GENETICS TEMPERATE CATTLE Selection It’s secon in the south Andrew Carruthers can’tremember a time when he didn’t use genetic Be clear on what drives Hamish said in southern selection tools in his business. profit in your business production systems, where good reproduction rates are generally “Dad was a seedstock producer, so and match your bull appreciating the value of genetic selection to those achieved, producers should consider other profit drivers. selection, and using industry tools profit drivers. such as BREEDPLAN and Australian According to MLA’s Genetics “If you’re selling lighter‑weight calves Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) to to restockers, fast early growth improve production, have always Program Manager Hamish and moderate cow size will be Chandler, this should underpin been the way we’ve worked,” he said. considerations, whereas suppliers how every producer uses to feedlots and the Japanese ox “Use of genetic selection tools genetic selection tools such as market will require more emphasis combined with good management Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) on eating quality traits such as has seen us lift our flock and and indexes. intramuscular fat,” he said. herd performance in terms of “What drives profitability in your kilograms per hectare. Before attending a bull sale, business should be naturally Hamish recommends looking at “Our breeding program is a balancing linked to your breeding objective,” breeding values and indexes first, act between production goals and he said. and then assessing bulls that fit longevity, and we use genetic “Traditionally, producers consider a the criteria for structure and other selection and visual appraisal to try and whole range of traits and attributes attributes at the sale. stay on what we think is the right path.” when buying bulls, but we need to “Indexes are useful for ranking bulls Andrew (pictured) and his wife Sarah make sure those attributes clearly in terms of value in achieving a run 2,632ha from Wollomombi to relate back to what producers breeding objective,” he said. Baldersleigh in NSW and focus on want to achieve in their business. breeding Angus feeder steers for “If you have several candidates Jack’s Creek Feedlot, Wagyu females “It’s important we join the dots of similar index value, then you for Japan’s live cattle market and between what we want to improve need to consider individual lambs for the domestic market. and what traits we need when breeding values – such as birth selecting replacement bulls.” weight, scrotal circumference and The Carruthers are focused on Hamishsaid EBVs a an essential intramuscular fat – and weigh customer satisfaction, and genetic re selection decisions are market‑driven, parto the sef lection process. up their worth to you, as well as considering other traits not tempered by the need for structurally “There are things, other than the in the index such as structure sound, productive animals that genes a bull carries, that influence and temperament.” ■ have longevity. what he looks like on sale day,” Sheep selection he said. Hamish Chandler “In our composite, self‑replacing sheep “Breeding values are important Program Manager – Genetics flock, our main concern is twinning. because we can rank bulls on E: hchandler@mla.com.au We want ewes that will produce their genetic attributes rather genetics.mla.com.au/ twins as many times as possible, so than on how good a season they temperate phenotype – what the ewe looks like – have had.” is really important,” Andrew said. Rams are always selected on breeding values and phenotype. “Fertility and positive fat are important,” Andrew said. “We want high‑performance mothers that turn off lambs inside four months, and that have good milk and udder structure. “It snows here and can get down to minus 15 degrees in winter so selecting rams with positive ASBVs 8