Braunvieh_World_Winter_2022

The Commercial Cowman The bottom line is, EPDs are better indicators for genetic merit than anything else available to seedstock breeders. And seedstock breeders, especially Braunvieh breeders, have for years identified the commercial cattle producer as their No. 1 customer. It just so happens that same person is the primary focus of IGS. In order to equip commercial cattlemen and women with the most accurate information to make the most in- formed buying decisions, IGS started directly comparable across-breed evaluations. Now, cattle of various breeds are on an equal basis for comparison. The fact is, no single breed can meet the needs of every cattle producer. Now, more than ever, commercial pro- ducers need information to make clear choices that allow them to find and utilize the genetic package that meets their ever-changing needs, resources and goals. The seedstock sector of the beef industry has long been characterized by many individual breeds, all claim- ing they are the answer for the commercial producer. Some breeds have been able to capitalize on that claim, resulting in a homogeneous cow herd to the detriment of genetic diversity and the loss of the advantages of hybrid vigor and breed complementarity. In today’s cattle production environment, all breeds have value in their unique contributions to the gene pool. Without genetic diversity, producers are limited in their capacity to advance their herd genetics. Going forward, there are several tactics IGS recom- mends producers implement through their breed associa- tion to improve the genetic predications of their herd:  Total Herd Reporting (THR) – see page 10 of this issue for more about the BAA switching to THR. Undoubtedly, THR offers the most complete picture of the genetics involved in your herd.  Proper contemporary groups – It’s important for genetic evaluation that you group, to the best of your ability, animals that are treated uniformly. Proper reporting of contemporary groups ensures better predictions for all.  Take data collection and reporting seriously – Phenotypes are the fuel that drives genetic evalua- tion. Take pride in collecting accurate data. If pos- sible, try to collect additional phenotypes like mature cow weight, cow body condition score, feed intake and carcass data.  Use genomics – DNA testing adds more informa- tion to what we know about an animal. The more genotypes we collect, the better we can predict DNA- tested animals in the future. Also, the more relatives genotyped, the better we can predict their relatives in future generations. Therefore, to ensure your bloodlines are well represented in the predictions, genotype your animals. While the process of calculating EPDs on the world’s largest multi-breed database is complex, IGS part- ners have taken a revolutionary step by presenting the resulting EPD on a common base, thus allowing com- mercial producers to directly compare the genetic merit of animals regardless of breed composition. Whether your breeding objective is to develop the next generation of purebred seedstock or reap the proven benefits of structured crossbreeding, IGS provides the industry’s most reliable genetic solution tools to assist in achieving producers’ goals. BW

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nomic information included in the evaluation, it allows for the identification of the actual genes, or genetic markers, the animal has inherited. Knowing an animal has specific markers for a trait and how that marker contributes to that trait increases the reliability and predictive power of the EPD. The IGS multi-breed genetic evaluation calculates genomically enhanced EPDs in one step using DNA, pedigree information and phenotypes simultaneously. It’s important to remember that reporting performance records will remain a critical step in genetic evaluation. The value of genomic predictions increases as the amount of phenotypic information increases. Furthermore, at this point, animals can’t achieve high accuracy with genomic data alone. High-accuracy EPDs are only achieved by col- lecting phenotypic records from offspring. The key difference between a multi-breed genetic evaluation and single-breed genetic evaluation is that the multi-breed approach allows massive amounts of hybrid and crossbred data to be analyzed and connected along- side purebred animals. As long as there are shared sire groups between breed populations, a multi-breed genetic evaluation is possible. The mindset behind this type of genetic evaluation com- pared to a single-breed evaluation is the more steam (data) added, the more powerful the engine (IGS) can run. Current- ly, IGS is running with more than 20 million animal records combined from their partners and is only gaining steam. JBAA Members to ‘Show and Glow’ This Summer in the Show-Me State Braunvieh enthusiasts are invited to Springfield, Mo., for the 2022 National Junior Braunvieh Show, scheduled for June 20-25. The week will be full of socials, contests, shows, friends and memories for Junior Braunvieh As- sociation of America members and their family, friends and supporters. “Like” our Junior Braunvieh Association of America Facebook page and follow us on Instagram (juniorbraunvieh) to stay up to date on information and entry deadlines throughout the spring. BW

HOST HOTEL Hotel rooms are now open for booking at: Comfort Inn and Suites Springfield I-44

2815 N. Glenstone Ave. Springfield, MO 65803 (417) 459-4854

BLOCK NAME Junior Braunvieh Association of America

BECOME A SPONSOR Sponsorships are now being accepted to ensure a successful show. Email information.jbaa@gmail. com to become a sponsor today.

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Braunvieh World  Winter 2022