Posts tagged: blog

ABRI are excited to introduce Nikhil (Nik) who brings with him a wealth of experience to drive the transformation of the breed registry software. Based in Sydney, Nik boasts a diverse background spanning investment banking, technology and entrepreneurship.  

In his most recent role as a Venture Architect at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Nik advised ASX200 corporates on launching and scaling new technology ventures, including the successful launch of two agritech software ventures. One of these ventures, based in ABRI’s hometown of Armidale, ignited his keen interest in the agricultural sector. 

Nik is thrilled to be managing the breed registry project and building a world-class platform for cattle breeders that is fit for purpose, scalable and meets the needs of our clients globally.

Please don’t hesitate to reach to Nik 0414 557 157 or nikhil.sreedhar@abri.une.edu.au

We are pleased to announce the availability of four new Microsoft Excel templates that can be used to submit Days to Calving (DTC) information to BREEDPLAN. It is expected that these templates will assist beef producers in the submission of DTC information to BREEDPLAN. For more details on how to record DTC information, please see the Recording Days to Calving Information tip sheet.

The four new templates are:

1. Submitting DTC Information – Natural & AI Joinings

2. Submitting DTC Information – DTC Disposal Codes

3. Submitting DTC Information – Preg Test Results

4. Submitting DTC Information – ET Programs

All templates can be downloaded via the Help Centre on the BREEDPLAN website. Short videos have also been developed for each template, and provide instructions on how to fill out each template.

The ABRI HerdMASTER team are excited to announce the launch of a new support portal for all HerdMASTER clients.  

The ABRI HerdMASTER support desk has updated the processes for contacting support to an online model. This ensures that our HerdMASTER clients receive timely response to their support tickets.  

• Tickets can be logged 24 hours per day/ 7 days per week 

• Visibility of all logged support tickets  
• Prioritising urgent support requests 
• Identification of reoccurring issues 
• Timely response to logged tickets 

Please use the following link to contact the HerdMASTER support team to submit a ticket: 

Login – Jira Service Management (atlassian.net)

The ABRI HerdMASTER support team is committed to providing exceptional support, so we are improving the way that we do things to help our clients get more out of HerdMASTER. 

The Arthur Rickards Scholarship is open to young people nominated by the ARCBA Breed Association members. The applications close on the 15th September 2023 and the successful candidate announced on the 25th October 2023.

FIFTY nine percent of Australian commercial cattle producers are now using BREEDPLAN EBVs in genetics decision-making, according to results from Meat & Livestock Australia’s latest Genetics Insight Survey.

A key outcome of the survey conducted by consultants Rob Sloane and Laura Walker (on behalf of MLA) was the dramatic growth in the use of BREEDPLAN EBV’s by commercial beef producers growing from 18% in 2016 to 59% in 2023. The stud sector also increased its use of genetic tools growing from 32% in 2016 to 56% this year.

Cattle producers tracked many measurements of genetic gains with the top three being fertility, temperament and calving ease, regardless of seedstock or commercial system.

Regardless of production type, cattle producers said that the best feature about BREEDPLAN is that it aids selection/decision making. Over the next ten years, the great majority of both seedstock and commercial producers consider reproduction/fertility to be the most important factor for their business, followed by cost of production/efficiency.

To read the full report please click HERE

ABRI Extension Services are a dedicated team available to provide technical support including BREEDPLAN workshops and herd consultations. Get in touch with the team today Extension Services

ABRI has a dedicated team to oversee the security of the computer system infrastructure to ensure the safety of our customer data, minimise hacking and strengthen our security defences. This is a multi-faceted approach that ensures we have a modernised strategy that aligns with best industry practices and technology advancements. 

Cloud Based Back-up Procedures and Security 

• A comprehensive backup solution that incorporates “Azure Backup’ for safeguarding our computer resources. 
• Leveraging the PostgreSQL-native tool, we routinely orchestrate comprehensive database backups, thereby ensuring the continuity and consistency of our data environment.  

