17 Farming Smarter for Premiums - Commercial Gains
24 Angus SteerSELECT - Commercial Gains
29 TACE Percentiles for Selection - The Science
35 CUP Scanning Finding Outliers - Advertorial
36 Storth Oaks Angus - The Backbone
43 AngusPRO Index - The Science
44 ‘Angus on Dairy’ Research Index - The Science
47 Angus Beef Recipe - The Reward
48 Butcher Girl Alison - Viewpoint
50 Genomics: How, What, Why and When - The Science
55 Mature Cow Traits - The Science
59 Beef + Lamb Programmes - Commercial Gains
62 Bull Sales 2024 - The Backbone
63 AngusPRO Member Representation - The Backbone
65 Crossword
66 Neogen World Angus Forum 2025
69 Breeder Directory
FROM THE EDITOR
It is a pleasure to produce a magazine these days. They are becoming few and far between in the fastpaced digital world we live in. However, they still hold a valid place in every farmhouse, whether that be on the coffee table, nightstand or beside the loo.
AngusPRO is at the front of the game in a cattle world filled with genomics and technological advancements most farmers only dare to dream of. Our farmers are competing alongside one another to bring their clients the best progeny possible, year after year, and the ultimate reward goes to the consumer each and every time they dine on Angus beef.
Next time you devour a decent Angus steak, spare a thought for the stud breeder who designed it three years ago...
COVER PHOTO Butcher Girl Alison
The 2025 AngusPRO Magazine is published in association with CountryWide Media Ltd.
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of Angus Australia or of the AngusPRO members here in New Zealand.
AngusPRO - Our Story
AngusPRO are a group of New Zealand Angus studs that encompass almost 40% of New Zealand’s registered Angus cattle. These studs have united and made the shift across the ditch, to join the progressive governing body that is Angus Australia. Angus Australia prides itself on their quality of leadership in the delivery of innovative programmes that will enhance and promote the value of Angus cattle and beef.
Everyone in the industry knows that profitability within a cattle system can be improved by making educated predictions with factual data. It’s scientifically proven. While ensuring cattle are of sound structure and are quiet in nature, the additional use of science and genomics can assist in viewing what’s under the skin of an animal, providing an insight into what future progeny will look like, grow like, breed like and essentially, eat like.
By shifting to Angus Australia, AngusPRO has opened the gateway to technological and education facilities for the studs involved and their clients that are second to none. In what may seem like an administrative shift, we’re all gaining a support network of 30-odd staff, countless educational documents and webinars, training sessions, technological tools, extensive research and continuing breed development. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Angus cattle are the backbone of the New Zealand beef industry. In the commercial environment they’re expected to survive. Amid winter conditions of driving rain and inches of snow they will forage and not only survive, they will thrive. It’s in their DNA.
When stud females are mated as heifers, this replicates the commercial farming model and improves overall fertility within the herd. Increased profitability is therefore bred into those
progeny, so to speak. EBVs are the best available tool we have in predicting future progeny and when stud breeders use technologies such as HD50k and Angus GS, the accuracy of EBVs and Indexes is increased.
Angus Australia is focused on supporting the genetic improvement of Angus cattle. Their angus.tech suite includes a range of software tools and technologies, such as Angus SELECT, which has been developed to support members in improving the profitability of Angus genetics within the beef supply chain, by assisting with the identification of those genetics that are most aligned with their breeding goals and objectives.
While increased profitability for the client is at the forefront of our AngusPRO members’ aspirations, producing the finest grass fed eating experience for the end consumer is absolutely imperative. This is their ultimate focus.
Maintaining high standards of sustainable farming practice to ensure the land is enhanced for generations to come is of course, part of daily life for the AngusPRO team. The environment here in New Zealand must be nurtured, with clear water in the streams and rich soils underfoot. It should go without saying that animal husbandry is paramount. These ideals and quality grass fed Angus beef go hand in hand for the end consumer.
Although we are a newly formed entity, many of the studs represented have stood the test of time. They are the perfect synergy of old school reputability and new school technique.
AngusPRO are committed to bettering Angus cattle within the New Zealand beef industry and ensuring Angus is the tastiest beef on everyone’s lips.
CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF
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Call-out to New Zealand Angus Breeders
Australia's highest averaging Angus stud uses global genetics including those from NZ. Visit the home of the nation's oldest Angus stud in northern NSW before heading to a premium feedlot at Rangers Valley. Enjoy a true paddock-to-plate operation from conception to consumption and see how other producers are setting the benchmark in Angus breeding with heritage and innovation.
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Hard Work and Genetics Paying Their Way
WORDS BY JOANNA GRIGG
IMAGES BY SARAH HORROCKS
The old-fashioned ‘work hard and accumulate land strategy’ has seen Forbes Cameron end up with a 2000 hectare farm.
Forbes, now in his seventh decade, bought his first piece of land with his brother, in 1969. He earned the deposit shearing in Hawke’s Bay, though the 230 ha block at Weber was rough and rundown.
“But it was a foot in the door,” says Forbes.
The rough block was traded up in 1981 for a better farm at Halcombe.
“We kept getting bigger because whenever people listed small farms, we took the chance to buy them.”
He purchased 80 to 400 ha parcels at a time and lease blocks also helped grow scale. In 1999 Forbes sold the Halcombe blocks and purchased the then 1453 ha Ngāputahi Station, in the Pohangina Valley, Manawatu. In 2011, another 330 ha was added from a neighbouring block, bringing in some flat land for finishing and calving.
Acquiring a decent sized farm sounds easy but Forbes has always been known as a bloody hard worker. In the first year at Ngāputahi, 90 km of post and electric wire fencing were erected.
Much of this has now been upgraded to permanent eight wire fences. Water troughs were also installed, vastly improving water reliability and quality.
When it came to putting the financial institutions to work, Forbes said they always had to match or better interest rates.
“I didn’t mind changing banks if one had a better deal.”
“I guess I’m loyal to my back pocket, not a bank.”
Forbes first stocked the Halcombe farm with Salers cattle, a French breed known for their hardiness. Their genetic base was small and their temperament unreliable, so they introduced Angus cows in 1999 to start moving away from the Salers. The Angus cows came from stud dispersal sales.
Ngāputahi Station is now owned and run by Forbes and his son Angus, and there are three generations living on the property. Forbes’ granddaughter lives on the finishing farm and helps out with cattle work in her spare time — she has a young family. Forbes lives across the river from the main farm and still works at Ngāputahi every day.
The operation requires a high level of intensive management as there are Growbulk, Romney and Angus studs. The sheep studs are selling 800-900 rams annually.
Stud cow numbers have grown to 350 Angus, with 250 commercial cows made up of second tier genetics. Around 50 Angus bulls are sold at the June sale, which is held in the Ngāputahi woolshed. As their cows calve later than many stud farms, no yearlings are offered for sale – they are too young to present. However, Forbes says a few are sold privately to farmers who don’t put the bull out until Christmas.
Forbes enjoys using his experience in genetics to help train young farmers in genetic selection. Each year, the Smedley Station and Pukemiro cadets visit Ngāputahi to have a go at choosing rams in a ‘mock’ buying situation.
“It’s good to see the cadets grow in confidence.”
CALVES AT TWO KILOS A DAY
Ngāputahi Station has some very steep country. Blocks are fairly well subdivided, ranging from 5 ha at the smallest, with a few rougher 30 to 40 ha blocks. Rainfall is officially 1200-1400mm per annum, but Forbes says it has been more like 1000mm in recent years.
Despite harsh conditions at times, all the Angus cows wean their calves at 190kg to 250kg, depending on the season. Stud calves stay at Ngāputahi and are run together in their contemporary group to identify the best performers.
“I didn’t mind changing banks if one had a better deal... I guess I’m loyal to my back pocket, not a bank.” “
Weaned commercial calves go down-country to the finishing farm in Aokautere and from October to April, they can put on 1.5 to 2 kilograms per day. The steers are typically sold by 20 months old, and most of the heifers reach this target, too. There is 40 ha of irrigated land on Ngāputahi and another 40 ha on the finishing block.
The Ngāputahi flats are quite stoney so the Camerons brought a rock crusher up from Gore to crush the ones at the surface. This cost $1000/ha however, it turned a block that couldn’t even be driven on with a farm ute into a smooth surface. Any drilling will bring stones to the surface again, so the blocks remain in permanent ryegrass, white clover and cocksfoot varieties.
On the hills, the stud and commercial cows get a much tougher deal. They run together from weaning (April) to one week before calving in October and follow the 6000 ewes around. They have to eat rushes and poorer quality aged grass, and they peel off up to 120kg/head over winter.
The early years really tested some of the Angus cows that were brought in, which had been reared on high quality feed and gentle country. Intensive selection for hardiness (performance in the face of low feed quality) has been going on for many years since then.
“Anything that couldn’t hack it, and was skinny with a poor calf, was culled.”
The increased IMF showed up as fuzziness through the meat and he just said, Holy Hell, look at that!” “
All recorded calves are weighed at birth, and dams are assessed for docility, phenotype, udder and teet placement, as well as mothering ability. The worm control programme is to drench calves at weaning, again as a yearling at the end of winter and then once as a heifer before calving as a two-year-old. No mixed age cows are drenched or dipped, and no additional selenium is given, but they get a copper injection to suit the environmental deficiency.
Age is not a reason for culling at Ngāputahi. However, any cows in poor condition are put in the cull mob after winter, regardless of their age.
“I don’t cull on age and have a sixteen-year-old cow that is the dam of R160 and she is still doing the business alright.”
R160 is a home bred herd sire that is used across a mob of 60-70 mixed age cows. He has a great even spread of data.
Forbes is a firm believer in selecting for temperament by isolating young cattle and watching for aggressive or unsettled behaviour.
“As long as you treat them all the same during the process, it is fair.”
This goes for bulls too, who are expected to walk out the gate, not run. Culling for temperament happens all year round.
Drenching is another aspect of farming that Ngāputahi take a hard stance on. When drench resistance first showed in worms in the flock in 1983, Forbes took immediate action to reduce the
amount of drenching done in the sheep. Now, each sheep only gets two drenches over their lifetime, all given while as a hogget. The exception was 2024 when an extra drench was given to all hoggets.
“Any ewe that needs an extra drench is marked and goes to the cull mob, and her lamb also goes to the terminal mob.”
Hoggets are given a small window to get in lamb — one cycle with the ram. All hoggets are put to the ram and typically 60% get in lamb, producing a scanning of 90%. Their body weight is usually only 36kg on average but Forbes said the toughest, more productive sheep cope well.
“The cream rises to the surface.”
None of the sheep are treated with fly or lice protection. If fly strike is seen, sheep are treated and then either culled or put to a terminal sire. Forbes said this has made a huge difference in reducing fly strike. Culling for dags started in the early 1980s.
“Fly strike is highly heritable - back in 2006, we had thirty six that were flyblown, and eighteen of those were from the same sire.”
In 2004 the property was smashed in February with a huge rain deluge over four days. The soil loss and damage were extensive. Horses were used to get around initially until tracks could be rebuilt. Some land was retired into permanent pine trees at this time. In hindsight, Forbes said the trees have not solved erosion and they can fall over in a domino effect, making a mess.
“The best thing to hold the hill together is grass or native bush.”
Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 took out several bridges and a Bailey bridge is now in place over one creek, however, the Camerons are still waiting on a replacement bridge over the main Pohangina river crossing.
EMBRYO INVESTMENT PAYS OFF
Using Australian embryos from selected donor cows started in 2005 and was the turning point for Ngāputahi’s Angus stud.
The quest for better meat marbling drove the change and both Forbes and Angus, say it has markedly improved IMF in the stud’s genetics. In 2015, Ngāputahi won the New Zealand Steak of Origin competition and they have won the Glammies (lamb meat competition) twice.
