GENOMIC TESTING

Written by Nicki Westersund

As the popularity of the black cattle with white patterns known as the Speckle Park breed grows, utilizing genomic tools that are available becomes important. The Speckle Park (SP) breed is unique in many aspects; the noticeable colour pattern of the animals, the quality of the carcass and the fact that it is only the second Canadian beef breed to be given distinct breed status. This breed has been experiencing increases in herd size locally as well as gaining global awareness. With SP cattle being the combination of different breeds, the genetic management of these animals is essential to breed preservation and improvement. So how can we use DNA testing to manage the breed heritage as well as genetic improvement? Producers can use parentage verification testing to identify who the sire is of each calf for both management and registration; making sure only the productive, profitable sires continue to be used. Testing for desired traits whether it be polled cattle, coat colour, or other genetic conditions, can help in achieving specific goals. Screening for genetic conditions and abnormalities is important in ensuring the longevity and health of your herd and the animals that you are selling. Both seedstock and commercial producers can use genomic profiles as a tool in their heifer selection process to ensure any challenges or shortcomings in their herd can be addressed and evolved. Genomic testing is a very valuable tool that shows the genetic merit of each animal to help make better and informed breeding decisions that have a positive economic impact. A key question to ask is why are you genomic testing? Or is it because you have identified some areas of improvement in your herd? Herds evolve as specific heritable traits are passed down over the generations and the more you know about what heritable traits you are breeding shows you what you can select for or against.

One valuable aspect of genomic testing that gives insight into your sire performance is parentage testing.

In seed stock or commercial production who use multi sire pastures it is important to know which bulls are performing and delivering results. Feeding, vaccinating, deworming, transporting, registering, etc. of a bull is a large investment. Parentage testing your calves for your bulls performance can prove if they are worth that investment. For commercial producers it is highly valuable to know which bulls are producing the highest weight weaned calves or the best replacement heifers. In addition to parentage, genomic testing can give insight on many different traits. When a calf inherits its DNA from its parents it inherits different genes. These genes can express different visible traits. These can include whether the animal is polled or horned, what colour the coat is, and whether the animal is double muscled.

Seedstock and commercial SP producers are always looking to maximize the genetic gain within their herd, however part of that is ensuring that you are not breeding genetic disorders or conditions into your herd. In SP cattle a genetic disorder that needs to be screened is Myostatin nt821 (M1), a strain of double muscling. M1 is a mutation in the DNA that results in the animal appearing very heavily muscled with a large rounded rump with little fat cover and the bones of the animal will be thin. This variant of Myostatin can also lead to calving issues. This condition is most easily managed with genomic testing. Genomic testing will verify which SP animals are carriers to help make more informed decisions to manage this disorder and can also give the producer peace of mind and credibility to focus on their herd productivity goals.

To focus on specific goals, many Canadian beef breed associations use a genetic evaluation based on a 100K density SNP panel test (Bovine GGP-100K) that uses the genetic information to predict the performance and genetic merit of economically important traits with results delivered as genomically enhanced