Nick Butcher (ASBP Project Officer) weighing a cube role in the RBY project with NSW DPI. Image Angus Australia
The first mob of steers from Cohort 7 of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) were processed and graded across February 20-22.
Cohort 7 of the ASBP will see 626 steers processed and data collected related to the beef product and consumer. Of these, 341 steers will be part of the retail beef yield collection project.
The first mob included steers which were bred at NSW DPI’s Glen Innes Research station. Following backgrounding near Grafton, the steers underwent a 100-day feeding program at the University of new England’s Tullimba research feedlot before being processed at John Dee abattoir, Warwick
A comprehensive range of data was collected including Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading, beef samples for intramuscular fat (IMF) assay and a full bone-out yield (beef primals, trim, fat and bone) on one side of each carcase. The yield data was captured in a collaborative project with NSW DPI.
Angus Australia is also collaborating with the ALMtech project, primarily to pilot and develop Eating Quality (EQ) measurement technology such as the meat imaging Japan camera, hyperspectral camera and portable microwave system.
It is envisaged that the full set of carcase data for Cohort 7 will be included in a BREEDPLAN analysis towards the end of 2019. At this time, updated sire progeny average values will also be published.
Importantly, from Cohorts 1 to 7 of the ASBP, consumer focussed carcase data from the abattoir will be collected on over Angus 3,500 steers. This data, coupled with the genomic profiles on each steer, is forming a highly effective reference population for Australian Angus cattle.
The Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) is a major R&D initiative of Angus Australia with support from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and industry partners such as Vetoquinol, Rangers Valley Feedlot and John Dee Abattoir.
The objectives of the ASBP are:
- Generate progeny test data on modern Angus bulls, particularly for hard to measure traits such as feed efficiency, abattoir carcase measurement, meat quality attributes & female reproduction.
- Generate data for the validation & refinement of Angus BREEDPLAN.
- Build a comprehensive phenotype and genotype reference population on Australian Angus for genomic technology validation, research and development.
-Angus Australia