Project Cattle

About the Cattle

Five breeds representing the most popular breeds in southern Australia, and the Brahman breed from northern Australia, have been included in the project to date.

The inclusion of the Brahman breed links the SMB project to the Repronomics2 project* currently being run in northern Australia, ensuring national outcomes and benefits, led by AGBU.

Foundation cattle were sourced from across Australia and are producing progeny that are being recorded head-to-head on NSW DPI research stations from conception to slaughter over the five years of the project (2020-2025).

It is planned that a total of more than 8,000 calves will be born, with 3,000 steers and close to 3,000 heifers retained for joining. Specifically, the project will produce up to 2,000 calves per annum at five DPI research stations across NSW:

Trangie Agricultural Research Centre (Trangie)
Grafton Agricultural Research Station (Grafton)
Tocal Agricultural Institute (Tocal)
Glen Innes Agricultural Research and Advisory Station (Glen Innes)
Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI)

The steers will be backgrounded prior to entry into the UNE research feedlot ‘Tullimba’ and slaughtered to industry relevant carcass specifications. The two DPI research stations involved in the backgrounding are:

Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI)
Duck Creek Field Station – Grafton satellite station (Duck Creek).

Multiple breeds are represented at each site, allowing for direct comparison and recording of animals born and raised in the same environment. This means that another unique benefit of the project is that it will allow comparisons across different locations, with varying conditions such as environment, rainfall and pasture type.

* (The Repronomics research project, undertaken in Queensland, aims to genetically improve female reproduction of three tropical beef breeds in northern Australia – Brahman, Droughtmaster and Santa Gertrudis.)

Traits Recorded with Southern Multi Breed

High-quality records on hard to measure traits that have important impacts on beef herd profitability will be recorded as part of this project. These traits include female fertility traits (such as days to calving), as well as feed efficiency and carcass traits.

As a result of this intensive, precise recording of new, existing and hard-to-measure traits, seedstock and commercial bull buyers will have access to EBVs (Estimated Breeding Values) with more accuracy for describing the genetic merit of individual animals. New traits will also be recorded throughout the life of the project, giving seedstock and commercial bull buyers' access to EBVs for a wider range of traits that impact commercial profitability.

The new traits include female fertility traits (eg lactation anoestrus, age at puberty, gestation length for natural joinings) and welfare traits (maternal behaviour at calving). Other traits will be evaluated throughout the life of the project for potential inclusion ion BREEDPLAN and their impact on commercial profit.

All animals in the SMB project will be genotyped to create a genomic resource population on for all traits recorded during the project. This genomic resource population will augment existing within-breed genomic reference populations for currently recorded traits, thus contributing to more accurate within-breed genetic evaluations for those breeds involved in the project. This reference population will also provide benefit future research.

Some of the new traits to be recorded include:

Age at puberty
The age in days at which weaned heifers display their first Corpus Luteum as assessed using ultrasound scanning of the ovaries.

1st lactation anoestrous The time in days at which cows display their first Corpus Luteum post calving of their first calf as assessed using ultrasound scanning of the ovaries. All females must have given birth to a calf as a result of their mating as a yearling heifer.

Horn / poll phenotype The presence (and size) or absence of a horn or scur on calves prior to marking and reassessed at weaning to observe any late developing horn or scur.

Immune competence This is assessed using two recorded traits. The first is a measurement of the size of the immune response under the skin from a set dose of 5 in 1. The second is the measured antibody-mediated and cell-mediated immune response from a blood sample.

Meat quality traits These include assessment of the consumer eating experience defined by juiciness, flavour, tenderness and overall liking ratings from a consumer taste panel testing.

Methane production This is measured in heifers on pasture at each research site between weaning and calving their first calf and in steers recorded at Tullimba feedlot between weaning and slaughter. For Angus and Wagyu steers that are fed for 270-300 days their measurement is taken during the first 100 days of feeding while they are still in their contemporary groups with the short-fed steers.

