Cutting feed costs with better genetics
Cutting feed costs with better genetics - Beef CRC - Beef Genetic Technologies
| 9 October 2007 |
 As the drought continues to push up the price of stockfeed wouldn’t it be good if Australian lotfeeders could breed cattle which make more beef using less feed?It’s something scientists at the Beef Co-operative Research Centre, Australia’s largest integrated beef research program, are working towards. Beef CRC researchers have already discovered more than 100 gene markers which appear to be linked to how efficiently cattle turn feed into body mass. The task for researchers now is to determine which markers are the most relevant, and to devise a commercial test which will allow breeders to readily identify cattle which carry the key genes so they can be selectively bred to produce more feed-efficient progeny. The Beef CRC has already gained a worldwide reputation for research which has allowed the nation’s cattle breeders to better target profitable traits like tenderness and intramuscular fat. With feedlot profitability now heading into the red because of the soaring cost of feed - which in turn is undermining profitability across all of Australia's southern beef industry - the "net feed efficiency" (NFI) trait has assumed a fresh relevance. Beef CRC Project Leader Dr Robert Herd, of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, said the factors behind NFI are complex. "Not surprisingly, the more we understand about the trait, the more genes we uncover that have some relationship to it," Dr Herd said. Feed efficiency is already known to be a trait which is moderately heritable. It’s likely when a feed-efficient cow and bull are mated, their progeny are also likely to need less feed to produce the same or better profits as cattle without the trait. “More than 100 genes associated with differences in feed efficiency have been found in Angus cattle alone," Dr Herd observed. "But we must now check them across other Australian cattle breeds to be sure there is a consistent benefit before a commercial test based on these genes is released.” The validation process is likely to uncover additional genes connected to NFI, Dr Herd said. These will in turn be cross-referenced back to the Angus breed to ensure when a comprehensive genetic NFI test is finally developed, it will cover all Australian cattle breeds. The Australian beef industry spends tens of millions on feed each year, but the figure is climbing following a succession of disastrous years for the cropping sector. “The price of grain is only going to increase. So if we can breed cattle in the future with a disposition to better utilise the feed they eat, productivity and profits will improve,” Dr Herd said. |
| For further information, contact Alison Buchanan, Communications Manager, (02) 6773 3795 or 0439 405 077 |
