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BREEDPLAN
"VARIATION within a comtempory group IS KEY TO successful EBVs".
The Blonde d’Aquitaine breed is involved with the internationally acclaimed BREEDPLAN beef cattle genetic evaluation system which is now used in over 14 countries.
It covers a wide range of traits including gestation length, calving ease, birth weight, growth, milking ability and carcass information.
Included in the calculation of EBVs are the animal’s own performance, the performance of known relatives, the heritability of each trait and the relationship between the different traits ie. a world class genetic evaluation model, combining all traits in one analysis.
All breeds of beef cattle in Australia use BREEDPLAN. For most, the BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation program has been integrated with the respective breed association’s pedigree system. Substantial genetic improvement for traits of commercial importance have been demonstrated within each breed.
A higher “Completeness of Performance” rating from Breedplan gives stud breeders more confidence in the selection of highly desirable traits. Stud stock purchasers can select animals with measurable traits generated by an independent program such, as low birth weights, high growth, high milk, from raw data recorded.
The Blonde breed receives BREEDPLAN Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for the following traits:
Gestation length
Birth weight
200, 400 and 600-day weight
Mature cow weight
200-day milk
Scrotal size
Carcass weight
Eye muscle area
Rib fat
Rump fat
Retail beef yield
Intra-muscular fat
Breedplan is also recording data for other traits such as: .
Calving ease
Docility scoring
Flight time
Net feed intake
Structural scores
Days to calving
The raw data that members are sending in to Breedplan will help to build a database that can be used to calculate EBV's for those traits in the future. Seed stock producers are also able to submit DNA test results which may assist in the development of marker assisted EBV's.
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