Advancements in Cow Herd Efficiency and Selection Decisions
Genetic Variation in Feed Utilization
by Troy Smith for Angus Productions Inc.
HOUSTON, Texas (April 19, 2012) — As cattle producers’ feed costs have increased, so has their interest in breeding cattle capable of utilizing feed more efficiently. Opportunities to select for improved feed utilization were discussed during the 2012 Beef Improvement Federation Research Symposium and Annual Meeting in Houston. Merlyn Nielsen, a professor of animal breeding at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, spoke before a joint session of the Cow Herd Efficiency and Selection Decisions committees about opportunities to reduce total feed energy requirements of a beef production system, by reducing the amount of feed required for maintenance.
Merlyn Nielsen
From a total system perspective, said Nielsen, increasing female reproductive performance improves feed efficiency. Among growing calves or feedlot animals, improving output per unit of time improves individual efficiency. However, he added, collection of data based on measurement of feed intake is needed to select for decreased maintenance requirement.
Nielsen discussed research involving laboratory mice that has illustrated variations among genetic lines for feed intake and a direct correlation to maintenance requirements. He also noted cattle research by the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) that suggests dry matter intake is moderately heritable (0.40).
The question is whether feed efficiency can be significantly changed, without detrimental effects on other traits, by selecting for reduced maintenance requirement.
“For cattle, with maintenance comprising about 70% of total feed energy, a 10% reduction in life cycle feed energy seems possible,” Nielsen stated.
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