“We won with January-killed ram lambs which shows they can be top eating when not sexually mature.”
When seeking beef marbling genetics (IMF), Forbes travelled to Australia to research and visit a few targeted Angus studs.
Ultrasound was used to detect IMF%, and the first crop of calves to be scanned generated interest from the scanner.
“The increased IMF showed up as fuzziness through the meat and he just said, Holy Hell, look at that!”
If you shop around the processors, there are some good premiums to be found for cattle with higher IMF grading.
Ced Wise, a veterinarian from Australia, now in his 70s, flies out to do the embryo transfer process. This involves flushing the donor cows, which usually happens in early January.
Monday 9th June, 3PM
The Cameron Clan would like to invite you to their annual and Venue: Ngāputahi Station Woolshed, access via Pohangina Road only
Meet and exceed all present and future beef quality standards excelling in EMA, IMF and carcass yield
Twenty-six embryos were harvested this year, and twenty-three were placed into recipient cows. The embryos contain genetics from four different cows and six different sires. Forbes said that in the past Ced has had very good success with the embryos holding in the recipient cows.
Forbes and Angus use a lot of semen from overseas in their artificial insemination programme but always follow up with New Zealand herd sires (mostly home bred).
The Camerons have more recently been selecting genetics with more eye muscle area and meat yield, with an aim for steers to yield a carcase that is 60% of their live weight.
“Our bull progeny are getting close, with yields of 58%.”
Forbes questions why farmers would have a 600kg animal that yields only 300kg when it could yield 360kg. At today’s meat price, the extra 60kg could be worth another $400.
“It’s a no brainer.”
Two of the standout homebred bulls for the stud are T26 and R160. Both have good figures and R160 was accepted for
Cohort 14 of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Programme, run by Angus Australia. To make the grade the bull has to be a high performance bull in both genotype and phenotype.
“T26 has huge growth and carcase traits, as well as top docility.”
Forbes says that the stud cows carry genetics for short gestation, lower birth weights, medium growth and, as has already been noted, excellent docility.
The Camerons shifted their performance recording to Angus Australia as soon as they were able to and became part of the AngusPRO group here in New Zealand.
“For me it’s about chasing top cattle performance, as that pays the bills for us.”
Angus now does all the recording, with Forbes’ granddaughter Jasmine helping with the bookwork. All calves are DNA parent verified.
The 2024 bull sale marked 25 years of the Camerons at Ngāputahi, and both Forbes and Angus see a bright outlook for their stud operations.
Stokman Angus
Stokman
All sale bulls -
l HD50K tested
l Fertility and semen tested
l Carcass Scanned
l
Genomics in TACE: For Understanding Relationships, not Replacing Phenotypes
Genomics is enhancing Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) from the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE) through a more precise understanding of the relationships between animals. Importantly, phenotypes (i.e. performance data) remain as a critical component in TACE and are not replaced by the incorporation of genomics.
Christian Duff, General Manager of Genetic Improvement said “TACE has utilised genomics under the single-step approach since December 2017, however, there are still some misconceptions on how genomics are utilised in the genetic evaluation. With close to 350,000 genotypes now included in TACE, it’s important we understand how this data is used to enhance our EBVs”
“A misunderstanding that we are currently hearing is that genomics replaces phenotypes, or performance data, in the evaluation. This is incorrect. Without phenotypes, both now and in the future, our EBVs would have significantly lower accuracy and eventually have no value at all. This would be the case whether evaluated with pedigree-based relationships or genomic relationships or a combination of both like we do in a TACE single-step evaluation model.” Christian added.
“Genomics boosts the TACE genetic evaluation through a more precise understanding of the relationship between animals, both within the pedigree and outside of the pedigree. This is important when you have well established and comprehensive genotype and phenotype reference population like they do at Angus Australia with the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP), coupled with aggregated data from Angus Australia members. Genomics allows Angus animals to link more effectively to that reference population, than would pedigree alone.”
Christian adds, “I expect some of the confusion has arisen when Angus Australia enhanced the TACE evaluation in December 2023 by increasing the genomic relationship weighting from 0.5 to 0.95. This simply means the evaluation places more
weighting on genomics to understand relationships, compared to pedigree, when both are available. It has no direct impact on how phenotypes are used in the evaluation”.
“One major benefit we see with this TACE enhancement is that members and industry have access to significantly higher accuracy EBVs on younger animals, particularly those that are genotyped. Having access to higher accuracy information for selection of young breeding animals is the holy grail of livestock breeding. I encourage all members to be excited, not anxious, by this outcome and to use it to the advantage of their breeding program.”
Christian concluded “Angus Australia’s extension team, along with industry collaborators, have developed a comprehensive suite of information to help producers understand how genomics is used in genetic evaluations, including TACE. I encourage members to utilise the resources and follow up with Angus Australia if they have further questions.
Silver Fern Farms Angus is farmed as nature intended, for lean marbling and full-bodied beef flavour, then carefully aged and prepared to ensure exceptional quality.
Our 100% Standard is:
100% Grass-fed
100% Antibiotic free
100% No added hormones
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Farming Smarter for Premiums
Henry and Rachel Callaghan are all about farming smarter. Their 1000 ha operation near Fairlie in South Canterbury has been in Henry’s family since 1979, and when they took over from Henry’s parents, Ian and Sonia in 2021, the grunt work and farm development had largely been completed.
“Our gains in the business are being made with genetics and being smart with premiums,” says Rachel.
The farm runs Angus cattle, deer and Romney ewes, but 50% of the annual income comes from arable — rapeseed, barley and wheat are grown for the local market and their home silage.
All the stock is bred and finished on the farm and then goes on to be processed at Silver Fern Farms, of which Henry says they’re proud shareholders.
The 1100 Romney ewe sheep operation is low input and low cost, with half the ewes going to a Suftex terminal sire. All the hoggets are mated and Henry is breeding his own replacements.
“We’re 12-month shearing, we’ve stopped drenching the ewes and we’ve stopped tailing the terminals to reduce the workload,” says Henry.
Lambing starts in September, with the earlier lambs going out the gate straight off mum in mid-November (16kg CW). The remaining weaned lambs are on red clover over the summer, and Henry doesn’t start killing again until mid-February, to 20kg CW.
The deer are another string to the bow, with Henry running 350 adult hinds, plus the young stock. These are all finished to Silver Fern Farms, too, of course, from September through until May
WORDS & IMAGES BY SARAH HORROCKS
(100kg), and the velvet is seen as a welcomed byproduct — all the spikers have their velvet removed before trucking, and a dozen breeding stags have their velvet removed annually.
On the livestock side of the operation, the cattle are bringing in the lion’s share of the income, and they are also Rachel and Henry’s primary focus, which Rachel says is mostly due to the genetic side of things.
“We’re breeding and finishing so we need to focus on eating quality to get the premiums,” adds Henry.
Last year Henry calved down 210 females (including 30 heifers). The bulls are all sourced from Twin Oaks Angus and have been since 2017.
“We haven’t pulled a calf for five years at least now.”
Henry puts this down to buying well balanced bulls that avoid too extreme figures. Calving ease, growth and IMF are the big focusses since all the bulls are used over the heifers in their first season and then go on to be used in the main cow mob.
“
My bull choices are made on 90% genetics.
“My bull choices are made on 90% genetics.”
Henry knows the type he’s going to get and has faith that he would never be sold an unsound bull, so he doesn’t see the need to check their feet.
The two year old bulls are the usual target, but if he misses out on a bull he likes or gets caught short, he will look to buy a yearling in the spring instead.
Over the past few years, Henry has seen their weaning weights lifting, as well as the carcase weights, which is ultimately what pays the bills.
“We put a big emphasis on IMF about ten years ago with high IMF bulls.”
That has now been balanced to add in some more growth and carcase. Henry was one of the first to get his hands on a Paratrooper bull, and they tried doing some artificial insemination in an attempt to better utilise the bull across more of the herd, but Henry and Rachel feel that the whole process overcomplicated things.
“We tried to mate him with the heifers and AI him to 50 cows at the same time but the timing didn’t work very well using fresh semen.”
Rachel says it was a good learning experience.
“In our system, it just didn’t work and I don’t think we needed to do it,” she adds.
All the progress and changes made within the Callaghan’s breeding programme are monitored closely by Roger and Susan at Twin Oaks who visit at least once a year.
“They know our programme, they know us and they know the farm. We are very grateful for this support and knowledge,” says Rachel.
This knowledge allows Twin Oaks to tailor the bull selection and ensure the Callaghans are heading in the right direction. They provide data that outlines all the bull purchases Henry has made in the past and how the subsequent progeny performed at processing, which makes for simple analysis.
The farming diary for the cattle is pretty straightforward, as it is in most cattle operations. The bull goes out with the heifers on November 15 and with the cows on December 4th. From weaning in March, the cows are all up on the steep native hill country, a 200 ha block that differs from the rest of the farm’s ‘sheep before cattle’ rotational grazing policy.
The cows come off the hill in August and go onto kale for a month to give them a lift before calving and to give the hill country a rest.
The weaners are kept on the lower country from weaning and rotated on grass, followed by oats and then 100 days on fodder beet, from June through to October.
With everything having been weighed in the autumn and the top end identified, that top mob goes straight onto fodder beet for 60 days and is killed in June at 20 months old.
A total of 25 ha of fodder beet is grown for the R1 and R2 cattle and the weaner deer, and kale is grown for the hinds, ewes, heifers and also the cows who are on it for the month of August.
“We push that top end really hard to get them killed early,” says Henry.
Henry has 90% of the finishing cattle gone by October, with the final load just reaching 2 years old at processing.
The replacement heifers are selected on IMF and Rib/Rump fat scanning results, which is proving to provide big progress at processing year on year, and the cow herd is being tidied up a lot. Henry doesn’t know much about genomic testing yet, but his interest is piqued, and he’s keen to look into it for the replacements.
The premiums offered by Silver Fern Farms are largely dictated by IMF, as well as pH and ossification, and there’s an extra 65 cents/ kg up for grabs for the Callaghans.
The premium for Angus is 25¢/kg, with another 20¢/kg for being 100% Angus (breeder finished and antibiotic free). Then there’s 10¢/kg for meeting the EQ grade for eating quality, that is fat colour, weight, pH, ossification, rib fat and marbling. The last 10¢/ kg is given for being NZFAP Plus Gold accredited.
The New Zealand Farm Assurance Programmes (NZFAP and NZFAP Plus) provide confidence and certainty to the millions of consumers world-wide that the meat and wool produced from New Zealand’s sheep, beef and deer farms is authentic, genuine, and safe. Collectively they provide assurances regarding integrity, traceability, animal health and welfare, people, farm and natural resources and biosecurity.
There are “quite a few” hoops to jump through to become accredited, but Rachel is all over the regulations to ensure they qualify. Silver Fern Farms and Imogen Brankin offered great support through the accreditation process.
The Callaghans are hitting all four premiums at least 80% of the time and Henry says that getting 90% on the kill sheet is no surprise.
“The best hit rate is achieved when they’re always growing, for their whole life,” he says.
He adds that if they’re checked, the IMF is quick to fall off.
Everything has to be well documented for NZFAP Plus, and winter feed plans are a requirement, so Henry uses the Resolution Farming App to document everything.
“It makes it simple to keep track of what’s happening.”
Henry is running the cutter on the farm, with full time worker Connor Higgins and Ian still working alongside him. Rachel’s primary role is looking after their three young children — Lily (6), Sophie (4) and George (20 months) — but she finds time to run two Airbnb accommodation options on the property to bring in some extra income, and she takes care of most of the farm paperwork. Rachel also has a bloody good grasp of what’s happening on the farm and tries to get out and give a hand whenever toddler sleep schedules allow it.
Henry and Rachel Callaghan have ticked the right boxes, chosen the right genetics and have good feed management, ensuring they achieve every processing premium available and increasing their bottom line.
