Angus Australia has launched Angus SteerSELECT, providing beef producers with confidence in determining the genetic potential of their Angus steers, allowing for more informed decisions across the beef supply chain.
Angus SteerSELECT delivers genomic based genetic predictions for Angus steers covering the key trait areas of growth, feedlot performance, carcase attributes, and resilience. It has been developed for Angus steers that are 87.5% or higher Angus content.
Angus SteerSELECT has been specifically developed to cater to Australian and New Zealand beef production systems, using extensive research and data gathered through Angus Australia’s reference population, which now includes over 300,000 genotyped animals. This ensures that the tool provides the most accurate genetic predictions for Angus steers.
Angus Australia’s CEO, Mr. Scott Wright explained that the launch of Angus SteerSELECT adds to Angus Australia’s portfolio of genetic focused tools for Australian and New Zealand Angus breeders and Angus beef supply chains. This product builds on Angus Australia’s long history of providing world leading genetic evaluation solutions.
Mr. Wright further highlighted the collaboration behind the tool: “Angus SteerSELECT is the culmination of five years of collaboration between Angus Australia and the CSIRO, Australia’s National Science Agency. Importantly, it leverages the genotype and phenotype reference population data curated by Angus Australia, including the rich dataset from the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program.”
Angus Australia’s General Manager of Genetic Improvement, Mr. Christian Duff, explained that Angus SteerSELECT complements the genetic selection tools already available, particularly Angus HeiferSELECT, which has been in use since 2017.
“Angus SteerSELECT provides genetic predictions across nine key traits important for Angus steer production. This is coupled with an overall Angus Steer Value (ASV), which encapsulates the overall genetic worth of each steer,” Mr. Duff said.
He added that the tool also offers sire verification (where possible) and genomic breed composition to further enhance its value for producers.
“Angus SteerSELECT can be accessed directly from Angus Australia or via our collaborating partners Zoetis Animal Genetics and Neogen Australasia,” added Mr. Duff.
Angus SteerSELECT was developed and validated in the commercial environment, enabling greater precision in sorting and/or marketing of Angus steers into lines suitable for the different paths within the beef supply chain.
Rangers Valley’s Livestock Procurement Manager William Schmidt stated, “We are excited about the possibility of being able to individually select commercial progeny for specific feeding programs.
“By identifying individual animal’s genetic potential, we hope to reduce our production cost of feeding cattle that are not suited to our long-fed programs”, added Mr. Schmidt.
Angus Australia will showcase Angus SteerSELECT at the 2024 ALFA BeefEx Conference, from 15th to 17th October at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane. Angus Australia members and industry participants are encouraged to attend and learn more about how Angus SteerSELECT can enhance their beef production enterprises.
An informative webinar introducing Angus SteerSELECT is scheduled for 1pm Thursday October 31st AEDT. The webinar will discuss the background behind the creation of Angus SteerSELECT, the technical information you need to be aware of and the ordering process. To register for this webinar, click here.
For more details about Angus SteerSELECT, please visit the Angus Education Centre SteerSELECT module or contact:
• Angus Australia: (02) 6773 4600
• Zoetis Animal Genetics: 1300 768 400
• Neogen Australasia: (07) 3736 2134