THE latest addition in the new suite of Angus genetics selection tools has just been released.
Angus Australia has launched a companion to its innovative Angus SaleSELECT tool called Angus SemenSELECT.
This interface makes it even easier for breeders of Angus cattle to search for and find the semen most suitable to their breeding programs.
Almost 50 per cent of registered Angus calves are the result of AI, making the selection of semen sires very important to the rate of genetic progress in individual herds and the breed.
“Users of Angus SaleSELECT will quickly master Angus SemenSELECT as the interfaces share many features in common,” said Liz Roan, Education Officer at Angus Australia.
“It’s a two-step process. First, users chose the catalogue or catalogues of interest, or search across all catalogues, and then they refine their search by applying extra selection criteria to the sires.”
Sires can be selected on a range of criteria such as registration status, colour and number of progeny, along with pedigree, genetic test results and EBVs. Minimum and maximum values can be applied to any of the Angus Selection Indexes or Estimated Breeding Values, along with cut-offs for accuracy or percentile bands.
“The best thing about this tool is that you can use it to search across all semen catalogues at once,” Ms Roan said.
“You don’t need to know who is storing or selling the semen, instead, you can search all of the semen lots currently available for sale, refining your search using criteria to find the best fit for the females in your herd and the breeding objectives of your business.”
The ability to search over all catalogues and lots at the same time means that Angus breeders have a greater chance of finding exactly the right match for their requirements.
For example, producers who are looking for semen from bulls with high EMA and IMF EBVs, while maintaining low calving difficulty, don’t need to go looking for bulls based on their name or owner details – with Angus SemenSELECT, they can identify them by searching through the EBVs of sires with semen available.