WE’RE HERE FOR THE LONG
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Angus Australia Introduces Angus SteerSELECT
Angus Australia has added to its services for the beef industry with the launch of Angus SteerSELECT in October 2024. This new genomic based product provides beef producers a tool to determine the genetic potential of Angus steers, allowing for more informed decisions across the beef supply chain.
Angus Australia CEO, Scott Wright explained that the launch of Angus SteerSELECT adds to Angus Australia’s portfolio of genetic focused tools for Australian and New Zealand Angus breeders and Angus beef supply chains. This product builds on Angus Australia’s long history of providing world leading genetic evaluation solutions.
“Angus SteerSELECT is the culmination of five years of collaboration between Angus Australia and the CSIRO, Australia’s National Science Agency. Importantly, it leverages the genotype and phenotype reference population data curated by Angus Australia, including the rich dataset from the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program,” says Mr Wright.
Angus Australia’s General Manager of Genetic Improvement, Christian Duff, explained that Angus SteerSELECT complements the genetic selection tools already available, particularly Angus HeiferSELECT, which has been in use since 2017.
“Angus SteerSELECT provides genetic predictions across nine key traits important for Angus steer production. This is coupled with an overall Angus Steer Value (ASV), which encapsulates the overall genetic worth of each steer,” says Christian.
He added that the tool also offers sire verification (where possible) and genomic breed composition to further enhance its value for producers.
“Angus SteerSELECT can be accessed directly from Angus Australia or via our collaborating partners Zoetis Animal Genetics and Neogen Australasia.”
Angus SteerSELECT was developed and validated in the commercial environment, enabling greater precision in sorting and marketing Angus steers into lines suitable for the different paths within the beef supply chain.
Rangers Valley’s Livestock Procurement Manager William Schmidt says, “We are excited about the possibility of being able to individually select commercial progeny for specific feeding programs.
“By identifying individual animal’s genetic potential, we hope to reduce our production cost of feeding cattle that are not suited to our long-fed programs,” added William.
WHAT IS ANGUS STEERSELECT?
Angus SteerSELECT is a genomic selection tool that identifies the genetic merit of Angus steers (87.5% Angus content or greater). It provides greater precision in sorting and/or marketing steers into lines suitable for the different paths in the beef supply chain.
Angus SteerSELECT provides:
• Genetic predictions for nine growth, feedlot, carcase and resilience traits.
• An overall selection Index, the Angus Steer Value (ASV), with simplified star rating.
• Angus BreedCHECK – a genomic breed composition prediction.
• Sire verification - verification of potential sires who are registered with Angus Australia and have genomic profiles available.
Angus SteerSELECT complements other sources of information that may be used in sorting and marketing of Angus steers, such as age, weight and background information like past feedlot and carcase grading performance. Angus SteerSELECT provides valuable insight into the genetic potential of steers, particularly for traits that are difficult to assess visually (i.e. marbling potential).
Angus SteerSELECT is suitable for both Angus steers and heifers entering the beef supply chain. For breeding heifers, the companion product Angus HeiferSELECT is more suitable.
BENEFITS OF ANGUS STEERSELECT
Angus SteerSELECT facilitates more precise decision making when breeding and/or managing Angus steers entering the beef supply chain.
• Identify genetic suitability
Identify steers that have the genetic profile suitable for specific Angus beef supply chains (i.e. feedlots or beef brands).
• Understand breed composition
Utilise Angus BreedCHECK information to understand the breed composition of steers, particularly their Angus content.
• Exploit marketing opportunities
Provide objective data on Angus content and genetic potential for marketing Angus steers into the beef supply chain.
• Inform bull purchasing decisions
Better understand the genetic traits in commercial herds and identify the priorities for bull purchasing decision.
DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ANGUS CATTLE AND PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
Through utilisation of Angus Australia’s genomic and phenotypic database, Angus SteerSELECT provides the most accurate genetic predictions possible for Angus steers in Australian and New Zealand production systems.
Angus SteerSELECT genetic predictions are calculated based on analysis of Angus Australia’s extensive genomic and phenotypic database. Collated over many years, this database combines the DNA profiles of Australian and New Zealand Angus animals with comprehensive performance measurements collected in respective beef production systems.
Modern scientific knowledge, developed by CSIRO, enables the association between the DNA profiles and performance measurements to be analysed, and genetic predictions to be calculated from the DNA profiles of the steers tested with Angus SteerSELECT.
UNDERSTANDING ANGUS STEERSELECT RESULTS
Angus SteerSELECT provides genetic predictions for nine growth, feed intake, carcase and resilience traits, along with an overall selection Index, Angus Steer Value (with star rating).
The genetic predictions are reported using an intuitive 0 – 100 scoring system, with a score of 50 representing the average genetic merit of current-day commercial Angus animals.
A description of each of the traits by group is listed in Table 1.
Higher values identify steers carrying genetics that will produce ‘more’ of a trait, which may or may not be preferred, subject to the production system. For example, a steer with an Average Daily Gain (ADG) prediction of 80 would be expected to have a higher daily gain (kg/day) than a steer, particularly from the same cohort, with an ADG genetic prediction of 30, all other things being equal. Similarly, higher MSA Marbling genetic predictions indicate the animal is expected to produce a carcase that is more likely to have a higher marbling score.
ANGUS STEER VALUE – BALANCED SELECTION
Angus SteerSELECT provides an overall selection index being Angus Steer Value (ASV). It balances six traits that have an impact on efficiency, production, and profitability in most beef supply chains, particularly those that include lot feeding.
The ASV assists in making ‘balanced’ selection decisions to identify animals that have the genetic potential to suit specific beef supply chains. Higher ASVs identify steers have a balanced genetic profile with a focus on beef quantity and quality.
Angus SteerSELECT genetic predictions are provided on all animals that are greater than 50% Angus content. Caution should be applied when using the genetic predictions for animals less than 87.5% Angus as the associated reference population is based on straight bred Angus animals.
Embrace the future of genetic selection and optimise your Angus beef production with Angus SteerSELECT.
Figure 1. Trait Emphasis for the Angus Steer Value (ASV)
SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ANGUS STEERSELECT
Using TACE Percentiles in Animal Selection
BY JAKE PHILLIPS, ANGUS AUSTRALIA EXTENSION MANAGER
IN BRIEF
Angus bulls sold within New Zealand are registered in two different databases Angus Australia (AngusPRO animals) and Angus New Zealand. The TACE percentiles in sale catalogues are only relevant to the population they are compared against, meaning you can compare one AngusPRO animal against another, but these percentiles can’t be compared across different breed societies i.e. animals registered with Angus NZ.
It is however important to note that the TACE EBVs themselves are comparable. For most EBV traits, the direct EBV is comparable to establish expected progeny performance differences, however, where the animal sits in reference to the rest of that population (its ranking) can be substantially different across the Angus Australia and Angus New Zealand societies.
Let’s look at the breed average for IMF. Angus Australia’s 50th percentile is +2.2 whereas Angus NZ’s 50th percentile is +0.8 (April 2023 TACE analysis). If you’re selecting bulls based on percentiles, please ensure you are aware of the population they’re compared with, or check the actual EBV figures carefully.
BACKGROUND
The TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE) routinely publishes estimated breeding values (EBV) percentile rankings for all animals in the TACE evaluation. The percentile value for each animal is displayed alongside the Estimated Breeding Values (EBV) and the selection index values on various platforms such as in the Angus database search results, TACE herd reports and customised sale catalogues.
The percentile value describes where an Angus animal sits in the current TACE population for a specific EBV (i.e. genetics for a specific trait) or Selection Index (i.e. genetics for a specific production system). The current TACE population is specifically devised from the Angus animals that have a birth year two years older than the current analysis year. For example, for the 2023 evaluations, the 2021 drop Angus animals are set as the percentile benchmarking population. This will be updated to the 2022 drop animals for the 2024 evaluations. This ensures we are effectively benchmarking EBVs to a current (i.e. modern) population of Angus animals.
An example of interpreting percentile values is if an animal’s 400 Day Weight EBV is +101kg, which is ranked in the 20th percentile (April 2023), effectively 80% of 2022 drop calves will have an EBV that is ranked lower than that individual. Similarly an animal with an Intramuscular Fat EBV of +1.0% ranks in the 80th percentile, with 80% of the 2022 drop calves with an EBV that ranks higher than that animal.
The TACE analysis supplies percentile results on all animals within the TACE analysis and displays these on a ranking from the top 1% of the breed (1st percentile) to the bottom 1% of the breed (99th percentile). The use of percentiles has become an easy-to-interpret tool for cattle breeders to establish whether the animal in question is more desirable or less desirable for specific breeding programmes and objectives.
Let’s look at the breed average for IMF. Angus Australia’s 50th percentile is +2.2 whereas Angus NZ’s 50th percentile is +0.8 (April 2023 TACE analysis). “
WHO IS GETTING COMPARED?
Percentiles are relevant to the population they are being compared against, meaning the published TACE percentiles are relevant only to cattle registered with Angus Australia and can not be compared across different breeds, or within the Angus breed across different breed societies i.e. Angus New Zealand. It is however important to note that the TACE analysis is a joint analysis of Angus Australia and Angus New Zealand resulting in the TACE EBVs themselves being comparable. It is the published percentiles that are not comparable due to comparing two different benchmark populations.
A variation of this is the structural EBV analysis which is conducted by Angus Genetics Incorporated (AGI Inc), a subsidiary of the American Angus Association, from combined datasets from the Angus Australia, American Angus and Canadian Angus structural records. For this reason, structural EBVs on animals registered with Angus New Zealand can not be compared to animals registered with Angus Australia — completely separate and different analysis models.
For most other EBV traits, the direct EBV is comparable to establish expected progeny performance differences, however, where the animal sits in reference to the rest of that population (its ranking) can be substantially different across the two societies.
For example, in the April 2023 TACE analysis, Angus Australia’s registered animals have a breed average for 400 Day Weight of +90. The Angus New Zealand average is +76. This means an animal ranking in the 50th percentile (breed average) for 400 Day Weight registered with Angus Zealand, would actually rank in the 85th percentile of the breed when compared to those animals registered with Angus Australia that have the same EBV. The different averages of populations can largely be put down to production system differences, and environmental constraints, coupled with the dedicated selection of certain traits over time by Angus cattle breeders.
Another example shows that the New Zealand Angus registered population has a higher Rib and Rump Fat EBV, indicating estimates of genetic differences between animals in fat depth at the 12/13th rib site and the P8 site in a 400kg carcase. The Angus Zealand 2021 born calves’ EBV average is +1.1 for both traits, which puts those animals within the top 25th percentile of the Australian population.
LET’S COMPARE THE PERCENTILES — BALDRIDGE BEAST MODE B074
Table 1 shows the different percentile rankings on a high-use, high-accuracy AI sire with calves registered in both countries.
Table 1. Difference in EBV percentile ranking for Baldridge Beast Mode B074 (April 2023 TACE analysis)
An alternative way to view this is to compare the breed average or 50th percentile for both populations. Table 2 highlights the EBV differences between the 50th percentile for each population — Angus New Zealand or Angus Australia.
HOW DO YOU USE PERCENTILES FOR SELECTION?
Simply accepting that the highest percentiles for each EBV indicate the most ‘desirable’ is a flawed approach without understanding what each EBV represents. An example of this is the Mature Cow Weight EBV, where the higher percentiles (e.g. top 1%) indicate heavier mature cows, which may not be aligned with the individual breeding objective of breeders trying to maintain mature cow weights. Similarly, a Leg Angle EBV in the higher percentiles is indicating the animal is likely to contribute a leg angle score in progeny which is lower or closer to a score of 5 (i.e. straighter). Similar to Mature Cow Weight, selecting on higher percentile for this EBV may not align with a breeding objective in some situations.
