Newsletter for the week ending 7 January 2005

Welcome to 2005!

The year has started much as 2004 ended.  A buoyant cattle market and moderate temperatures for summer with rain in some areas.  I am optimistic that 2005 will be an even better year for Limousin than 2004.

New DNA Markers

Australian company Genetic Solutions have announced the release of two new DNA markers for marbling.  This brings the suite of DNA markers offered by Genetic Solutions to two tenderness and three marbling markers.  The company claims that the three marbling markers are additive and can be used to sort cattle entering a feedlot program on their potential for marbling in a long fed program.  Those cattle with lower potential to marble would be fed for shorter periods and different markets.  The frequency of the two new markers in Limousin has not yet been determined but is probably low.

All new samples submitted to Genetic Solutions will be tested for the new markers.  Samples submitted for testing prior to 20 December 2004 can be upgraded with the new markers for $20 plus GST.

The release of these new markers reinforces the leading international role this Australian company has in the development of Gene Marker technology.

The recent announcement of $30m Federal Government funding for the Cooperative Research Centre for Beef (CRC3) will see an increased research effort to discover new gene markers in Australia.

Good Suggestions and Gripes

If you have a good suggestion or a gripe which you would like to make to someone other than staff at the ALBS office please feel free to contact one or more of the nine Directors who make up the Board of the Society.  Their phone numbers are listed in each copy of Limousin Australia.

Two good suggestions have come in from individual members in the last month.  The first was that the Society consider running a structured progeny test program to identify superior Australian bred bulls for use by AI.  The program could be modeled on a program recently commenced by Angus Australia which requires the identification of promising young bulls and the use of these bulls by AI by other breeders to get accurate EBVs early in the bulls' lives.

This proposal will be considered by the Board at their May 2005 meeting so please talk to a Director if you like or dislike the idea.

Web Certificates

A web oriented member has suggested that we should make Registration Certificates available via the web for those breeders who would like to get their certificates this way rather than by post.  I am currently obtaining a quotation for the implementation of this service and hope to have the option available in the near future subject to Board approval.

Interpreting EBVs for Imported Sires

As part of the Limousin genetic analysis the country of origin EBVs are "imported" to the Australian analysis.  These imported EBVs convert to low accuracy Australian EBVs.

As measurements on Australian born progeny are added to the analysis, the accuracy of these EBVs increases.  There is a considerable delay for this to happen for milk EBVs because we have to wait until we get weaning weights on progeny of daughters born in Australia.

In the latest analysis some of the recently imported French sires have relatively low EBVs for milk compared to their French Index (EBV) for milk which is based on many daughters in production.

Where there is a conflict my advice is to rely on the EBV (Index) based on the greatest number of progeny or daughters - in this case the figures from France or the UK.

We do not import EPDs for docility from North America but  there is a strong correlation between the US EPDs and the Australian EBVs for docility.  However there is an occasional conflict.  DJ Gentleman in Black is a point in case in this analysis.  His US EPD for docility is +22 but his Australian EBV based on a small number of progeny is +1.  I would be inclined to place more emphasis on his US EPD at this stage.

Maitland NSW Sale Toppers

Limousin member Jean Kelehear of Dungog sold 14 Limousin cross steer vealers at Maitland Saleyards in late December.  Weighing 381kg they averaged 222.7 c/kg or $848.

The top six steers sold for $870 and the lowest price was $817 in an outstanding sale.

Mount Gambier SA Sale Toppers

From the Stock Journal of 23 December.

"Cattle prices peaked at Mount Gambier on Monday with TR & CM Little, Kongorong, achieving $2.22/kg, averaging $939 a head, for nine outstanding heavy Limousin cross vealer steers."

Denver Next Week

I will be in Denver Colorado USA next week to meet with the Executive of the International Limousin Council as part of the planning for the 2006 Conference in Australia.

The meeting coincides with the National Western Stock Show which I look forward to attending.  A feature of the Stock Show is the Pen and Carload Competition.  The pens of 3 bulls and carloads of 10 yearling bulls are all housed outdoors (usually in the snow) before judging.  Some of the US sires currently being used in Australia were exhibited in the National Western Pen and Carload Show.

Yours in Limousin

Alex McDonald