UTILIZING BEEF CATTLE SELECTION TO INCREASE MARBLING
Dr. Doug Parrett
Beef Cattle Extension Specialist, University of Illinois
The profit equation in the beef business encompasses many production stages. Cattle must be low cost to maintain, reproduce with a high level of efficiency, grow rapidly, and produce a palatable, high quality product consistently. American beef producers have an advantage because historically they have been low cost producers of a high quality product. In the 21st century it will be important for producers to develop cattle with the end product in mind.
Over 90% of the nation's beef producers have cow herds of less than 100 head. Beef producers have cows primarily as a byproduct of land ownership. Many simply have cows because they have forage lands that are not suitable for grain farming. As a result, these producers are generally slow to adapt technological changes and are unwilling to devote a great deal of management energy to their beef enterprise. The result for the beef industry has been production of a commodity product that has limited predictability. Most cow/calf producers need to realize that a weaned calf is not the finished product.
Committing to Selection for Improved Quality
Successful cattle breeding requires a long-term commitment. Selection decisions made in 2004 will be evaluated in 2006 or 2007. The improved heifer from a 2004 mating has her first calf in 2007 with her offspring harvested in 2009. There is an urgency to be serious about your cattle breeding and selection programs! Profitable cattle production is not a single trait phenomenon. It requires a balance of production, feedlot, and carcass traits. It is not easier to produce balanced trait animals. It requires disciplined breeding strategies over a long period of time. In the past, breeders have often selected for a single trait and changed that trait rapidly. However, that led to problems in other traits and producers who know how traits are related and keep things in perspective have long-term success. First, a producer should identify what traits need improvement within his herd to better meet market demands. Secondly, select sires to improve those traits while keeping other production traits balanced.
We currently have the most genetic information available about beef cattle than at any time in history. An Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) predicts the genetic transmitting ability of an animal as a parent. The EPD is developed in genetic evaluation systems within a breed based on the actual performance of an animal, plus it incorporates all of the performance information of all of the relatives of an animal. EPDs are not new, having been utilized for over 20 years. Through the years, the amount of performance information available has increased dramatically, resulting in improved accuracies of EPD estimates. EPDs reduce the risk in cattle breeding. They allow a producer to identify the animals that can effectively produce beef with the most market demand. Remember, no one EPD is best for all producers as each producer has a unique production environment, labor resources, and marketing options.
Most purebred breed associations offer EPDs to predict marbling characteristics of parent animals based on actual progeny carcass testing programs or from ultrasound evaluations of progeny. In the future, the use of ultrasound evaluations of marbling (intramuscular fat) characteristics will greatly enhance the information base on carcass characteristics. Ultrasound offers advantages over progeny testing programs because many more animals are evaluated and certified technicians utilizing standardized evaluation procedures offer a high level of accuracy to the program.
Selection for Improved Quality
Other discussion has addressed how marbling is manipulated by management and environmental issues. In selection programs, marbling is primarily affected by the breeds utilized in the program and the sires selected. Multiple studies have indicated that a combination of British breeds and Continental breeds of cattle will result in market animals that combine for optimum characteristics of lean growth, retail product yield, and carcass quality. Typically though, the higher percentage of British breeding—the higher the marbling levels at given weights or fat end points. Selecting sires that excel in the traits you want to improve (i.e., marbling) offers direct results in improving market cattle marbling characteristics. Selection is defined as: "choosing animals to produce the next generation."
When selecting sires, a producer must first identify the base marbling and carcass characteristics of their cow herd. Once a base production level is established, a producer should:
· gather EPD information on potential sires. Consider using AI to capitalize on high accuracy, proven sires.
· know the breed averages and percentile rankings for the traits you are evaluating within a breed.
· determine the priority for improving carcass traits as compared to other traits (i.e., calving ease, growth).
· select bulls whose EPD profiles best match the traits are important for your selection priorities.
· purchase bulls whose phenotypes excel from the EPD acceptable bulls you identified.
· produce uniform, moderate frame sized cattle. Large framed cattle have more lean growth but marble at heavier weights. Produce cattle with extra growth but not extremely large frame sizes.
· be willing to pay for predictable genetics.
· document the performance and carcass characteristics of your cattle.
There currently are genetic tools available to improve marbling characteristics in the cattle populations. The measure of success for this goal will be determined by the level of commitment by professional cattlemen to achieve this goal.
Created on 12/31/2003 9:11 AM