The Official Spring 2008 Sire Summary
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Maine-Anjou PO Box 1100 Platte City, MO 64079-1100 (816) 431-9950 • fax (816) 431-9951 E-mail: [email protected] • www.maine-anjou.org The Official Spring 2008 Sire Summary Foreword Table of Contents The Spring 2008 Sire Summary represents the tenth official run Maine-Anjou National Cattle Evaluation.................................1 of the Multiple-Breed International Cattle Evaluation (MB-ICE) Criteria for Listing....................................................................2 system, and the 18th edition of the Maine-Anjou National Sire Possible EPD Change by Accuracy..........................................3 Summary. What are EPDs?........................................................................3 This issue features carcass EPDs published for the Maine-Anjou Example Listing & Trait Definition .........................................4 breed. The carcass EPDs are listed in a special supplement to the Percentile Breakdown of Maine-Anjou EPDs .........................5 Maine Anjou Sire Summary following the listing of Young Sires. Star Percentile Breakdown for AMAA ....................................7 The carcass EPDs are the result of the MB-ICE Carcass System, Maine-Anjou Genetic Trend.....................................................7 which has several key features making it extremely useful to Maine Percentile Breakdowns of MaineTainer EPDs .........................8 Anjou breeders. First, the MB-ICE Carcass system is the first multi- Genetic Trends for MaineTainer Cattle....................................8 breed carcass evaluation. Similar to the weight trait evaluation, MB- Questions & Answers .............................................................10 Glossary..................................................................................11 ICE Carcass Evaluation accounts for breed composition differences. Main Sire List.........................................................................12 Second, this genetic evaluation uses both carcass and ultrasonic Young Sire List.......................................................................25 phenotypes in a multiple trait genetic model. Paired traits are Carcass Trait List....................................................................36 analyzed in four evaluations. Traits are paired in these groups: Inactive Sire List.....................................................................40 Carcass Weight and Scan Weight, Marbling and Percent Intramuscular Fat (IMF), Fat Thickness and Ultrasound Fat the Centralized Ultrasound Processing (CUP) lab which then Thickness, Rib-eye Area and Ultrasound Rib-eye Area. Percent forwards interpreted scan data to AMAA. Ultrasound body retail cuts is computed as a linear index of Carcass Weight, Fat composition measurements of a sire’s progeny are an economical Thickness and Rib-eye Area EPDs. Third, the evaluation and reliable way to gather useful information for estimation of the incorporates external Angus and Red Angus Carcass and Ultrasound sire’s carcass trait genetic merit. EPD data for sires with progeny in the MB-ICE evaluation. The information contained herein is compiled from records in the The carcass records included in the evaluation for the Maine American Maine-Anjou Association office submitted by individual Anjou breed are the result of the breed’s participation in the NCBA members and non-members. The American Maine-Anjou Association, its Carcass Merit Project and continuing contribution of records from officers, directors and employees assume no responsibility for its contents the AMAA sanctioned AMAA National Maine-Anjou Influenced or the use or interpretation of information published herein, although the Steer and Heifer Feeding Trial. Ultrasound body composition American Maine-Anjou Association has made efforts to accurately report measures on yearling bulls and heifers are submitted by breeders to information on the animals contained herein. Maine-Anjou National Cattle Evaluation In the 18th edition of the Maine-Anjou National Sire Summary, incorporating the ability to utilize genetic predictors (EPDs) from the EPDs for animals recorded in the Maine-Anjou herd book have other breed genetic evaluations. Maine-Anjou, like other breeds in the been computed using the Multiple-Breed International Cattle evaluation, has seen an influx of Angus and Red Angus genetics used Evaluation (MB-ICE) system developed by scientists at Cornell in the development of percentage or composite animals. Many of the University and the American Simmental Association. The AMAA sires used in this manner are either high accuracy AI sires or have entered into an agreement with the ASA which enabled the AMAA more progeny and pedigree information in