We are always talking about the phenotype of different bulls and heifers on this site, so it got me to thinking about the genetic make up of these animals. We have a genetic plan and I do try to stick with it, but sometimes find myself being pulled off my chosen track by the hype on the new hot bull. Around 2000 or 2001 I made myself a genetic road map of sorts. I wanted to see the following bull in the genetic make up of each cow in the herd. The bulls chosen for different reasons were:
AAR New Trend
Traveler 71
N Bar Emulation EXT
Rito 707
Some Bando 598 but this wasn't one of the have to have bulls.
Needless to say we could not always get the semen on the bulls listed so we would look for a son to use.
Once I have each of the above elements in a cow then I can do pretty much anything with her. Fifteen years into this plan I am finding that we are getting a pretty darn consistent cow herd.
This past year three of the bulls we used natural service trace back to the same foundation cow, two were maternal brothers one out of a flush the other a natural calf out of the donor cow. We are starting to wrap the genetics a little tighter so we will see how that works out when the calves start hitting the ground. I think over the years we have identified the cows that work in our environment and that is something each of us has to do.
As stated by Dr. John Paterson at the recent BIF conference some components of efficiency may be geographically dependent and thus require different emphases depending on the region where the germplasm is intended for use. For example, given an EPD for heat tolerance, the economic weight placed on it is appropriately far greater in selection of cattle for use in Texas than those for use in Montana. Similar regionally specific emphases would include traits like fescue endophyte tolerance and disease resistance. This concept may even extend to dystocia as evidenced by Hereford cows of comparable genetic make - up moved from Miles City, Montana, to Brooksville, Florida and vice versa. Then years after the switch was made , birth weights in the Montana herd that had been moved to Florida had declined from 81 pounds to 64 pounds. Conversely, birth weights in the Florida herd that had been moved to Montana had increased from 66 pounds to 77 pounds. Other studies have yielded similar results, indicating that calves of comparable genotype will be born lighter in the south than in the north (Ritchie and Anderson, 2001)
Each of us has different environments to deal with, different inputs some are high input operations some low some moderate. We all have to find the type and kind of cattle that work for us as well as our customers.
Just some thoughts to ponder.
gizmom
AAR New Trend
Traveler 71
N Bar Emulation EXT
Rito 707
Some Bando 598 but this wasn't one of the have to have bulls.
Needless to say we could not always get the semen on the bulls listed so we would look for a son to use.
Once I have each of the above elements in a cow then I can do pretty much anything with her. Fifteen years into this plan I am finding that we are getting a pretty darn consistent cow herd.
This past year three of the bulls we used natural service trace back to the same foundation cow, two were maternal brothers one out of a flush the other a natural calf out of the donor cow. We are starting to wrap the genetics a little tighter so we will see how that works out when the calves start hitting the ground. I think over the years we have identified the cows that work in our environment and that is something each of us has to do.
As stated by Dr. John Paterson at the recent BIF conference some components of efficiency may be geographically dependent and thus require different emphases depending on the region where the germplasm is intended for use. For example, given an EPD for heat tolerance, the economic weight placed on it is appropriately far greater in selection of cattle for use in Texas than those for use in Montana. Similar regionally specific emphases would include traits like fescue endophyte tolerance and disease resistance. This concept may even extend to dystocia as evidenced by Hereford cows of comparable genetic make - up moved from Miles City, Montana, to Brooksville, Florida and vice versa. Then years after the switch was made , birth weights in the Montana herd that had been moved to Florida had declined from 81 pounds to 64 pounds. Conversely, birth weights in the Florida herd that had been moved to Montana had increased from 66 pounds to 77 pounds. Other studies have yielded similar results, indicating that calves of comparable genotype will be born lighter in the south than in the north (Ritchie and Anderson, 2001)
Each of us has different environments to deal with, different inputs some are high input operations some low some moderate. We all have to find the type and kind of cattle that work for us as well as our customers.
Just some thoughts to ponder.
gizmom