Importantly the variation that exists in the EBV needs to be considered to make an informed selection decision and considering the percentile of the breeding candidates. For example, the difference between the 1st percentile and the 99th percentile for 400 Day Weight is +122kg to +57kg respectively. Assuming, all other things being equal, 50% of this difference is passed down to the progeny resulting in an expected average
weight difference between the progeny of 32.5kg at 400 days. Another trait such as Carcase Rib Fat has the 1st percentile EBV at +4.2 and the 99th percentile at -4.1, resulting in an average difference observed in the progeny (based on a 400kg steer carcase) of approximately 4.2mm. Both of these traits and the variation represented are likely to have different economic importance for each cattle breeder.
A challenge for breeders is to balance the number of mating candidates that are available to meet their selection criteria, while also choosing to select cattle that rank high on EBV percentiles in their traits of importance. Generally, an increased amount of selection pressure (i.e. higher expectations) placed on the group of animals will ultimately also reduce the number of animals that meet the criteria. This should encourage breeders to identify their own traits of importance to focus on, as they may be different to others’ operations.
An example of this occurring is by reviewing the 267 Angus semen sires (from April 2023) listed with Angus SemenSELECT on the Angus Australia website — no individual animal ranks higher than the breed average for every EBV, however, more than 234 of these bulls have 5 traits or more considerably above breed average, further highlighting the need to have a defined breeding objective with established traits of importance.
With the addition of percentile graphs to rank search results and various published EBV reports, breeders are able to quickly establish if a potential candidate suits their breeding requirements and warrants a further investigation without having to know the detail of a specific EBV or breed average EBV value.
PERCENTILE GRAPHS
The EBV percentile graphs can be utilised as a visual tool to understand the strengths and weaknesses of an individual animal’s genetic trait profile, or as an average of a group of cattle in some circumstances. It can also be used to compare the attributes of different animals and to identify which has the best combination of genetics for a given scenario.
Consider the three bulls in graphs 1, 2 & 3 (over page), and their potential to be used as heifer bulls (i.e. joined to yearling heifers that will calve at 2 years of age). The biggest differences between the three bull examples are seen for the calving traits — Calving Ease Direct, Calving Ease Daughters, Gestation Length and Birth Weight — while maintaining some similarities in the weight traits — 200 Day Weight, 400 Day Weight, 600 Day Weight and Mature Cow Weight.
Bull 1 is a high-growth bull, being in the 10th percentile (top 10% of the breed) for 200, 400 & 600 Day Weight. This bull is also in the top 30% of the breed for calving ease traits, this is a major difference to bull 2 who is in the 80th percentile for calving ease traits (less desirable for heifer mating).
Table 2. Breed Average EBV Comparison (April 2023 TACE analysis)
Another example shows the bull displayed in graph 3 having similar calving ease and growth EBV trait percentiles to that of bull 1, however, he is the only bull of the 3 examples to also have both rib fat and rump fat EBVs in the 20th percentile or higher.
TAKE HOME MESSAGES
• Establish which traits are most important to you and aligned with your Breeding Objectives.
• Use percentile values across the TACE population to rank animals based on their EBV for specific traits from the 1st (highest) to the 99th (lowest) percentile.
• The percentile value indicates the proportion of the current benchmark population that ranks above or below the individual for that trait.
• The ranking is taken from the comparison against 2-year-old animals at the time of the analysis i.e. 2021 born calves form the percentile benchmark population in 2023.
• All animals deriving their EBVs from the TACE analysis are directly comparable on EBV but not necessarily their percentile values e.g. when comparing published percentile values on Angus Australia registered animals with Angus New Zealand registered animals.
• Percentile graphs are an easy way to establish if an animal is more or less suitable compared to the breed average and percentiles for a particular breeding objective.
• Apply a balanced approach to selection, with percentiles being only part of the tools available to assist you with making a balanced selection decision. The highest percentile values (i.e. top 1%) may not be the most appropriate choice for all breeding objectives.
Bull 2
Bull 3
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CUP Scanning Finding Outliers
Mat Bailey from Bailey Scanning has been on a quest to bring better technology to the scanning world. In 2024 he travelled to America where he was certified under the Ultrasounds Guidelines Council (UGC) at Texas A&M University, as well as completing a Centralised Ultrasound Processing (CUP) Lab training programme at Iowa State University. He returned to New Zealand with the latest technology - an ExaGo Ultrasound machine from IMV imaging.
“The ExaGo machine combined with the CUP analysis programme will bring huge benefit to both stud and commercial breeders in NZ,” says Mat, who is now Breedplan accredited.
The objective of CUP is to provide the seedstock industry with timely, accurate and unbiased measurements for fat thickness, ribeye area and % IMF (marbling).
How does CUP Ultrasound work?
As a CUP Ultrasound technician, Mat is required to scan and submit 1 rump image, 2-3 Eye muscle images and 5 IMF images per animal. These images, along with a corresponding weigh session collected by the farmer, are sent to the CUP Lab in Iowa. The images are put through quality control before data assessment, and the CUP Lab uses the best images for data collection. All 5 IMF images are assessed through their software to return the
highest data accuracy. They assess the images and return the data within 2-7 days. All stud data is unbiased and unsubjective through this system.
What are the benefits?
When comparing the CUP lab IMF model data from the ExaGo to that of traditional scanning technology (used elsewhere throughout NZ), there is a significant improvement in both correlation and standard deviation. The Cup Lab have summarised the model for the ExaGo is 10-12% more correlated to carcase IMF than data from the Aloka, Classic and Aquila machines. The ExaGo machine has an IMF measuring range of 0-16% compared to the older models (1-8%).
Perhaps more importantly, the CUP Lab has seen a 50-70% larger standard deviation with the ExaGo machinethey more closely match the standard deviation of carcase IMF, therefore more closely matching the actual distribution curve of carcase data. This allows the identification of outlier animals on both ends of the spectrum, better than ever before.
“We’ve seen a huge improvement in overall accuracy and a better spread of data with the Exago and a substantial gain in accuracy compared to current shuteside analysis techniques.”
Stud breeders benefiting Will Wilding at Te Mania is always trying to stay ahead of the curve with technology and improvements to increase accuracy and predictability in their cattle, so was quick to adopt Bailey Scanning’s ExaGo machine for their CUP scanning in 2024.
“CUP is a proven gold standard in carcase data analysis, and we’ve seen more outliers across a wider bell curve in our results,” says Will.
The improved accuracy made it simple to easily identify animals at both ends of the spectrum, to select the best animals for the Te Mania breeding programme.
“The performance of this new tech gives a raw scan result that’s 95-98% accurate, up from around 65% on the older machines, and also greater accuracy in IMF and a greater distribution to find those significant outliers.”
Will notes that the increase in the number of outliers requires a bit of extra work in responding to the outlier reports coming in from Angus Australia, but they’re essential to ensuring the data goes into the system and subsequently affects their animal’s EBVs.
Mat has seen data come back that has animals measuring over 11% IMF, whereas previously, the best they ever recorded was 8% with the older machines. He has also seen 18 month cattle with EMA over 125cm squared, which is quite remarkable. Those top animals need to be recorded accurately, so this is a game changer in the scanning world.
Science Powering Progress at Storth Oaks
Based in heartland New Zealand, Tim and Kelly Brittain look globally as they strive to improve the productivity, profitability and eating quality of Angus beef.
In their Storth Oaks stud near Otorohanga, the couple uses every scientifically proven tool at their disposal and source genetics from USA, Australia and New Zealand to produce a genetic package that will benefit their commercial clients, the beef industry and ultimately, consumers.
While Tim’s name is synonymous with the Angus breed — past Chairman of AngusPRO and long-time chair of beef brand AngusPure NZ, as well as Secretary General of the World Angus Secretariat — it’s back home on his stud that he can apply his philosophies around profitable, top-quality beef production by driving genetic progress.
The Storth Oaks stud began in 1991 when Tim bought 37 recorded Angus cows at a stud dispersal sale near Te Kuiti.
WORDS BY SANDRA TAYLOR
IMAGES BY LAURA ADAMS
He was immediately struck by the potential to incrementally improve the herd through genetic selection.
“I was captured by recording systems that allowed us to see progress over a number of years. That’s what’s exciting about stud breeding. It’s pretty cool,” says Tim.
While Tim admits he got off to a standing start when it came to using scientific principles and technologies, he and Kelly have embraced both as they continually progress their genetics to meet the needs of their clients and the market.
“It’s important to be moving forward and we’ve been quick to uptake any new breeding technologies and developments in animal breeding.”
Over the years this has included artificial insemination (AI), embryo transplants, genomics and DNA testing using HD50K, the technology that forms the basis of single-step BREEDPLAN analysis.
Single step evaluation uses genomic information more efficiently as it processes all genotype, pedigree, performance and progeny data simultaneously, improving the accuracy of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs). In essence, this gives commercial breeders even greater assurance that animals will perform in line with their EBVs.
The Storth Oaks herd is made up of 300-320 cows, including first-calvers, and these are run alongside 300 commercial ewes on the Brittain’s 386 ha hill country farm. The ewes, which are all put to a terminal sire, are primarily used for weed control. While Tim and Kelly finish surplus heifers and some bulls to protect their biosecurity, the couple runs a closed herd with no commercial cattle or imported bulls on the property.
Within the stud, Tim, Kelly and the Storth Oaks team measure everything it’s possible to measure, and say they are completely transparent with their data.
“We publish everything, we are not selective at all about what we put in our catalogues, it’s all there.”
This includes EBVs, indexes and structural assessments.
TECHNOLOGIES TO DRIVE COW PROFITABILITY
Of all the technologies they have adopted, Tim says AI has been the biggest game-changer.
It has given them the ability to source the best genetics available from the USA, Australia and New Zealand, and it has also given them the opportunity to be ruthless when it comes to selecting for fertility.
“
One of the benefits of being part of Angus Australia is that it gives us access to a lot of research and development as well as new EBVs for traits such as body condition score, foot angle and feed efficiency.
They don’t use any bulls at all, and any cows or heifers that fail to get in calf after two rounds of AI are culled from the herd and finished on the property.
The result is a highly fertile herd and Tim says they have clients who are scanning close to 100% in their mixed-age herds.
In 2015, the Brittains started DNA testing their entire calf crop –even dead calves – using HD50K and three years later they began using the single-step BREEDPLAN analysis.
To help put their breeding programme together, the couple use the Total Genetics Resource Management tool which is described as the most advanced mate selection service available in the world.
Used in other livestock industries, this tool is not commonly used by cattle breeders in New Zealand, but it gives Tim and Kelly the ability to go global in their search for genetics that will help maximise their genetic gain.
Tim says fertility has always been their number one focus and this underpins docility, structure, ease of calving, growth rates and elite carcase performance which includes yield and intra-muscular fat (IMF). The latter being critical for premium quality beef programmes.
They also record annual mature cow weights, cow hip height and body condition scores.
Ultimately, it is about increasing the profitability of their clients’ breeding cow herds and making breeding cows a viable option for commercial farmers.
Tim says land in NZ is under pressure from multiple land-use options, and this, in particular, has put pressure on sheep and beef farmers.
“Beef cows have a vital role to play, but they need to be more profitable.”
Cow efficiency is part of this drive to increase profitability and
Tim says as breeders, they need to monitor cow size and breed medium size cows that hold their body condition which is why they have been collecting this data for some years.
Tim says one of the many advantages of being part of Angus Australia through AngusPRO, is the access the group gets to EBVs for additional traits, including body condition score. Tim believes this EBV will be a game changer for hill country farmers.
“One of the benefits of being part of Angus Australia is that it gives us access to a lot of research and development as well as new EBVs for traits such as body condition score, foot angle and feed efficiency.”
WORKING AT THE COALFACE
The day-to-day operation of Storth Oaks is primarily looked after by long-time farm manager Bruce Walker and Kelly.
