All posts by : wp

Did you know? BREEDPLAN represents over 15 million animals, almost 40 cattle breeds and 100+ breed associations distributed across 14 countries. BREEDPLAN uses pedigree, performance and genomic information combined with advanced analytical processes to provide Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) For over 40 years the Animal Genetics & Breeding Unit (AGBU) has undertaken the u ...

A number of significant BREEDPLAN enhancements were implemented in the February 2023 South African Simbra BREEDPLAN analysis. These enhancements include: 1. Upgrade to BREEDPLAN version 6.2 The South African Simbra evaluation will now be using the latest version of the BREEDPLAN software, which includes a number of enhancements: a greater range of traits that can be analysed, an i ...

The Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) is pleased to introduce ABRI Extension Services. The newly formed ABRI Extension Services provides technical support and extension initiatives supporting the use and understanding of BREEDPLAN® and related genetic technologies. ABRI Managing Director Hugh Nivison says “I would encourage breeders and breed society staff to engage with ...

As the volume and density of genomic (DNA) information used in BREEDPLAN evaluations continues to grow, it highlighted the need for greater efficiencies to account for SNP effects in the calculation of EBV accuracy. Rather than reducing the amount of genomic data to keep things “workable”, BREEDPLAN developed an advanced algorithm for accuracy calculations that allows the highest of geno ...

In the December 2022 Single-Step BREEDPLAN analysis several major enhancements were implemented: Updated adjustment factors and genetic parameters. Revised Docility analysis New accuracy software Updated parameter files for Index Calculation Changed approach to using imported EPD’s. Read more here https://breedplan.une.edu.au/news/major-enhancements-implemented-for-angus ...

The aims of this project are to collect performance information (including DNA) to support existing breed genetic evaluations for temperate cattle breeds and additionally may assist in the future development of EBV’s for new traits and multi-breed evaluations in the future. This project has reached a significant milestone with the first heifers born within the project now having their ow ...

ABRI’s research and development team regularly conduct projects that explore opportunities to address international reach and demands from breeders. Despite the low level of across-country linkage that often exist among beef breeds, the international trade in beef genetics and the accumulation of genomic data has opened the way for some beef breeds to start moving towards genetic evaluat ...

In October, Catriona Millen from ABRI’s Extension Services team headed to Southern Africa to present at several industry events. The first of these was the Livestock Registering Federation (LRF) Stockman School, which each year attracts several hundred producers from across Southern Africa. In 2022, the theme was Building a profitable cow herd. Catriona gave several presentations, outlin ...

The ‘ILR’ Support team have been busy supporting existing and new clients in their use and development of our ILR system resulting in an ILR client base expansion with new clients in the US, Mexico, and Spain. We are continuing to migrate participating client’s ILR databases from their on-premise servers to our Azure cloud servers and are availing them to the cloud’s many benefits in th ...

Two newly revised selection indexes for the South Devon Herd Book Society (United Kingdom) have been released in conjunction with the February 2023 South Devon BREEDPLAN analysis. These are the: Quality Beef Index Suckler Replacement Index The two revised selection indexes will replace the previous UK South Devon selection indexes and were developed by the South Devon Herd Book Soc ...