For the first time, selection indexes have been developed and released for Speckle Park International in conjunction with the December 2023 Speckle Park BREEDPLAN analysis.
These four indexes are:
- Domestic Maternal Index
- Domestic Terminal Index
- Export Maternal Index
- Export Terminal Index
While BREEDPLAN EBVs provide cattle producers with a comprehensive range of information regarding the genetic merit of an animal, it can be difficult to identify the appropriate level of emphasis to be placed on each EBV to achieve maximum profitability.
BreedObject selection indexes are tools that help in solving this dilemma.
The BreedObject software combines the BREEDPLAN EBVs for an animal with an economic weighting (based on costs of production and returns on outputs) to produce selection index values.
As selection indexes balance the relative growth, carcase and fertility genetic merits of each animal, they can identify the animals that are most profitable for a particular production system.
Thus, selection indexes enable cattle producers to make selection decisions that account for both the short-term profit generated by a sire through the sale of his progeny, and (where applicable) the longer-term profit generated by his daughters in a self-replacing cow herd.
The four new selection indexes were developed by Speckle Park International in conjunction with staff from BREEDPLAN.
Further information about these new selection indexes is available from the Help Centre on the BREEDPLAN website https://breedplan.une.edu.au/using-selection-indexes/using-speckle-park-international-selection-indexes/
-ABRI