Page 44 - Hereford Magazine 2021

calving cows that need to be milked prior to the main herd they move through the industry to the consumer. The option
calving, and often prior to milk pick-up commencing. remains in the progeny test for other industry bulls to be
Of 85 bulls tested between 2016 and 2018, 600-day weight entered, allowing benchmarking of any bulls, to ensure the
of the progeny had a range of 67kg. It is worth noting if the best options are made available for widespread use.
bulls were restricted to a gestation length of 282 days or less,
the range in 600-day weight was still 61kg. That means there WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
is potential for huge improvement in the growth potential of
dairy beef calves without having to compromise on calving • The last of the 2017-born cattle, born and finished at
ease or gestation length. Limestone Downs, were processed in February 2020. The
Massey University PhD student Natalia Martín, who studied final data from the first and second cohorts was reported in
the finishing performance of the B+LNZ Genetics Dairy April 2020.
Beef Progeny Test calves at Limestone Downs, reported that • Processing of the 2018-born cohort, born and reared by
sire contributed to variation in carcass weight, marbling, Pamu at Wairakei Pastoral Estate, began in October 2020
eye muscle area, fat depth, and tenderness, once again and will be completed in early 2021. A report will follow
highlighting the potential to improve carcass and meat once all cattle are processed.
quality traits through selection of appropriate sires. • The 2019-born cohort have been assessed for 400-day weight,
The use of better genetics in a finishing system adds little and will be assessed for 600-day weight in autumn 2021, with
cost for the increase in production – an animal growing fast an expectation to begin processing in spring 2021.
eats more than an animal growing slow, but the total lifetime • The 2020-born calves are weaned and DNA parentage
maintenance costs of the slow-growing animal are greater, assignment is almost complete. Once parentage is assigned,
resulting in the fast-growing animal being more efficient. The calving performance will be assessed and calves allocated
progeny test data highlights that among sires fit for purpose to their lifetime mobs.
on the dairy farm, there are those that are strong contenders • Mating to generate the 2021-born calves has been
for a finishing system, and those less desirable for rearing. completed and we await pregnancy testing results in
An exciting development in the B+LNZ Genetics Dairy Beef autumn 2021.
Progeny Test in 2020 has been the collaboration with agri-tech
and herd improvement company LIC, which currently services All Dairy Beef Progeny Test reports are available on the
about 80% of dairy herds in New Zealand. This collaboration B+LNZ Genetics website -
ensures the default beef semen choice of those dairy farmers https://www.blnzgenetics.com/progeny-tests
will produce calves with good performance at all stages as

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics

launches new progeny test

+LNZ Genetics has started a new seven-year with the development of New Zealand-centric breeding
programme of work on behalf of the New objectives focused on New Zealand’s pasture-based system,
Zealand beef industry. It builds on previous where cows play a dual role of supporting sheep production
research and involves the creation of a new while producing a high-quality product.
Bbeef progeny test, in response to an increasing A data measurement and collection system will be
demand for high quality food produced with a lower developed to collect phenotypic and genotypic data and a
environmental footprint. new beef progeny test, using Angus, Hereford and Simmental
General manager Dan Brier says programme modelling genetics, will identify the performance of the agreed-on
has shown farmers can increase the beef industry’s income traits, linking with international beef and dairy beef genetics.
by $460 million while improving the environmental and The new test is already under way.
social outcomes for farms and communities. “Time is of the essence when dealing with biological
He says with the right science and tools, farmers systems so we took the opportunity to get started so we have
will be able to produce great tasting meat with a good calves on the ground next year,” Dan says.
environmental story, while maintaining and improving their The fourth area of work is the use of next-generation
production efficiencies. commercial genomic tools to support stud and commercial
“Our meat companies are already moving in this direction, operations. Commercial farmers, who are performance
with several introducing quality grading systems and recording, will be used to ground-truth these tools and
working under the Taste Pure Nature initiative to target the provide broader-based performance data and feedback.
‘conscious foodie’ consumer.” B+LNZ Genetics will use its experience of building a genetic
AbacusBio consultant Jason Archer will provide the engine for sheep to build a similar engine for beef, combining
science lead while the overall manager will be Matias phenotypic, genotypic and genomic data to calculate breeding
Kinzurik from B+LNZ Genetics. values for agreed traits. Ultimately, B+LNZ Genetics plans to
The programme incorporates four areas of work, starting extend nProve genetics systems to include stud cattle.

42 HEREFORD MAGAZINE Year 2021