Through fixed-time artificial insemination, the project aims to produce a minimum of 12 steers and 12 heifer progeny per sire per year.
The Australian Wagyu Association 2021-2031 Progeny Test Program will join approximately 40 Fullblood Wagyu sires from across to the globe, to more than 2,000 Australian-based Wagyu females.
It is a global benchmarking project that will also develop much needed new Wagyu-specific traits for reproduction, structure, Net Feed Intake (efficiency), carcase yield and meat quality (including fatty acid profiles).
The AWA invites its members to get involved in the AWA-PTP by nominating Sires and/or Contributor Cow Herds to take part in the Project.
Both domestic and international AWA members can nominate Fullblood Wagyu Sires, giving bull owners the opportunity to have their Sires benchmarked against the best global Wagyu genetics on the largest Wagyu cow herds.
Through fixed-time artificial insemination, the project aims to produce a minimum of 12 steers and 12 heifer progeny per sire per year.
These 24 progeny from your sires will be run in large contemporary groups with phenotype data to be collected from birth to slaughter (steers) or the weaning of the second calf (heifers).
This data will be entered into AWA BREEDPLAN. We estimate that, on average, AWA-PTP sires will achieve 75% accuracy for carcase traits as a result of progeny performance data entry.
Members can nominate their bulls as “Standard Sires” to be used for one mating, or as “Link Sires” to be used across at least two breeding years. Link Sires serve an important purpose in creating linkage across years for the genetic analysis.
They will also receive at least twice the amount of progeny as Standard Sires, further increasing EBV accuracy to approximately 85% and will essentially be benchmarked against proven sires.
Australian-based AWA members with a minimum of 150 Herdbook registered females can also participate in the Project by nominating a proportion of their cow herd as a Contributor Herd. Cows, second calf or older, will undergo a single round of artificial insemination (AI) each year.
Following AI, Contributor Herds can use a backup bull/s of their choosing to continue genetic progress within their existing herd.
Contributor Cow Herds will gain access to the leading next-generation genetics from around the world.
They will retain ownership of all-female Project Progeny once the heifer’s second calf weaning data has been collected.
This provides Contributor Herds with the opportunity to access rare genetics from the best Australian and International breeders.
Contributor herds will also have the highest female accuracies and the best genetic information on females for the new traits produced through the AWA-PTP.