Santa Gertrudis Source January 2025

EMPOWERING BREEDING DECISIONS

FOR SEEDSTOCK AND COMMERCIAL BREEDERS

BOB WEABER, PH.D. | SGBI GENETIC CONSULTANT, PROFESSOR AND DEPARTMENT HEAD, ANIMAL SCIENCES & INDUSTRY, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

B eef seedstock producers are charged with the develop ment of germplasm to move the industry toward a num ber of broad goals including improved sustainability, profitability and con sumer acceptance of our product – high-quality, wholesome beef. This charge is no small undertaking and requires producers of all sizes to uti lize the best possible tools to make precise breeding and selection deci sions. To that end, your membership in Santa Gertrudis Breeders Interna

The DigitalBeef portal plays a key role in the genetic improvement of Santa Gertrudis cattle by providing a convenient online resource for mem bers to submit pedigree and perfor mance data. The online portal com putes adjusted performance records and within-herd contemporary group ratios. The platform also provides a data pipeline to the genetic evaluation system. That pipeline returns the ge netic predictions in the form expected progeny differences (EPDs) back to

breeders and others through the look up features. DigitalBeef provides both members and association staff conve nient, 24-7 access to data. The data base includes powerful tools to search for animals of defined merit and test mating decisions, enabling breeders to make efficient and impactful breeding decisions. Genetic Evaluation SGBI’s genetic evaluation system is provided on a contract basis by Neo

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tional (SGBI) enables you to access industry-leading tools for the genetic improvement of your herd and the genet ics your program provides to the broader beef value chain through the sale of animals into the commercial breed ing sector. SGBI members collectively support two key services to the membership through their registration, data submission and registry transfer business. The two products are the DigitalBeef portal for data submission and herd management as well as the SGBI genetic evaluation powered by Neogen. The DigitalBeef portal plays a key role in the genetic improvement of Santa Gertrudis cattle by providing a convenient online resource for members to submit pedigree and performance data.

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SANTA GERTRUDIS SOURCE

JANUARY 2025