Tim says while the King Country offers a great climate, the farm’s light volcanic soils are a good test for the cattle’s feet and the soils also require rain every 10-14 days to keep the grass growing.
Because all the cows and heifers are mated through AI, the calving pattern is very tight, over 45 days, which means it is all hands-on deck recording birthweights and DNA testing.
The calves are yard weaned in February – held in the yards for 5-7 days and fed baleage and straw. This aids rumen development to help maximise rumen efficiency.
The calves are then divided by sex so run as two single-sex mobs over winter and break-fed grass. They stay in their mobs until their 400-day observations as this allows Tim and Kelly to see how individuals perform under pressure.
At 400 days, each animal is scanned to measure IMF, eye muscle area (EMA) and rib and rump fat.
After 400 days, bulls are drafted into two mobs based on age. This keeps their EBVs as accurate as they can be and at 600 days the mobs are split in half again, with four mobs of bulls going forward for sale. Bulls not selected for the on-farm sale are often
sold to dairy farmers or killed, and the non-replacement heifers are finished and sold into premium beef programmes such as AngusPure and Silver Fern Farm’s eating quality programmes.
Tim says the bulls ear-marked for sale go through a comprehensive selection process, which includes service performance testing, a structural assessment by Bill Austin and a BVD test.
BULL SALES
Between 75 and 90 bulls are offered up at Storth Oaks annual on-farm bull sale in early June and this year they will host their twenty-first on-farm sale with around 80 bulls going under the hammer.
Held within their purpose-built sales complex, the sale promises to be a great day out, complete with entertainment and barbequed brisket complementing the line-up of bulls.
To help clients select the right bulls for their particular breeding objectives, the Storth Oaks catalogue includes the AngusPRO Index ($PRO), which is designed for NZ farming systems.
“It is based on a self-replacing herd, but carcase and eating quality are also included in the selection so it is a great place to start,’’ says Tim.
He believes indexes are an important tool as they assign a monetary value to the genetic package and help buyers avoid single-trait selection.
“They are like an EBV for profit.”
Where commercial breeders do want to focus on a particular trait, they can sort cattle with the index and then address an individual trait to make sure it will give them the progress they need.
Tim says their clients are typically commercial farmers who are interested in performance recording and the use of technology and they appreciate what Storth Oaks is doing to speed genetic improvement and increase the accuracy of their EBVs.
“We attract the type of farmer, often large-scale operators, who are conscious of where technology can take them to improve the productivity and profitability of their breeding cow herds.”
Tim says their bulls have proven to be adaptable and are performing in a range of environments and farming systems from Central Otago and the South Island high country through to Kaitaia in the far north.
Storth Oaks offers a three-year guarantee on their bulls (barring accident or injury) and will deliver throughout the country. They deliver bulls to their North Island buyers personally.
“We want to stand behind our product and we will follow the genetics through to ensure they are working for people.”
The couple has steered clear of holding a yearling bull sale.
“We believe it is best to focus on the R2 sale and do a really good job at it rather than risk selling bulls as yearlings that aren’t grown out to their full potential.”
USING DATA TO DRIVE PROFITABILITY
The farm team collects a lot of data throughout the year and again technology plays an important role. They use a Gallagher
TSI which is linked to the load bars on their scales and scanners are used in the farm’s covered Prattley cattle yards. All the data is managed through Stockbook and fed through to Angus Australia for evaluations.
Tim says Angus Australia carries out evaluations every fortnight, so they get the information back very quickly.
But it is Tim and Kelly’s ability to use this data in their breeding programme for the benefit of their clients that really excites the couple.
“We are seeing our customers get close to 100% in-calf rates, never having to pull a calf and selling steers that are attracting premiums of up to $10,000 per unit load and that’s pretty satisfying,” says Tim.
He says some commercial breeders using Storth Oaks genetics have been incentivised to finish cattle they might have otherwise sold store in order to realise their genetic potential and capture market premiums.
AngusPRO Index developed specifically for the New Zealand farming system and markets
Selection indexes have been published within the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation for several decades and have made an important contribution to the genetic improvements that have been achieved within the Angus breed during this time.
Selection indexes aid in the selection of animals for use within a breeding programme where there are several traits of economic or functional importance by providing an overall “score” of an animal’s genetic value.
Selection indexes are calculated for a specific breeding purpose and are calculated based on weightings placed on individual traits that are deemed to be important for that purpose.
The selection indexes assist in making “balanced” selection decisions, taking into account the relevant attributes of each animal to identify animals with genetics that are most aligned with the breeding objective for the given selection scenario.
The selection indexes published within TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation are economic selection indexes and are derived using BreedObject software, as developed by the Animal Genetics & Breeding Unit (AGBU) in Armidale, NSW.
Ten indexes are currently published as part of the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation. Of these, the Angus Breeding and Angus Breeding Low Feed Cost selection indexes are general purpose selection indexes that are suitable for use in the majority of commercial beef operations, while the AngusPRO selection index is specific to New Zealand production systems and beef markets.
ANGUSPRO INDEX ($PRO)
SELECTION INDEX SUMMARY
• New Zealand production system
• Self replacing herd
• Daughters are retained for breeding
• Steer progeny are finished on pasture for the AngusPure programme.
• Steer progeny slaughtered at a carcase weight of 290kg at 20 months of age
• Significant premium for steers that exhibit superior marbling
The AngusPRO index ($PRO) estimates the genetic differences between animals in net profitability per cow joined in a commercial self-replacing herd based in New Zealand that targets the production of grass finished steers for the AngusPure programme.
Daughters are retained for breeding and therefore female traits are of importance.
Steers are assumed marketed at approximately 530kg live weight (290kg carcase weight with 10mm P8 fat depth) at 20 months of age, with a significant premium for steers that exhibit superior marbling.
TRAITS CONTRIBUTIONS
This graph shows the traits that are considered in the $PRO index, and how much they contribute to the overall balance of the selection index. The larger the segment, the greater the impact on the Selection Index.
SELECTION ADVANTAGE
Figure 2 shows the selection advantage if animals are selected using the $PRO index.
The selection advantage is calculated by ranking well-used sires within the Angus breed on the $PRO index, and comparing the average EBVs of the sires in the highest 10% with the average EBVs of all sires from which they were selected. For example, the sires ranked in the highest 10% based on the $PRO index had 9kg higher 400 Day Weight EBVs and 1.2kg lower Birth Weight EBVs than the average EBVs of the sires from which they were selected.
The selection advantage is indicative of the long-term direction and relativity of response that will occur in individual traits if selection is based on the $PRO index. The actual response that is observed will vary depending on the features of the individual breeding programme.
A feature of the $PRO index is a selection advantage of close to zero for mature cow weight, meaning that selection on this index will maintain mature cow weight, while still increasing growth to 200, 400 and 600 days of age.
Figure 2: Selection Advantage for the AngusPRO index
'Angus on Dairy' New Research Index
Angus Australia publishes a range of selection indexes to cover the many scenarios in which Angus genetics are utilised across Australia and New Zealand. This is in line with the ‘Angus for Every System’ vision for Angus Australia.
Selection Indexes, in the context of livestock genetic evaluation, aid in the selection of breeding animals where there are several traits of economic or functional importance by providing an overall “score” of an animal’s genetic value. They are derived for a specific breeding system and are calculated based on weightings placed on individual traits that are deemed to be important for that system, usually based on a bio-economic model.
As part of the 2024 TACE Enhancements, Angus Australia included an additional Selection Index for the Angus on Dairy production system.
Key Points:
• Angus Australia is now publishing an Angus on Diary (AOD) Research Index.
• The AOD Index has been initially released as a Research Index for further Industry consultation.
• The AOD Index can be accessed via angus.tech database search or a quarterly Sire Report.
Angus Australia has been interacting with the Australian dairy sector to gauge interest in providing genetic information on Angus animals tailored for the Beef on Dairy supply chain. As a result of the strong interest, Angus Australia developed the Angus on Dairy Research Index. Coupled with feedback from the dairy sector, the development was undertaken in collaboration with the Animal Genetic and Breeding Unit (AGBU) via the BREEDPLAN pipeline. This development specifically utilised the BreedOBJECT software.
The Angus on Dairy Research Index ($AOD) is designed for situations where Angus bulls are being used as a terminal sire over milking dairy cows, and all progeny, both male and female, are slaughtered. It focuses on calving ease, growth, carcase
yield and eating quality. Daughters are not retained for breeding and therefore no emphasis is given to fertility or maternal traits.
Figure 6 shows the traits that are considered in the $AOD Research Index, and how much they contribute to the overall balance of the index. The larger the segment, the greater the impact on the selection index.
Figure 7 shows the selection advantage if animals are selected using the $AOD Index.
The selection advantage is calculated by ranking well used sires within the Angus breed on the $AOD index and comparing the average EBVs of the sires in the highest 10% with the average EBVs of all sires from which they were selected. For example, the sires ranked in the highest 10% based on the $AOD index had a 1.1kg lighter birthweight EBV and a 13.4kg higher 400 Day Weight EBV than the average EBVs of the sires from which they were selected.
Figure 6. Trait Contribution for the Angus on Dairy Index.
CED +3.4 % GL -1 days BWT -1.1 kg 200 7.3 kg 400 13.4 kg
600 15.2 kg DOC 0.3 %
NFI-F 0.1 kg/day CWT 14 kg EMA 10.1 cm2 RIB -0.6 mm P8 -0.8 mm
RBY 0 $ IMF 1.1 %
The selection advantage is indicative of the relativity of response that will occur in individual traits if selection is based on the $AOD index. The actual response that is observed will vary depending on the features of the individual breeding program.
The Angus on Dairy Research Index is accessible from the angus.tech database search on all animals involved in TACE. It
will be published in the same location as the current selection indexes (i.e. customised results layout, selection indexes tab).
Animals can also be searched for or sorted on the Angus on Dairy Index, like the other EBVs, RBV and selection indexes. A specific Angus on Dairy Research Index sire report will also be published four times per year, in line with the publication of the Angus Sire Summary.
Figure 7. Selection Advantage for the Angus on Dairy Research Index.
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Remove Angus Beef Medallions from the fridge and packaging and allow to bloom at room temperature for 10 mins.
Toss the beef in oil, season well with salt on both sides.
Meanwhile, in a bowl add sliced onion with the other ingredients and toss well. Leave for at least 10 mins to pickle.
Place capsicums on a BBQ flame, grill until charred black, you can also do this on a gas flame.
Put the charred capsicums in a bowl, and cover with a plate to steam so it’s easier to remove the skin. Remove the charred skin, core the capsicums & slice.
On a high heat grill the beans until charred & tender (approximately 3 - 5 mins).
In a large bowl add sliced capsicum, grilled beans, chopped tomatoes, coriander, olive oil, lime zest & juice, and pinch of salt. Toss together to mix all the ingredients.
In a bowl mix ingredients together & season to taste.
On a BBQ grill beef for 3 mins on each side. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 mins.
Arrange the summer salad on a platter. Slice Angus Beef Medallions against the grain and place the slices on top of the salad. Finish with pink pickled onions & chipotle dressing.
The Science Behind Quality
WORDS BY BUTCHER GIRL ALISON
As a butcher who grew up on an Angus beef farm, I know that consistency is everything! From chefs plating up premium cuts to a butcher serving awesome customers, you need every piece of beef to be the right size, quality, and eating experience. That’s where the science behind Angus beef comes in and why understanding pH and ossification is crucial.
pH: The Foundation of Eating Quality
We all know how underwhelming it is to cut into a steak that’s tough, dry, or just not quite right. More often than not, that comes down to pH. Those outside the agriculture industry might think of pH in terms of skincare or labs, but in beef, high pH, or ‘dark cutting’ meat, means more moisture, a darker appearance, and a shorter shelf life due to increased bacterial growth. It also cooks differently, often staying pink in the middle even when fully done, and that’s a problem for butchers and chefs, those who need predictable results.
