If there is one certain thing in this economy, it is that cattle producers cannot afford mistakes. This spring cow/calf producers will be making decisions about calves and young breeding stock that will affect their herds' profitability this year and for years to come. Producers can help reduce some of the guesswork associated with these decisions by putting the power of DNA to work in their herds, says Dr. Kevin DeHaan, technical services director, IGENITY®.
"Mistakes in the cattle business cost money and can take generations to fix," he says. "By incorporating a comprehensive DNA profile into the decision-making process, producers can help minimize some risk by gaining inside information about cattle early in their lives — before mistakes are made."
Dr. DeHaan adds that spring is both a convenient and strategic time for producers to incorporate DNA technology into their operations, which starts with choosing a provider.
"Producers should look for a comprehensive DNA analysis that will provide a more complete picture of the herd," he says. "The IGENITY profile includes analysis for more than 15 economically important traits — three times more than any other DNA technology provider."1,2
In addition, he says it is important that producers find a profile that has been researched in cattle and environments similar to their own and includes third-party validated analyses.
"Extensive field trial research, involving multiple breeds of cattle, environments and segments, has been conducted on the analyses in the IGENITY profile," he says. "Plus, the IGENITY profile includes the most traits third-party validated by the National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium (NBCEC)."2
Once producers choose a DNA technology provider, Dr. DeHaan notes that the best time to collect DNA samples is when cattle are already being worked.
"The IGENITY tissue collection system makes collecting samples as easy as applying an ear tag, so it won't slow producers down during processing routines such as bull soundness exams or branding," he says. "Plus, we offer a combination radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and tissue collection device giving producers another level of convenience."
Once producers have collected DNA samples and gained the inside information from the IGENITY profile, they can more easily manage and apply it with user-friendly information management software only available from IGENITY. Currently two IGENITY software applications are available; custom sort and benchmark. The custom sort software is designed to help producers sort and rank their animals based on the traits that are most important to them. The benchmark software helps producers determine where their herd's genetics compare with others within their respective breed or the nearly half million cattle in the IGENITY database.
"DNA information is just DNA information if producers don't know how to manage or apply it," Dr. DeHaan says. "With these software programs and a team of expert advisers, IGENITY helps producers turn this inside information into actionable knowledge and results based on their individual operation."
All of the information from IGENITY can help producers better manage breeding groups this spring to make faster genetic progress based on their herd goals. And, collecting samples from calves at branding can help producers more efficiently manage their calf crop.
"The comprehensive profile and the software programs allow producers to select and manage the traits in the profile that are most important to them, several of which are difficult, if not impossible, to measure with any other management tool," Dr. DeHaan says.
Producers can identify cattle that excel or lack in areas such as tenderness or fertility and make more confident breeding groups based on this information, he adds. In addition, by collecting DNA samples during branding, producers can help make more confident decisions about their calves at weaning — and help ensure their herd is positioned for profit in the future, Dr. DeHaan says.
Regardless of the decision, adding inside information from a comprehensive DNA profile can help producers minimize some risk and guesswork this spring.
"Producers can't afford to guess when it comes to important decisions such as which heifers to keep or bulls to use," Dr. DeHaan says. "By adding information from the comprehensive IGENITY profile to the decision-making toolbox this spring, producers can have more confidence that the decisions they are making are setting them up for success this year and for years to come."
1Data on file at Merial.
2National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium Web site. Available at: http://www.nbcec.org/nbcec/index.html. Accessed February 22, 2009.
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