGP-ULD, GGP-LD or GGPHD as described on the DNA testing form. The difference between parentage testing and genotypes is the number of markers that are utilized. For instance, a parentage test may only have 200 markers, while a GGP-ULD may have 30,000 and a GGP-LD has 100,000 markers. Essentially, the amount of information is much greater on the genotype panels, which allows for more comparisons to be made for finding possible parents.

With this said, the Red Cow Rally program is a great way to get started genotyping your female herd! This research collaboration between RAAA and Neogen was designed to increase genotypes on females, as well as phenotypic data collection, for traits such as mature weights and body condition scores. The program offers GGP-LD testing for a discounted rate of $22 compared to the regular $50 cost with additional rebates for phenotype submissions. This is available if certain requirements are met, such as testing 90% of the active female inventory, with a few other stipulations. Please contact the RAAA DNA Department at dna@ redangus.org for more information.

Ultimately, choosing which tests to utilize and which animals to test depends on your operation, especially as the net benefit of utilizing genotyping technologies is a function of the costs to implement the testing and the expected return in revenue. In the end, the goal is to increase the legitimacy of the current pedigrees in order to identify those genetically elite animals. //

125 Angus Bulls

57 Charolais Bulls

28 Simmental & SimAngus™ Bulls

31 Red Angus Bulls

85+ Angus, Charolais, Simmental, & SimAngus™ heifers!

Selling in catalog order!

Lot 220 | TMAS KING COWBOY 2920K ET | Red Angus

Sire: 4MC KING OF THE COWBOYS 706 | RAAA: 4650513

MGS: BIEBER DEEP END B597

A son of the $105,000 4MC King Of The Cowboys 706 that o ers a 724 lb. Adj WW!

Lot 225 | TMAS MULBERRY9918 206K | Red Angus

Sire: ERKS MULBERRY 9918 | RAAA: 4642365

MGS: BIEBER ROLLIN DEEP Y118

Stout, powerful, and rugged Red Angus bulls supported by genetics that will propel your program forward!

4.11.2023

Graham Blagg: 530-913-6418

Jered Shipman: 806-983-7226

Tim Anderson: 605-682-9343 InnovationAgMarketing.com

Troy & VeaBea Thomas | Clint, Cally & Tee Kindred 18475 Capri Place - Harrold, SD 57536

Troy: 605-222-1258 | Cally: 605-222-1515

Ranch: (605) 973-2449 | info@thomasranchcattle.com Thomasranchcattle.com

Lot 222 | TMAS 1BBC MR ENERGIZE 235 | Red Angus

Sire: BIEBER CL ENERGIZE F121 | RAAA: 4687555

MGS: LSF MEW X-PORTER 6695D

Curve bending growth and breed leading carcass traits will come with the service of this Bieber CL Energize F121 son!

Lot 223 | TMAS 1BBC MR CHIVAS 236 | Red Angus

Sire: ROJAS TR CHIVAS 17109 | RAAA: 4687525

MGS: WEBR TC CARD SHARK 1015

The Rojas TR Chivas 17109 sons have proven their value in the bull battery for the region’s most particular cowmen!

Lot 235 | TMAS MULBERRY9918 212K | Red Angus

Sire: ERKS MULBERRY 9918 | RAAA: 4642377

MGS: RED COCKBURN ASSASSIN 624D

This ERKS Mulberry 9918 son will add payweight to your feeder cattle and maternal excellence to the replacement pen!

Lot 227 | TMAS SCMH 223 | Red Angus

Sire: SCMH NEW DIRECTION 812 | RAAA: 4576883

MGS: LORENZEN EDGY 3735

The class leading Red Angus bull, coming to the weaning pen with almost 750 pounds of payweight!

Lot 228 | TMAS SCMH 221 | Red Angus

Sire: SCMH NEW DIRECTION 812 | RAAA: 4576873

MGS: C-T GRAND STATEMENT 1025

A new sire group for 2023 that o ers rare power and muscle shape!

Lot 236 | TMAS SCMH 227 | Red Angus

Sire: SCMH NEW DIRECTION 812 | RAAA: 4576893

MGS: RED NORTHLINE ROCK STAR 911U

A herd bull that will add length and pounds, without having to sacri ce calving ease!

Lot 4 | TR MR MILESTONE 2445 | Angus

Sire: SITZ MILESTONE | AAA: 20530483

MGS: V D A R REALLY WINDY 4097

Calving ease, carcass merit, and real world performance! A must see on sale day!

Lot 193 | TMAS CKCC MR RIGHT TIME 2689K | 3/4 Simmental

Sire: ES RIGHT TIME FA110-4 | ASA: 4117649

MGS: MR NLC UPGRADE U8676 30+ Simmental & SimAngus bulls that will add heterosis to your breeding program!

Lot 9 | TR BRIGADE 2037K | Angus

Sire: 44 BRIGADE | AAA: 20513568

MGS: TR MR PAYWEIGHT 7115E

Moderate birth with over 700 lbs. of payweight at the weaning pen. A high quality 44 Brigade son with breed leading eye appeal.

Lot 12 | TR PATRIARCH 2096K | Angus

Sire: TEHAMA PATRIARCH F028 | AAA: 20513588

MGS: CONNEALY COMRADE 1385

This rugged Tehama Patriarch F028 son is CAB Targeting the Brand program quali ed!

Lot 130 | CAG TR MR DBLE VISION 2628K ET | Charolais

Sire: SHARODON DOUBLE VISION 1D | AICA: EM974964

MGS: M&M OUTSIDER 4003 PLD

A herd sire prospect that is supported by the maternal prowess of the powerful BRCHE TR Dory 6501!

Lot 132 | TR BOY ABSOLUTE 223K PLD | Charolais

Sire: SHF ABSOLUTE 1508 | AICA: M980588

MGS: M&M OUTSIDER 4003 PLD

This SHF Absolute 1508 son is unrivaled in terms of power and performance - backed by the proli c TR Ms Danika 6718D ET!