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Genetic Improvement in

Beef Cattle - What is Possible?

Brian Wickham

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Would you like

to search the world for the bull that can

increase the profitability of your herd

by the greatest amount?

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Would you liketo compare the available: •bulls, •calves, •feed-lot animals, for

their ability to increase the profitability of: •your herd, •your feed-lot, •your packing operation?

Would you like

• to know how your calves kill out after you have sold them?

• to know the performance of the progeny, males and females, of the breeding bulls you sell?

• to rank your cows on the contribution they make to the profitability of your cow-calf operation?

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Would you like• to remove duplication in data

recording?

• to have access to feed-lot and packer data on animals that resulted from the bulls you bred?

• to have all the data for your herd readily available to you?

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Would you likegenomic research based on one million beef animals genotyped using

50K SNP chip @ $32 per animal as

part of a $440 million (tax payer funded)

three year project to reduce the environmental impact of beef production?

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It is possible and it is happening now: but not in Canada.

Canadian Beef Improvement

Network (CBIN)

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Is CBIN needed?

Yes

Genetic improvement is complex, powerful, cumulative & permanent

National Beef strategy: production efficiency +15%, competitiveness +7%, carcass value +15%, by 2020

60,000 farmers, 100+ organizations

Long complex supply chain

New technologies: genomics, information …

Global warming

Consumer demands

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Is CBIN feasible?

Yes E.g. Canadian Dairy Network (CDN)

E.g. Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF)

Have many of the elements already

Time is right

Large return on investment

Return on investment

• CDN – Canadian Dairy Network

Dairy $472m/year at cost of $2.5m/year

• ICBF – Irish Cattle Breeding Federation

Dairy $1,100m over 15 years at cost of $73m.

• Canadian beef study

$180m/year at cost of $5m/year

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Strategy for CBIN

Recommendations:

1. Structure

2. Continuous improvement

3. Genetic gain

4. Information infrastructure

5. Communications

6. Innovation12

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Structure• Partnership between farmers,

Government, industry and service providers.

• Lean, very competent and focused on Canadian beef cattle genetic improvement.

• Start with interim arrangement and continuously improve.

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CBIN

… optimal genetic improvement of the Canadian beef herd.

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CBIN Funding

• Government (Federal & Provincial)

For long term benefits to wider community and future people & organisations

• Farmer & Industry

For generic benefits to farmers and industry

• Service Fees

For immediately useful information services

From cost savings and or improved information services

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ICBF Funding

http://www.icbf.com/publications/files/ICBF_2014_ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf page12.

Continuous improvement

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Annually

CBIN - Genetic Improvement

Genetic evaluationsa. breeding objectives => $ indexes b. data: national and international, seed-stock,

cow-calf, feed-lot and packers c. genomicsd. tools e. communication

Breeding scheme to optimize economic returns for whole industry

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CBIN – Information Infrastructure

• Scope

genetic improvement as initial focus

farm management, quality assurance, disease & welfare

• Integrate with Canadian livestock tracking system

avoid duplication

participation of cow-calf herds, feed-lots, packers

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CBIN – Information Infrastructure

Access & Ownership

Animal owner controls access to data

Agree data can be used for genetic evaluation and related research & instruct data holders to provide data to CBIN

Agreement with Service Providers on data access and fees

Improve scope & quality of Breed Assn services

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Data recording and validation

Capture at source, validate and add to CBIN database immediately

Capture each event once and ensure data is available to all authorized to use it

Standard data recording protocols to meet needs of all data users

No financial obstacles to data recording

Monitor & investigate deviations from norms

CBIN – Information Infrastructure

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CBIN – Information Infrastructure

Information to improve decisions made by:

Seed-stock farmers

Cow-calf farmers

Feed-lot operators

Breed Associations

Service providers: advisors, veterinarians, …

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CBIN – Information Infrastructure

Technology infrastructure

Existing capability: BIXS, BIO, CCIA, Breed Assns

Integrated database needs to be established

Options to build on existing capability need to be thoroughly explored

25 © ConsultWickham 2015

Ireland went from this:

Milk RecordingMilk RecordingDatabaseDatabase

Artificial Insem.Artificial Insem.

Herd BooksHerd Books

DAFF Calf Reg. & Movements

DAFF Calf Reg. & Movements

LaboratoriesLaboratories

MartsMarts

Meat FactoriesMeat Factories

VeterinariansVeterinarians

AdvisorsAdvisors

Discussion Groups

Discussion Groups

Genetic EvaluationsGenetic Evaluations

DatabaseDatabase

DatabaseDatabase

DatabaseDatabase

DatabaseDatabase

DatabaseDatabase

DatabaseDatabase

DatabaseDatabase

Data Information ServicesKey:

26 © ConsultWickham 2015

to this:

Data Information ServicesKey:

Milk RecordingMilk Recording

ICB

F D

atab

ase

ICB

F D

atab

ase

Artificial Insem.Artificial Insem.

Herd BooksHerd Books

DAFF Calf Reg. & Movements

DAFF Calf Reg. & Movements

LaboratoriesLaboratories

MartsMartsMeat FactoriesMeat Factories

VeterinariansVeterinarians

AdvisorsAdvisors

Discussion Groups

Discussion Groups

Beef Herds

Dairy Herds

Beef Herds

Dairy HerdsAnimal Events

HerdPlus®

Genetic EvaluationsGenetic Evaluations

Any Bull that was ever in your herd and which was registered as the sire of a calf in the ICBF database over the last 5 years will appear in this report.

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30Page 152 – top left corner

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Page 152 – bottom left corner

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Page 152 – bottom middle of page

CBIN - Communication• Weekly update

• Consultation meetings

• Single phone number to get answers

• Field-days

• Research and demonstration

• Conferences

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CBIN - Innovation

• CBIN provides data and implements results

• CBIN has special relationships with Canadian research, education and extension organizations involved in beef breeding

• Canadian Dairy Network to share knowledge and tools

• International forums – ICAR, BIF, WCGALP, ISAG, ASAS, and EAAP …

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Challenges, Threats &

Weaknesses• Non-participation of key stakeholders

• Economic downturn

• Rapid technology developments

• Previous efforts failed

• Starting from scratch

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Challenges, Threats, &

Weaknesses• Decision making

• Funding

• Information infrastructure

• Genetic evaluations

• Genetic gain in commercial population

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Conclusions

• Imperative for Canada to establish a world-class beef cattle breeding infrastructure

• Many of the elements already exist

• Focus must be on genetic improvement of the Canadian beef herd

• Major economic rewards are achievable with a successful CBIN

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