“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” is a time-tested truism in any operation, be it industry, farming or ranching.
A breeding objective is the general goal of a breeding program – the notion of what constitutes the best animal, said Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle breeding specialist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.
SELECTION PRESSURE
Selection pressure is applied to specific traits in order to meet breeding objectives, Johnson said. Selection pressure is a precious commodity and should not be squandered, especially in beef cattle breeding programs where the biological time lag from selection and mating decisions until replacement heifers become cows is lengthy, compared with other meat animal species.
Determining the correct selection criterion and breeding objectives for a cow/calf operation is critical, especially as it pertains to generating replacement heifers, as these have long-term effects on cowherd productivity and profit potential, he said.
For example, applying all selection pressure to weaning and yearling growth with no consideration for (strongly genetically correlated) mature cow size can leave a producer tethered to an excessively sized, higher maintenance input cowherd for at least a decade, Johnson said. Thereby, selection pressure applied to weaning and yearling growth relative to an acceptable upper limit of mature weight or mature height may lead to a more optimum outcome with regard to the value of calves sold annually and maintenance cost of the cowherd year around.
HERD BULLS
Whether it is the purchase of herd bulls, picking Artificial-Insemination sires, or which heifers will be kept from this calf crop to develop as herd replacements, over time, 80% to 90% of genetic change is the result of sire selection, he said. Additive genetic change is cumulative and permanent.
Four facts should be known about a trait before applying selection pressure to it or including it in a breeding objective, these are:
- Heritability of the trait
- Economic importance of the trait
- Genetic correlation of the trait to other economically important traits
- Measurability of the trait
The final take-home point is this, determining breeding objectives and where selection pressure should be applied is unique to each operation, Johnson said. It should not be determined by a seedstock vendor who sells bulls, or a neighboring cow/calf operation whose financial situation, forage base and marketing endpoint for calves may be different.
Now is the time to consider the unique nature of an operation and give thought to breeding goals and where selection pressure should be applied in the next bull-buying season.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers last week ranged from $216.36 per cwt to $228.00, compared with the previous week’s range of $225.92 to $232.00 per cwt. FOB dressed steers and heifers went for $349.22 per cwt to $356.88, compared with $353.46 to $362.66.
The USDA choice cutout Thursday was down $1.46 per cwt at $366.82 while select was off $4.46 at $351.05. The choice/select spread widened to $15.77 from $12.77 with 69 loads of fabricated product and 13 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA-listed the weighted average wholesale price for fresh 90% lean beef as $402.57 per cwt, and 50% beef was $164.54.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $1.05 to $1.20 a bushel over the Dec corn contract, which settled at $4.35 1/2, up $0.03 3/4.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Thursday was $318.76 per cwt, down $3.20. This compares with Friday’s Jan contract settlement of $323.97, up $8.85.