Beef Blup Basics

Producers use breeding values to determine the long-term value of certain animals to their herds.

Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) provides the most accurate genetic evaluations possible, given the available information. Various traits are measured to improve beef cattle production.

FERTILITY

According to the Agricultural Research Council, fertility is the most important trait in beef cattle, and its heritability is about 10% or lower. It is generally measured indirectly through indicator traits, such as age at first calving, number of calves up to a certain age, and scrotum circumference.

REPRODUCTION

Calving tempo: This EBV is only available for male animals.

For a bull to receive a high breeding value for calving tempo, its daughters must be retained in the herd as young heifers, and must regularly calve up to six years of age.

Stability: Only estimated for the South African Angus, this is the number of cows still in a herd by the age of six.

Scrotum circumference: This is an indication of the fertility of the bull and its daughters.

A small circumference indicates low fertility, while a large circumference could indicate high fat deposits, which might lead to infertility. This trait is measured in young bulls in the post-wean tests (phases C and D). Untested bulls receive breeding values based on pedigree information.

BIRTHWEIGHTS