their native breed genetic data base to be combined with the data bases of the American evaluation. It makes sense to leverage this genetic data to increase the Simmental Association, Canadian Simmental Association, and the precision and accuracy of genetic predictions generated by the MB- American Chianina Association for genetic evaluation. ICE system. EPDs for Angus sires and Red Angus sires with progeny The MB-ICE system has the following advantages to earlier in the MB-ICE database and an external Yearling Weight EPD genetic evaluation systems used by the AMAA: accuracy of 0.30 or higher, were incorporated into the genetic 1) The MB-ICE system represents the best scientific techniques evaluation that produced the EPDs published in this sire summary. for describing differences in the breeding values among animals The MB-ICE system has two basic components. A model with different genetic backgrounds; describing factors influencing an animal’s record and a system of 2) The MB-ICE system provides comparisons among all animals equations built on the model which provides predictions of genetic in the database regardless of their fraction of Maine-Anjou merit using a procedure called Best Linear Unbiased Prediction breeding; (BLUP). The EPDs were calculated using a multiple trait model 3) The MB-ICE system provides a better biological description of that included random effects for birth weight direct, weaning Maine-Anjou and Maine-Anjou influenced cattle by a) including weight direct, weaning weight maternal, weaning permanent the differences between Maine-Anjou genes and genes coming environment, and post-weaning gain direct. The fixed effects from other breeds; b) adjusting for heterosis generated by crossing included management group, breed of founder, age of dam, direct Maine-Anjou and other breeds; and c) factoring out differences due heterosis, and maternal heterosis. to age of dam effects among cows with different breed Management Group backgrounds; In the MB-ICE system, all calves are placed in the same 4) The MB-ICE system has recently been improved by (continued on following page) 1 • 2008 MAINE-ANJOU SIRE SUMMARY Maine-Anjou National Cattle Evaluation (continued from page 1) management group as long as they are the same sex born in the Year 2002 born Maine Anjou EPD averages same herd and season, and managed together and treated alike. following base adjustment. Compared to previous Maine-Anjou evaluations, the requirement Trait Average for same percentage Maine-Anjou has been dropped in the MB-ICE Birth Weight . .2.80 analysis. The differences due to breed and heterosis are handled by Weaning Weight . .39.50 the breed of founder and heterosis effects. Yearling Weight . .78.50 Breed of Founder Maternal Milk . .19.30 The phrase, Breed of Founder, is used to indicate that a random Maternal Weaning Weight . .39.00 sample of genes from various breeds are not needed to evaluate Carcass Weight . .1.59 breed differences. The breed of founder effects are developed by Percent Retail Product . .0.31 tracing pedigrees and determining the most distant animals Marbling . .0.20 (founder) in each pedigree. A time trend is included in the breed of Fat Thickness . .0.00 founder effects to account for the genetic trend present in each breed Rib-eye Area . .0.17 group. The MB-ICE system uses two sources of information to Aside from making the EPDs easier to use by commercial evaluate breed differences: 1) Estimates derived from the published producers, the new Maine Anjou base helps Maine Anjou seedstock crossbreeding studies; and 2) the actual breed information in the data. producers to overcome an unfair marketing disadvantage in the Age of Dam seedstock industry. In the past, EPDs of Maine Anjou were lower The MB-ICE system provides age of dam adjustments using the than those of other beef breeds due to differences in each breed’s EPD cow’s age in days and based on her breed background and sex of base. The lower EPD values of Maine Anjou led some commercial her calf. The age of dam effects are estimated directly by the MB- producers to incorrectly believe that Maine Anjou animals didn’t ICE system so the age of dam factors are adjusted for the other perform as well for various traits as some other breeds do. Making a effects in the evaluation. For birth weight direct and post-weaning base adjustment will hopefully correct this misconception and even gain direct, the breed differences included in the age of dam the playing field between Maine Anjou and other breeds. adjustments are used to account for maternal breed differences. It is important to realize that the modifications made to the Maine For percentage or crossbred cows, the age of dam adjustment is a Anjou base only effects the mean or average of EPDs. The same set weighted average of the breeds represented