So what causes high pH? Stress! Just like in humans, stress impacts cattle physically. Mustering, transport, and handling before slaughter can drain muscle glycogen levels, preventing proper acidification, which tenderises the meat. Chefs and butchers want beef that’s visually appealing, tender, and cooks consistently, otherwise, the complaints roll in, and reputations suffer.
A good guideline for the ideal pH of beef in New Zealand is <5.8. Anything above 5.8 is high pH, and that’s what we want to avoid.
Ossification: Why Maturity Matters
Ossification measures physiological maturity by assessing how cartilage hardens into bone along the spine. It’s easy to assume age alone determines maturity, but cattle - like people - can age differently based on diet, stress, and environment. Higher ossification scores mean tougher connective tissue that won’t break down as easily, leading to inconsistent eating quality. I’m sure some of us feel older than we are!
For the food and beverage industry, ossification matters for consistency. Butchers and chefs rely on beef that meets specific portion sizes, cooking characteristics, and tenderness
expectations. A high ossification score equals tougher meat, affecting customer satisfaction, and business reputation, which doesn’t cut it when they’re using a premium product like Angus beef.
The Link Between pH, Ossification, and Consistency
For butchers, chefs, and the broader food industry, consistency in the size and quality of Angus beef is non-negotiable. Your customers who buy a ribeye today expect the same marbling, tenderness, and cookability tomorrow. If your consistency varies too much, you start losing trust, and in this industry, trust is everything.
That’s why sourcing from trusted Angus suppliers who manage their cattle properly ensuring low-stress handling, steady nutrition, and proper slaughter conditions is key. It’s also key to share this info with your buyers! Celebrate your commitment to quality.
The right pH and controlled ossification don’t just make beef better; they make it reliable. And in a trade built on reputation, reliability is what keeps customers coming back!
Genomics: How, What, Why and When?
BY JAKE PHILLIPS, EXTENSION MANAGER ANGUS AUSTRALIA
In the basics of cattle breeding, understanding the genetic blueprint of an animal has become paramount. The Angus cow is an example of biological engineering, composed of billions of cells. Within these cells lies a nucleus, housing pairs of chromosomes — bundles of DNA that carry the instructions for the animal’s development, function, and appearance. This genetic material is structured, with DNA forming a double helix of nucleotides, whose sequences dictate genetic variation among animals.
THE BASICS OF DNA AND GENETIC INHERITANCE
DNA testing, or genotyping, allows us to decode an animal’s DNA, identifying base pairs at targeted locations within the genome. This technology is crucial in understanding how genes are inherited and expressed in progeny.
When an animal reproduces, one chromosome from each pair is randomly selected to pass on to the offspring. With cattle having 30 chromosome pairs, this random selection is similar to flipping a coin 30 times, resulting in over a billion possible combinations. This process, known as Mendelian sampling, ensures that no two sperm or eggs are identical, contributing to the genetic diversity observed in full siblings.
THE POWER OF GENOMIC SELECTION
Genomic selection delves deeper into these inherited chromosome segments, offering insights that go beyond traditional pedigree assumptions. By analysing the genetic profiles of animals, breeders can predict breeding values with higher accuracy, leveraging the data from a well-recorded genomic reference population—a large group of animals with both genotypes and phenotypes documented.
The accuracy of genomic predictions hinges on several factors:
• Size of the genomic reference population: More genotyped animals with performance data enhance accuracy.
• Trait heritability: Traits with lower heritability require more data.
• Effective population size: Greater genetic diversity demands a larger reference population.
• Genetic relationship: Closer genetic ties between the target animal and the reference population improve prediction accuracy.
• Relevance of collected phenotypes: Performance data must be relevant to the production system.
By considering these factors, genomic selection can significantly enhance breeding decisions, enabling more precise and early assessments of an animal’s potential.
Figure 1. Illustration of the shuffling of chromosomes that occurs during sperm formation. The first column represents the bull’s two sets of chromosomes. Chromosomes inherited from the bull’s sire are in blue. Chromosomes from the bull’s dam are in pink. The other columns depict possible combinations of paternal and maternal chromosomes in individual sperm cells. There are more than 1 billion possible combinations.
Figure 2. Example of relationships between animals in a traditional genetic evaluation. Based on pedigree relationships, the animal is estimated to have 50% of genes in common with each parent, 25% of genes in common with each grandparent, and 25% of genes in common with each of its half siblings.
Figure 3. Example of relationships between animals in a single step genetic evaluation. Utilisation of genomic relationships enables a more precise estimate to be made of the relationship to each animal in the pedigree, while also enabling the relationship to be estimated to animals in the genomic reference population.
GENOMIC REFERENCE POPULATION
PEDIGREE ANIMAL
HALF SIBS
PEDIGREE ANIMAL
HALF SIBS
Figure 4. The accuracy of genomic selection as the size of the genomic reference population increases for traits with varying heritability.
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION IN ANGUS BREEDING
Implementing genomic technology in breeding programs involves several steps:
1. Sample Collection: DNA samples can be collected from birth using Tissue Sample Units (TSUs) or from tail hairs as the calf matures i.e. at weaning. Integrating DNA collection with routine tasks like calf weighing and tagging or marking ensures collection efficiency.
2. Sample Types: Angus Australia accepts tail hairs, semen straws, or tissue samples for genomic testing, with TSUs being the preferred method.
3. Genomic Products: TACE incorporates data from HD50K and AngusGS products. These results are standardized to ensure comparability, though differences in pricing and turnaround times exist.
4. Testing Strategy: The scope of testing can vary based on objectives — ranging from individual animals to entire calf drops. Either the entire calf crop or high value animals are common strategies many seedstock breeders use i.e. Donor dams, bulls to be used, retained heifer candidates.
ADVANTAGES OF GENOMIC TESTING
Genomic testing enhances the estimation of breeding values by incorporating DNA into traditional pedigree and performance data. This method, referred to as a single-step genetic evaluation, ensures that all sources of information are analysed simultaneously, resulting in genomically enhanced breeding values (EBVs). The advantages of this approach include:
• Improved relationship estimates: Even with incomplete pedigree information, genomic testing provides more accurate genetic relationship assessments.
• Enhanced trait accuracy: Traits difficult or expensive to measure can be evaluated with higher accuracy.
• Selection accuracy early in the animal’s life: Younger animals can be assessed more accurately, aiding early selection decisions.
Accuracy of breeding values for 200 Day Weight in Australian Angus cattle with (blue) and without (diagonal) genomic information
Figure 5. Enhanced Trait Accuracy using genomics for 200 Day Weight EBV accuracy
Members are encouraged to collect DNA and submit it to the TACE analysis early in the animal’s life to take advantage of the information and increased accuracy ahead of making breeding decisions. Genotyping early and adding performance measurements as the animal matures will ensure the EBV has the most stability (less change after adding additional performance data) rather than genotyping later.
HAVING AN IMPACT
Research by the Animal Genetics & Breeding Unit has shown that incorporating genomic data in the single step evaluation enhances the predictive ability of EBVs by an average of 25% in the Angus breed, with improvements ranging from 7% to 37% depending on the trait. This increased accuracy
translates to more stable EBVs and more reliable breeding decisions, ultimately leading to genetic progress in the herd.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE
The integration of genomics into Angus cattle breeding represents a large shift in traditional breeding concepts based on pedigree, providing breeders with powerful tools to unlock the genetic potential of their herds earlier in the animal’s life. By understanding and utilizing genomic information, breeders can make informed decisions that enhance the quality and productivity of their cattle, allowing breeders to more accurately select cattle that suit their own breeding objective and production system.
Source: Johnston, D. J., Ferdosi, M. H., Connors, N. K., Cook, J., Girard, C. J., & Swan, A. A. (2023). BREEDPLAN
genomic evaluations deliver increased accuracies across all breeds and EBVs
For further information on genomic testing and its application in Angus breeding, visit the Angus Education Centre Module angusaustralia.com.au/ education/breeding-andgenetics/genomics-thewhat-how-why-when
Figure 6. Increase in EBV predictive ability observed across traits with the inclusion of genomics
Figure 7. Average change in accuracy of validation animals across all traits by breed.
Santa Gertrudis
Brahman
Hereford
Wagyu Angus
Two Herds; Two Different Focuses
It’s no easy life for the Totaranui cow. She spends the hard winter months cleaning up the pastures for the ewes, just as the commercial farmer would expect her to.
Totaranui runs two separate stud cow herds; one to generate high value A+ two year old bulls and the other to generate low birth weight yearling bulls. The yearling bulls are not second class citizens, they’re bred specifically for heifer mating in the beef and dairy markets.
“With over 500 females, we have the scale to run the stud in this way, says owner Daimien Reynolds.
The premium Angus bull for the two year old market doesn’t disappoint. He’s recognised with an A+ endorsement from AngusPure, meaning he’s genetically blessed to leave progeny that will perform well, both in a self-replacing farming system and with superior carcase qualities, especially IMF.
Growth is a strong point, ensuring his progeny will finish quickly to meet the premium processing grades. The Totaranui two year old is a moderate hill country bull that will perform.
While docility and structure are paramount in all animals, these attributes are now a given as Totaranui won’t breed from an unsound animal. Fertility is bred into the herd, so to speak, as they’ve mated all the yearling heifers for over 35 years.
The cows are never given a second chance in the commercial hill country environment. They must calve and rear their calf as a two year old and then get back in calf every year thereafter.
“Any glitches and she’s down the road, no second chances.”
Profitability is the bottom line and the Totaranui Angus bloodlines grow fast, have a high yield and marbling, and consequently perform well for clients.
Totaranui is targeting the discerning farmer who wants more than just another black bull. The farmer who understands the true benefits of technology and demands more than just a grazing tool to aid his sheep programme.
“It’s ultimately about profitability and the progeny from your high performance bulls should contribute more to your bottom line.”
Mature Cow Traits for AngusPRO
SUPPLIED BY ANGUS AUSTRALIA
Recently, during the 2024 TACE Enhancements, the mature cow height and mature body condition traits transitioned from RBVs to EBVs. These traits are only available on animals recorded with Angus Australia - AngusPRO.
Profit drivers for beef producers are commonly linked to growth and carcase traits. However, to continue to make more informed selection decisions for overall herd profitability, consideration of mature cow traits that impact the performance of the cow herd will be essential. Mature Body Condition score (MBC), Mature Cow Height (MCH), and Mature Cow Weight (MCW) should be considered for their impact on the efficiency of the cow herd and tailored to your environmental conditions and market demands.
Current selection practices often rely on traits measured in younger animals, such as live ultrasound and carcase fat depth, to infer mature cow body condition and the ‘doing ability’ of females. To enhance our understanding of future selection
decisions, Angus Australia’s genetic improvement team have been exploring the genetic correlations between mature cow traits and fat-depth traits, aiming to determine how selection for fat depth in young cattle affects mature cow characteristics, helping breeders make better-informed decisions for their breeding programmes.
Key Points:
• Mature Body Condition and Mature Cow Height RBVs have been transitioned to EBVs.
• They join the suite of Maternal EBVs, including Mature Cow Weight and Milk.
• Members have responded to the “Breed Better Breeders” project by recording more body condition scores, hip heights and weights on the cow herd.
• Mature cow body condition is a different trait genetically to ultrasound scan and carcase rib or rump fats, with genetic correlations ranging from 0.08 to 0.35.
Angus Australia has been publishing Mature Body Condition (MBC) and Mature Cow Height Research Breeding Values (RBVs) for over 5 years. This started from regular member feedback asking for further genetic understanding of traits related to the productivity and profitability of the Angus cow herd. From this feedback, a collaborative project was developed with the University of New England known as “Breeding Better Breeders”, with the main output being the publication of the cow body composition traits, the MBC and MCH RBVs, as part of the routine TACE evaluation.
