Currently in NZ we are seeing meat companies paying market focussed premiums for superior quality beef.
Delivering excellence on the plate every time requires the BEST GENETICS and MANAGEMENT.
Maternal excellence, optimised growth rates and carcass quality, are the cornerstones of a profitable beef breeding and beef production system.
Maintaining the balance between maternal traits and carcass traits is a constant challenge for beef producers.
Marbling
Research undertaken by Meat Standards Australia (MSA) shows that as Marbling increases so too does the consumer satisfaction, as Marbling influences the TASTE, TENDERNESS AND JUICINESS of the steak.
The higher the marbling score the more positive the effect on eating quality. While marbling has long been desirable for premium markets. Consumers world wide are realising the benefits of marbling and its association with eating quality and are prepared to pay a premium for suitably marbled beef.
Marbling is a highly heritable trait that is also the first fat store to be utilised by the animal as an energy source. This means stress and poor nutrition will quickly reduce marble scores.
Carcass
Carcass weight (CWT)is important as we are paid first and foremost for CWT on the hooks with the bonus being for MARBLING.
Growth
Growth also has implications for both maternal and carcass quality.
Fast early growth provides a heavier carcass at a younger age and improves ossification scores. Fast early growth also increases fertility in young breeding females that are required to be 65% of mature body weight at first joining to maximise their potential to settle in calf.
Also for first calving females, targeted body weight is 85% of mature body weight at calving.
Late maturing cattle however, or cattle that have extended growth curves have a negative impact on maternal quality. Fertility, Calving ease and Feed efficiency may be reduced in late maturing females.
Fats
Selecting for higher levels of Rib Fat is favourable for superior eating quality and female fertility. Selecting for evenness in both Rib and Rump Fat EBV’s will assist carcasses to have an even distribution of fat cover.
Breedplan
Breedplan makes it easy for breeders to select sires with shorter gestation lengths, moderate birthweight, fast early growth to 400 days, high carcass weight, moderate mature cow weight and High IMF %, to ensure that the balance between maternal efficiency and carcass quality is never compromised.
Conclusion
Breedplan is a complex and complicated set of data for most people to understand and make use of. At Twin Oaks we have been using Breedplan as a tool in our operation for over 15 years. We have an understanding of how to make it work in ours and in your breeding programme. Please ask for advice and guidance a service we are more than happy to provide.
Quality Beef is our passion … Profitability and performance our aim