Benchmarking in a beef cattle breeding program: Lessons from the best breeders
Fabio Luiz Buranelo Toral1, Gilberto Romeiro de Oliveira Menezes2, Luiz Otavio Campos da Silva2,3
1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Summary
Top beef cattle herds show significantly higher genetic merit and trends than average herds, driven by advanced breeding practices. Utilizing technologies like multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET/IVF) and optimized breeding ratios accelerates genetic gain.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Genetics
- Agricultural Economics
Background:
- Beef cattle breeding programs aim to enhance herd genetic merit through genetic evaluations and consulting.
- Variability exists in breeders' adoption of best practices, leading to differing genetic merit and trends across herds.
- Benchmarking average (AVE) versus top-performing (TOP) herds in a commercial Nellore breeding program provides insights into genetic improvement drivers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare genetic parameters and breeding practices between average (AVE) and top-performing (TOP) Nellore herds.
- To identify key factors contributing to the superior genetic merit and trends observed in TOP herds.
- To understand the impact of specific reproductive technologies and herd management on genetic gain.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Expected Progeny Differences (EPD) for growth, reproduction, and carcass traits, and a selection index (SI) from 2005-2019 data across 128 farms in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
- Classified TOP herds based on the mean SI of animals born in the last five seasons.
- Compared herd parameters including SI, EPD, genetic trends, population size, reproductive technology adoption (MOET/IVF), generation interval, and inbreeding coefficients between AVE and TOP herds.
Main Results:
- TOP herds exhibited significantly higher mean SI (89%) and EPD (79%-206%) compared to AVE herds.
- Genetic trends for SI (50%) and traits (31%-88%) were substantially higher in TOP herds.
- TOP herds utilized MOET/IVF more frequently (24.6% vs. 12.5%), had shorter generation intervals (17%), and higher progeny per cow/bull (21%-26%).
Conclusions:
- Significant genetic merit and trend differences exist between AVE and TOP beef cattle herds, with TOP herds showing superior performance.
- Adoption of advanced reproductive technologies like MOET/IVF, lower cow-to-bull ratios, and larger family sizes are key drivers of enhanced genetic gain in TOP herds.
- While AVE herds show positive genetic progress, the gap with TOP herds is widening, highlighting the importance of adopting intensive breeding strategies for maximizing genetic potential.
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