GeneSTAR

[Son of Butch]

How useful is GeneSTAR testing in selecting A.I. sires?
Which GeneSTAR traits would you consider to be the most important to select?

 

[bse]

cant say about Genestar i think all these Geonomic tests are just another tool to help you make selections. In Angus the 50k and Igenity will help your acc and take interum numbers off it will adjust there EPDs to reflect more of what the geonomic tests say and let you know what you may need to improve on.
As far as what to select for you need to do that yourself what i pick for may not be what you like or need so i just kinda rank whats most important to me and what i need to improve on and go down the line like that.

 

[Lucky_P]

SoB
Like bse said, it's just another tool.
I look at the genomic data, when it's available. I'm mainly keying in on the tenderness & quality grade genes, with the GeneSTAR stuff; don't really know what to make of the 'feed-efficiency' data. When I'm trying to select Angus sires, I'll certainly give those with 5 or 6 stars for tenderness a closer look, if everything else I want is within reason, and if all else is comparable, more is better, IMO.
I'm trying to breed some carcass quality into terminal steers - and for cows that'll pass tenderness & marbling on to their offspring.

Not sure how much genomic testing's been done with other beef breeds(I know the dairy industry is hitting it hard); some of the Shorthorn & Simmental bulls we've been using have some GeneSTAR data available, and I've seen some on some of the Braunvieh bulls.
Somebody in the SH world told me 'the Angus gene tests don't work for Shorthorns'; but I'm not sure that I buy that claim - a gene coding for a trait in an Angus ought to be, in my mind, the same in a Shortie, or a Hereford, etc...