Sucklers fall short of mark
Sucklers fall short of mark
MANY suckler producers are failing to produce what the market wants, emphasising the need for beef and calving data be used in breeding replacements.
Signet regional manager Jim Stark told delegates at the Cattle Breeders Conference in Cambridge last week that only 43% of cattle are killing at to the right carcass grade. Producers facing lower margins are turning to EBVs to improve suckler selection and performance.
"There is a surprising level of interest in EBVs from commercial producers and evidence from sales is that they will pay more for bulls with higher beef values."
Mr Stark suggested the trend has been to breed bigger suckler replacements, up 100kg on 1984 average weights. This is to the detriment of conformation and incurs higher maintenance costs, he warned.
The introduction of new EBVs for calving performance – gestation length, calving ease and birth weight – combined with the established EBVs for beef value, offers producers a practical management tool to help improve performance, he added.
For example, a +6 EBV score for gestation length suggests a 3% reduction in assisted calvings through shorter gestation and lower birth weight.
Combined with EBV beef values – for example, a fall of 1mm in back-fat depth reduces cow maintenance by the equivalent of 250kg of silage a year – producers can select replacements with high genetic potential but lower maintenance costs, said Mr Stark.
• More on new EBVs, p40. *