• Advanced systems and tools to establish a comprehensive monitoring framework for our cloud assets to mitigate the risk of service disruptions and facilitate prompt issue resolution.  

ABRI Security Controls to ensure Data Security 

• Network Security Groups (NSGs) are the key component of our security strategy. 

• NSGs are employed to restrict access to our systems, permitting only IP addresses that are recognised by our organisation. 
• Adhere to Microsoft’s best practices for cloud systems through regular audits of our Azure tenant. 
• Proactively identifying and addressing potential vulnerabilities to ensure the ongoing and resilience of our infrastructure. 
• We are currently evaluating Azure Sentinel as a possible Security Information and Event Management solution to enhance our threat detection and response capabilities.  

The ABRI IT Systems team, under the leadership of Praneet Castelino is committed to adopting industry best practices and leveraging cutting-edge technology to create a robust and reliable security posture.  

ABRI (Agricultural Business Research Institute) is proud to announce that over 500,000  genotypes are now passing through the BREEDPLAN evaluations each month. 

This provides immediate benefits to our member and clients with: 

• Potential for greater accuracy on reported EBV’s, especially for young animals. 

• More accurate selection decisions possible on younger animals. 

• True genomic relationships used in addition to the pedigree. 

• All available information (including genotypes) used to predict the genetic merit of animals more accurately – this is called Single-Step BREEDPLAN 

“Single-Step BREEDPLAN retains as much of the available SNP information (between 50,000 – 100,000 SNPs per animal) and uses all this information in the analysis. This represents a high return on investment for our members testing at 50K SNP densities or more. Single-Step BREEDPLAN evaluations are validated scientifically, demonstrating improved accuracy of prediction compared to pedigree-based evaluations” said ABRI’s Genetics, Research & Development Manager, Dr Brad Crook. 

Single-Step BREEDPLAN is currently available for Australian Angus, Hereford, Wagyu, Brahman, Santa Gertrudis, New Zealand Hereford and Angus and UK Hereford, South Devon and Hungarian Charolais. 

Single-Step BREEDPLAN is in development for Australian Brangus, Speckle Park, Tropical Composites, Limousin, Simmental and UK Charolais, Beef Shorthorn, Angus, and South African Wagyu. 

“The Science underpinning BREEDPLAN is always at the cutting edge of genetic evaluation services world-wide and BREEDPLAN will soon have over 600,000 genotypes passing through monthly.” 

Click here to download the flyer to share to your members.  https://ausmfiletransfer01.blob.core.windows.net/ausmsnpextract01/breedplan_edge_may2023.pdf

Australia’s beef industry is taking its commitment to sustainability to a new level with the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) 2023 Annual Update reporting a decrease in carbon emissions, more forest on grazing lands, and, for the first time, the setting of ambitious goals to guide investment and attention into the future.

Australia’s red meat industry has set a target of being carbon neutral by 2030, known as CN30, and progress towards this goal is evident, with net CO₂e emissions in 2020 of 45.21Mt, 64.07% below 2005 levels.

Key Points:

• Net CO₂e emissions of the beef industry 64.1% below 2005 level
• Mortality rate of cattle during sea voyages at record low of 0.05%
• Forest on grazing land increases by almost 780,000 hectares with removal of primary vegetation at a historic low
• Water used per kilogram of liveweight gain down 18%
• Awareness of Australian Animal Welfare Standards for Cattle reaches 100% for the first time.

The Australian beef industry has committed to the following five goals for sustainability:

• The Australian beef industry is guided by the five domains of animal welfare. The industry provides all cattle with an environment in which they can thrive in accord with these domains.
• By 2030, the Australian beef industry will demonstrate its net positive contributions to nature.
• The Australian beef industry will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its production and processing sectors by 2030.
• The value of Australian beef industry products and services doubles from 2020 levels by 2030 resulting in a profitable and resilient industry.
• The Australian beef industry is trusted, attractive to a diverse workforce, a source of pride and belonging, and makes a positive contribution to the food security of Australian and international communities.

To read the ABSF Annual Update go to http://www.sustainableaustralianbeef.com.au