In the December 2023 TACE Enhancements, the model and parameters used to generate the MBC and MCH RBVs were enhanced significantly with the key points being;
1. Significantly more animals display the Mature Body Condition and Mature Cow Height RBVs
2. The variance components, including the heritabilities, for both traits were re-estimated, and
3. Genomics was included through a single step evaluation model for both RBVs.
Based on the 2023 enhancements which ramped the evaluation up to ‘state-of-the-art’, and the response from members in recording significantly more weights, body condition scores and hip heights on their cow herds (Figure 1), the MBC and MCH RBVs have been transitioned to EBVs.
With the transition to EBV status, the evaluation for these traits remains the same, but they are now reported consistently with other EBVs. This includes the animal listings, tables and graphs on angus.tech (figure 2) and listed in the relevant herd specific reports and files (TACE Herd EBV report, EBV extended file, Genetic Benchmarking Report) produced at each TACE evaluation.
AS A REMINDER, FOR INTERPRETATION:
Mature Cow Body Condition (MBC) EBVs provide estimates of genetic differences between animals in the body condition of mature females. Mature Cow Body Condition EBVs are calculated from a subjective assessment of an animal’s body condition and are expressed in score units. Higher Mature Body Condition EBVs indicate an animal is expected to produce daughters with more body condition as mature females.
Figure 1. An increase has been observed in recording weight, body condition score and hip heights on Angus cow herds for TACE.
2. Example EBV table on angus.tech displaying MBC and MCH EBVs for an individual animal within a Maternal EBV grouping.
Figure
Mature Cow Height (MCH) EBVs provide estimates of genetic differences between animals in the height of mature females Mature Cow Height EBVs are calculated from height measurements taken at the hip and are expressed in cm units. Higher Mature Cow Height EBVs indicate an animal is expected to produce daughters that are taller as mature females.
The genetic parameters for the MBC and MCH traits were recently calculated and reviewed and are a large part the reason for the transition from RBVs to EBVs.
HERITABILITY
The traits are heritable (Figure 3). Only part of the variation that we observe among animals is due to genetic differences. The majority of the variation is generally due to non-genetic factors such as differences in environment and nutrition. The degree to which genetic differences influence performance varies from trait to trait. This is explained by differences in the “heritability” of the traits.
The moderate to high heritability of the mature cow composition traits indicates that there is an opportunity for genetic improvement of these traits via genetic selection.
Figure 3. Heritability of Mature Cow Weight (MCW), Mature Body Condition (MBC) and Mature Cow Height (MCH)
GENETICS CORRELATIONS
Genetic correlations between two traits describe how much the same genes influence the two traits. In other words, how the two traits change in relation to each other. This relationship is expressed as a number between -1 and +1.
Genetic correlations can be either positive or negative. A negative correlation indicates that as one trait increases, the other decreases, whereas a positive correlation implies that both traits tend to increase or decrease together.
Additionally, genetic correlations can be described as strong or weak. Correlations closer to the absolute figure of -1 or +1 describe cases where a change in one trait is strongly associated with a change in the other, while lower figures (closer to 0) basically mean that for those pairs of traits, 3 there will be no pattern to how one changes in relation to the other.
In relation to the fat traits, the genetic correlations shown above in Figure 4, show that MBC is genetically a very different trait compared to the bull and heifer fat ultrasound scans and steer carcase fat measurements. This means that more genetic progress or change can be made to cow herd body condition through direct selection, rather than via a correlated effect by selecting on the carcase fat EBVs. It also means that Angus producers can select to move the traits (cow body condition and steer carcase fat) in different directions if beneficial to the breeding objective.
• On Centre and on farm semen collection
• Bull fertility evaluations and fresh collections for AI
• AI and ET services
• Import/Export of semen/embryos
• Pre-export isolation
Figure 4. Genetic Correlations between maternal, ultrasound scan fat and steer carcase fat traits.
Beef + Lamb NZ’s Beef Programmes in Full Swing
SUPPLIED BY BEEF + LAMB NEW ZEALAND
Now in its fifth year, Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme is in full swing with a strong focus on increasing the uptake of genetics in the beef industry.
AngusPRO breeders continue to be actively involved in the sevenyear programme by hosting events such as Better Beef Breeding workshops and through their participation in Progeny Tests and methane reduction and feed efficiency trials.
The across-breed Beef Progeny Test (BPT), which compares bulls under commercial farming conditions, is run on Pāmu’s Kepler Farm near Manapouri and at Lochinver Station near Taupo. On Kepler, Angus and Hereford cows are run side-by-side with crosses undertaken both ways. At Lochinver, Simmental bulls are also added to the mix and used across the property’s Angus cows. The test now has processing data from calves born into the programme and reproductive data from heifers born in 2021.
In North Canterbury, a cutting-edge trial was launched to measure feed efficiency and methane emissions. B+LNZ Genetics, AgResearch and Te Mania Angus, the host of the trial, are working together to develop genetic tools that help farmers produce animals that use feed more efficiently and emit less methane while remaining productive.
Heifers from the BPT were involved in this trial and four other studs also put their animals through Te Mania’s feed intake facility and the AgResearch Portable Accumulation Chambers, which record methane output.
B+LNZ’s Head of Genetics, Dr Jason Archer says the aim of the trial is to develop new traits specifically for the New Zealand beef industry so farmers can produce efficient cattle with a light environmental footprint while running productive and profitable farms.
"We aim to create two breeding values, one for feed efficiency and another for methane emissions per kilo of feed,” says Dr Archer.
The aim in this trial is to identify cattle that can produce less methane per kilogram of feed and grow faster per kilogram of feed. That way, we get a double shot of lower methane and better animal performance.
He says methane reductions will be important in the future to meet climate commitments and to support marketing efforts around lower carbon input red meat production.
Farmers will benefit from the trial because they will be able to extract more value from inputs by having a more accurate feed efficiency Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) as a tool in their toolbox.
“Feed efficiency is a moderately heritable trait, and we know we can make good progress in breeding more efficient animals. Research has shown feed efficiency is correlated to reduced emissions. By gradually improving feed efficiency in cattle, we can also reduce emissions.”
Commercial beef farmers continue to play an important role in INZB through their participation in the Next Generation Herds programme. To date, 36 farmers have come on board, with more joining this year.
Last year, B+LNZ ran 13 Better Beef Breeding workshops, several hosted by AngusPRO breeders, along with webinars which covered topics such as Genetic Evaluation 101 and New Trait Development.
The seven-year Informing New Zealand Beef programme aims to boost the sector’s profits by $460m over the next 25 years.
It is supported by B+LNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries' Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund.
DAIRY BEEF PROGENY TEST WELCOMES NEW HOST FARMS
B+LNZ’s long-term Dairy Beef Progeny Test is entering a new phase that involves more farms and a new approach to identifying opportunities offered by superior dairy beef.
While the locations have changed, the objectives of Dairy Beef Progeny Test (DBPT) remain the same; these are to identify the best beef genetics and to highlight the value superior genetics generate at every stage of the supply chain.
The DBPT has moved from Pāmu’s Renown farm and last spring, cows on five new host farms across three regions were mated to DBPT sires. Bulls from AngusPRO breeders were among the sires selected for use in the DBPT last year, including link sires that were used across the different sites.
Other breeds being used in the DBPT this year include Charolais, Hereford, Simmental and Murray Grey.
The new host farms are two Dairy Trust Taranaki farms, two Massey University farms and an owner-operated commercial dairy farm at Five Forks near Oamaru. For the first time, Jersey cows will be included in the DBPT through a smaller herd which is run on one of the Dairy Trust Taranaki farms.
Jim Inglis, B+LNZ Genetics’ Strategy and Operations Manager says the move to run the DBPT across more sites was driven by a desire to include a wider cross-section of farms across more regions and to better showcase the outcomes of the DBPT.
Jim says another advantage of having more farms involved in the DBPT is the range of cow breeds now included in the Test.
While these are predominately Kiwi-cross cows, Dairy Trust Taranaki runs more Friesian-cross type cows along with a Jersey herd.
“Across the five farms, we are seeing a good representation of the types of cows we see on dairy farms across the country.”
A list of all DBPT bulls used in the 2024-mating can be found on the beef progeny test section of B+LNZ Genetics website: blnzgenetics.com
BEEF RESOURCES TOOLBOX
Better Beef Breeding learning module: Based on the popular workshops, the online module helps farmers to select the right bull for their needs. It can be completed in sections, allowing users to come and go as they wish.
Better Beef Breeding book: From setting breeding objectives to bringing your new bull home. This book provides detailed information to guide you through the bull selection process.
Visit beeflambnz.com and search “Better Beef Breeding”
INZB Podcast Series: Each episode offers valuable insights into INZB programme outcomes as well as advancements in livestock genetics. From AI-powered cattle monitoring to genetic tools and the future of beef farming in New Zealand.
Visit blnzgenetics.com/informing-nz-beef
Body condition scoring beef cows
Body Condition Score (BCS) is an important production measure of the energy reserves of an animal, in the form of fat and muscle. Condition scoring to a standard scale allows consistency within and between herds over time and more objective assessment of BCS differences.
Carrying out a structural assessment of a bull
There are fed bulls and there are bred bulls, and it is the latter commercial buyers should be targeting when buying bulls. To help farmers select bulls that are functional for a number of years, B+LNZ Genetics has enlisted the services of Accredited Structural Assessment Technician Bill Austin.
B+LNZ Genetics, with the help of Austin, has put together a video which steps farmers through the process of assessing the structure and docility of beef bulls using the Beef Class Structural Assessment System.
In the 14-minute video, Austin urges farmers to ignore a bull’s overall bodyweight and condition on sale day and focus on whether its Estimated Breeding Values meet their overall breeding objectives and their structural soundness.
The Structural Assessment considers a bull’s temperament, the front and rear claw set, the front and rear feet (hoof angle), the rear legs side and hind views, the front legs’ front view and the sheath and navel.
To view the video visit beeflambnz.com and search “beef class assessment”
Watch a 20-minute video which covers what a Body Condition Score is, why you should utilise this tool, when you can condition score on farm, and demonstrates how to Body Condition Score beef cows. Visit beeflambnz.com and search “Cow BCS”
AngusPRO Members representing NZ at Angus Australia and on World Stage
New Zealand AngusPRO members are representing the New Zealand beef industry in roles at Angus Australia and also at an international level in the World Angus Secretariat. Is it exciting to have a strong voice at this level, to ensure we stay at the forefront with advancements in technology, educational development and genetic progress, among many other things.
TODHUNTER – CLEARDALE
Director, Angus Australia
Ben Todhunter from Cleardale Angus in the Rakaia Gorge has been selected as an Optional Appointed Director of Angus Australia.
Ben takes extensive experience and skills to the position, particularly, New Zealand beef industry knowledge. AngusPRO is elated to see this appointment since there are a significant number of Angus Australia members here in New Zealand (AngusPRO) and having representation at board level is encouraging on many levels.
The decision to appoint a New Zealand based Director was made at Angus Australia’s May 2024 board meeting, with expressions of interest sought from New Zealand members during July. The board of Directors made a decision to appoint Ben Todhunter at the August 2024 board meeting.
“The Board of Directors welcomes the talent and experience of Ben to the Angus Australia Board and look forward to Ben adding valuable insights,” said Sinclair Munro, President Angus Australia.
Angus Australia CEO, Scott Wright adds that, “Ben has been a key New Zealand based member, being a positive contributor to the Angus community and in our member interactions in New Zealand, we look forward to his involvement at a Board level.”
Ben joined the Angus Australia Board of State and Nationally elected Directors in September 2024.
DANIEL ABSOLOM – RISSINGTON
Genetic Evaluation
Consultative Committee
The Genetic Evaluation Consultative Committee provides a forum for consultation between users of Angus Australia’s genetic evaluation services and the Angus Australia Board of Directors and management team. Importantly, the committee communicates the views and requirements of dedicated users of the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation (TACE) in relation to the operations, implementation of enhancements and future developments, along with views on related extension and education activities. Christian Duff, General Manager Genetic Improvement looks forward to working with the committee over the next two years and explained how overwhelmed Angus Australia was with the number and calibre of members who expressed an interest in being on the committee.
“The appointed committee has broad experience and knowledge in the breeding of Angus cattle, and their feedback will be of great value in improving the genetic evaluation services that are available to both seedstock and commercial Angus breeders in Australia,” said Mr Duff.
“For continuity it is great to see our returning committee members, as well as four new additions.”
BEN
BRYAN BENDALL – SEVEN HILLS
Angus Sire Benchmarking Program Consultative Committee
The Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) Consultative Committee has a purpose to provide guidance to the Angus Australia Board of Directors and management team in developing policies, strategies and plan related to ASBP.
The committee focusses on reviewing the overall operations and progress of the ASBP and, where required, provides recommendations to the Board. They also provide feedback on ASBP related proposals for consideration by the Board. Liam Mowbray, R&D Specialist, is eager to work with the committee over the next two years.
“We are excited to work with our committee and meet the objectives of the ASBP program, which continues to focus on measuring hard-tomeasure phenotypes and genotypes for the Angus Australia reference population, underpinning our genetic evaluation system,” Mr Mowbray said.
In his many industry roles, Tim has advocated for Angus beef at every stage of the value chain.
He was involved in setting up AngusPure here in New Zealand and was the organisation’s Chairman for 18 years.
Tim has been Secretary General of the World Angus Secretariat (WAS) for two four-year terms, and during this time the WAS has grown enormously, now having representation from 27 countries including Eastern European countries.
Tim will be standing down from this role after the 2025 Neogen World Angus Forum in Australia since he will have, by then, completed the maximum term allowed under the constitution. Tim says he has enjoyed it enormously.
Tim has been involved in the World Angus Forum since 2007. Held every four years, the Forum will be held in Australia this May and Tim encourages anyone with an interest in the Angus breed to attend.
“It’s a fantastic event for people to go to and get up to speed with what is happening in the Angus world.”
YEARLING BULLS FOR SALE BY ENQUIRY
DOWN:
1. Trait which has a heritability of 43%
4. EBV that estimates genetic differences between animals in boned out saleable meat from a 400 kg carcase
6. Number of Chromosome pairs in Cattle DNA
10. Indication of the reliability of the EBV in estimating the animal’s genetics (or true breeding value)
ACROSS:
2. EBV that estimates genetic differences between animals in live weight of cows at 5 years of age
3. Definition is the complete set of genetic material present in an organism. Comprised of DNA
5. Trait which has a heritability of 53%
7. EBV that estimates genetic differences between animals in live weight at 200 days of age due to the maternal contribution of its dam
8. EBV that estimates genetic differences between animals in temperament
9. Trait has a heritability of 57%
11. EBV that estimates genetic differences in the ability of a sire’s daughters to calve unassisted at 2 years of age
12. EBV that estimates genetic differences in the ability of a sire’s calves to be born unassisted from 2 year old heifers
Neogen World Angus Forum 2025
BEEF FOR A BETTER PLANET
Mark your calendars! The Neogen World Angus Forum is coming to Brisbane, Australia, on the 7th – 8th May 2025!
The Neogen World Angus Forum is an exclusive global event that brings together Angus cattle breeders, enthusiasts, and industry professionals from around the world to share knowledge, showcase their cattle, and network with one another.
The forum is typically held every four years in a different host country and includes a variety of activities such as educational seminars, farm tours, and social events.
With a theme of ‘Beef for a Better Planet’, the 2025 forum will provide delegates with insight into the latest technology, genetics and innovation available within the beef industry and explore the concepts and challenges of the Australian Beef industry’s quest for carbon neutral 2030.
What’s clear since the previous event, held in Sydney in 1997, is the dramatic technology-driven advances the industry has made in areas like DNA-based genomic selection, artificial breeding
tools like IVF and sexed semen, DNA-based feeder cattle selection tools, measurement of cattle for feed efficiency and methane output, scanning and objective measurement and other fields.
Arguably the best international opportunity for delegates to network and interact with each other, the forum also provides a vast selection of trade display exhibitors to peruse.
Angus Australia has put together a number of tour options to view cattle and enjoy other beef industry-related visits around eastern Australia. These events are all happening on either side of the main forum and include the Zoetis AngusTREK pre-tour, Zoetis AngusEXPO and the Post Tour, among others.
One newly released seven day tour is AngusTREK 2.0, which includes two days at Zoetis AngusEXPO in Tamworth and two days at the Neogen World Angus Forum. The middle three days are an escorted tour from Tamworth back to Brisbane. This tour is a great option for last minute travellers and is a fantastic opportunity for New Zealand farmers to take part in the events across the ditch.
ANGUSTREK 2.0 HIGHLIGHTS
• Spend two days at the Zoetis AngusEXPO in Tamworth, expected to be the largest multi-breeder display of registered Angus cattle in the world. This event will also host a number World Angus Youth Competition judging elements.
• Visit leading Angus studs and commercial operations, including Bald Blair Angus, one of Australia’s oldest Angus studs.
• Inspect Rangers Valley feedlot, one of the world’s most respected premium marbled beef producers.
• Enjoy lunch and a wine tasting at Ballandean Estate Wines in the Granite Belt region.
• See how leather is selected and saddles are made, and shop for premium leather goods at Kent Saddlery near Stanthorpe.
• Attend the Neogen World Angus Forum in Brisbane – “Beef for a Better Planet”.
ZOETIS ANGUSEXPO
The Zoetis AngusEXPO will take place at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre in Tamworth NZW, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th May.
There are plenty of opportunities to grab a beer and rub shoulders with like-minded industry folk from across the globe at the Breeder Genetics Bull Bar. The Teys Australia AngusSHOOT-OUT will highlight the finest Angus cattle from across Australia in this prestigious Angus only 120day grain-fed competition, evaluating both feedlot and carcase performance.
The main programme across Saturday and Sunday includes trade displays, BBQ competitions, AngusCAMPDRAFT, an elite female sale, a frozen genetics online sale, cattle exhibitions that are expected to rival any other exhibition ever held in Australasia and much more.
Zoetis AngusEXPO can be attended as a standalone event, with tickets available for just AUD$28 (includes both days).
For further information about the Neogen World Angus Forum and the other events happening at this time, jump on the website and get your tickets booked early to avoid disappointment. www.worldangusforum2025.com
Everyone in the industry knows that profitability within a cattle system can be improved by making educated predictions with factual data. It’s scientifically proven.
AngusPRO are a group of New Zealand Angus studs that encompass over 40% of New Zealand’s registered Angus cattle. These studs have united and made the shift across the ditch, to join the progressive governing body that is Angus Australia.
Angus Australia pride themselves on their quality of leadership in the delivery of innovative programs that will enhance and promote the value of Angus cattle and beef.
Cleardale Grampians
Kahurangi
Kakahu
Komako
Lake Farm Genetics
Mount Linton
Ngāputahi
Oranga
Ranui
Rimanui Farms
Rissington Rotowai
Seven Hills
Stokman
Storth Oaks
Takapoto
Te Mania
The Sisters
Totaranui
Twin Oaks
Vermont
Village Farm
Waitangi
Wakare
Whangara
CLEARDALE
Ben Todhunter
Rakaia Gorge
P. +64 21 140 3760
E. genesforprofit@gmail.com
W. cleardale.co.nz
GRAMPIANS
Jono Reed
Culverden
P. +64 27 258 0732
E. grampians@amuri.net
W. grampiansangus.co.nz
KAHURANGI
Hunter Harrison
Murchison
P. +64 27 833 1368
E. kahurangi_angus@hotmail.com
W. kahurangiangus.co.nz
KAKAHU
Tom Hargreaves
Geraldine
P. +64 27 692 3451 or +64 3 697 4979
E. tom@kakahuangus.com
W. kakahuangus.com
KIWIKAWA
Mike Fraser
Hastings
P. Lucien Keightley (Manager) +64 27 535 8113
Mike Fraser +64 27 443 6851
E. lucienkeightley@live.com
KOMAKO
Dave & Nicole Stuart
Ashhurst
P. +64 6 329 4748 or +64 27 422 7239
E. komako.farm@gmail.com
LAKE FARM GENETICS
Colin Brown
Cambridge P. +64 27 575 0301
E. colinbr@gmail.com
W. lakefarmgenetics.co.nz
MOUNT LINTON
Otautau
P. Mat Middlemass +64 21 799 986
Jacob Bulter +64 27 834 7018
E. office@mountlinton.co.nz
W. mountlinton.co.nz
NGĀPUTAHI
Forbes & Angus Cameron
Ashhurst
P. Forbes +64 6 329 4050 or +64 27 529 4050
Angus +64 6 329 4711 or +64 27 299 1350
E. cameronfamily@inspire.net.nz
ORANGA
Blair McCarroll
Apiti
P. +64 27 247 7143
E. orangatrust@xtra.co.nz
RANUI
Lindsay & Maria Johnstone
Kai Iwi
P. +64 27 445 3211
E. ranui.w@farmside.co.nz
W. ranuiangus.co.nz
RISSINGTON
Daniel Absolom
Rissington
P. +64 21 989 067
E. daniel@rissington.com
W. rissington.com
ROTOWAI
Alan & Natasha Cave Te Kuiti
P. Alan +64 21 162 3177 or Natasha +64 27 278 7509 E. rotowaifarmsltd@outlook.co.nz
STOKMAN
Mark, Sherrie & Jake Stokman Rotorua
P. Mark +64 27 640 4028 or Jake +64 27 787 4008 or Sherrie +64 27 499 7692
E. mtkiwi@farmside.co.nz
W. stokmanangus.com
HERD EST 1956
SEVEN HILLS
Bryan Bendall Pahiatua
P. +64 27 243 3449
E. sevenhills@inspire.net.nz
W. sevenhillsangus.co.nz
STORTH OAKS
Tim & Kelly Brittain
Otorohanga
P. +64 27 593 5387
E. tim@storthoaks.co.nz
W. storthoaks.co.nz
TAKAPOTO
Cambridge
E. info@takapoto.co.nz
W. takapoto.co.nz
TE MANIA
Will Wilding
Parnassus
P. +64 27 826 4015
E. will@temania.co.nz
W. temania.co.nz
THE SISTERS
Hamish Haugh
Cheviot
P. +64 27 2703952
E. hamish.haugh@xtra.co.nz
TOTARANUI
Daimien Reynolds & Tally Jackson
Pahiatua
P. +64 21 430 710
E. bulls@totaranuistud.co.nz
W. totaranuistud.co.nz
TWIN OAKS
Roger & Susan Hayward
Te Akau
P. Roger +64 27 6855 989 or Susan +64 27 274 5636
E. twinoaksangus@gmail.com
W. twinoaksangus.co.nz
VERMONT
Russell & Kim Berquist
Alford Forest
P. +64 3 303 0888 or +64 27 478 5981
E. rkberquist@netspeed.net.nz
VILLAGE FARM
Bruce Wallace & Gary Meyer
Auckland
P. Bruce +64 21 922169 or Gary +64 21 449489
E. bwallace@wallacegroup.co.nz
WAITANGI
John, Joss & Phil Bayly Waitangi
P. John +64 27 474 3185 or Phil +64 27 426 3072
E. jbayly@xtra.co.nz
W. waitangiangus.co.nz
WAKARE
Michael Salvesen & Bryce
Vreugdenhil
Mount Somers
P. Michael +64 27 450 9980 or Bryce +64 27 823 5868