Trait Descriptions

Trait	Description
Birth weight	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in calf birth weight in kilograms (kg). Birth weight is recorded within 48hrs of birth.
Weaning weight	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in live weight at 200 days of age due to their genetics for growth in kilograms (kg). Wearning weight is recorded in kilograms (kg) at 200 days of age.
Yearling weight	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in live weight at 400 days of age in kilograms (kg). Yearling weight is recorded in kilograms (kg) at 400 days of age.
Sale weight	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in live weight at 600 days of age in kilograms (kg). Sale weight is recorded in kilograms (kg) at 600 days of age.
Mature weight	The estimate of genetic differences between cows in live weight at 5 years of age in kilograms (kg). Mature cow weight is recorded in kilograms (kg) at 5 years of age.
Gestation length	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in gestation length. Gestation length is recorded in days in pregnant heifers and cows.
Calving ease (direct and daughters)	The ability of a sire's calves to be born unassisted from two-year-old heifers and is measured in days from start of joining period to subsequent calving.
Carcass weight	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in hot standard carcass weight (defined by AUSMEAT) at 650 days of age expressed in kilograms (kg). Carcass weight is measured in kilograms (kg) and is hot standard carcass weight (defined by AUSMEAT) at 650 days of age.
Marbling / Intra-muscular fat (IMF)	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in intramuscular fat (marbling) at the 12/13 rib site in a standard weight steer carcass, expressed as differences in percentage (%) IMF. Intramuscular fat is measured as a percentage (%) in marbling at the 12/13 rib site in a standard weight steer carcass.
Rump fat	The estimate of the genetic differences between animals in fat depth at the P8 rump site in a standard steer carcass, expressed in millimeters (mm). Rump fat is measured in millimeters (mm) in fat depth at the P8 rump site in a standard steer carcass.
Rib fat	The estimate of the genetic differences between animals in fat depth at the 12/13th rib site in standard weight steer carcass, expressed in millimeters (mm). Rib fat is measured in millimeters (mm) in fat depth at the 12/13th rib site in standard weight steer carcass.
Retail Beef Yield (RBY)	The estimate of genetic difference between animals in boned out retail beef yield in a standard weight steer carcass, reported as differences in percentage (%) yield. Retail beef yield is reported as a percentage (%) in boned out retail beef yield in a standard weight steer carcass.
Eye muscle	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in eye muscle area at 12/13th rib site in a standard weight steer carcass, expressed in square centimeters (cm2). Eye muscle is expressed in square centimeters (cm2) and is eye muscle area at 12/13th rib site in a standard weight steer carcass.
Tenderness (shear force)	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in meat tenderness, expressed as differences in the kilograms (kg) of shear force that are required to pull a mechanical blade through a piece of cooked meat. Shear force is expressed as differences in the kilograms (kg) that are required to pull a mechanical blade through a piece of cooked meat.
Feed Efficiency	Feed efficiency is expressed as kilograms of feed intake per day (kg/day) in feed intake at standard weight and rate of weight gain when animals at growing phase, AND when animals are in a feedlot finishing phase.
Net feed intake (feedlot finishing)	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in feed intake at a standard weight and rate of weight gain when animals are at a growing phase. Expressed as kilograms of feed intake per day (kg/day).
Temperament	The estimate of genetic differences between animals in temperament, expressed as differences in the percentage of progeny that will be scored with acceptable temperament (I.e either “docile” or “restless”). Temperament is expressed in differences in percentage (%) of progeny that are scored with acceptable temperament I.e. either docile or restless.
Structure	The estimate of genetic difference between animals in the percentage of progeny that will have a desirable score for a particular structural trait. The five important structural traits are considered: front feet angle, front feet claw set, rear feet angle, rear leg hind view and rear leg side view. Structure is expressed as a percentage (%) of progeny that have a desirable score for a particular structural trait (I.e. front feet angle, front feet claw set, rear feet angle, rear leg hind view and rear leg side view).

Frequently Asked Questions

What breeds are incorporated into the Southern Multi Breed project?

Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn, Wagyu, Charolais and Brahman. The Brahman are at Grafton only due to the sub-tropical environment.

How were the breeds chosen for this project?

The breeds were chosen for this project based on the influence each has on beef production in Southern Australia. This was defined by ranking the number of annual registrations within BREEDPLAN at the beginning of purchasing females for the project in 2019.

The Brahman breed was selected as a link to the Repronomics project, in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Does the project include any crossbreeding?

The Southern Multibreed project is predominantly based on straight-bred mating’s to create direct comparisons between breeds. There is however a small element of crossbreeding occurring at the Grafton site on the North Coast of NSW. This crossbreeding is focused on Brahman x Angus and Brahman x Hereford mating’s, with both Brahman bulls mated to Angus and Hereford cows and Hereford and Angus bulls mated to Brahman cows.

Where is the project taking place?

The project is assessing the performance of the five temperate breeds across five DPI research stations and the Brahman breed at the Grafton site. The sites include:

Trangie Agricultural Research Centre
Grafton Primary Industries Institute
Tocal Agricultural Institute
Glen Inness Agricultural Research and Advisory Station and;
Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute

These sites were selected to represent the potential range of production environments for beef cattle in NSW.

What are the new traits being recorded in the project?

Horn / poll phenotype (type and size)
Immune competence (immune response at weaning)
Methane production
1st lactation anoestrous (rebreed intervals)
Age at puberty
Meat quality

How are sires chosen?

The sires for Southern Multi-Breed are selected to be representative of the genetic diversity present within each breed. The sires chosen included both AI sires, selected from sires nominated by industry and some to provide direct linkage to past research (including Beef CRC and Beef Information Nucleus projects) and those purchased from industry by NSW DPI as cover sires. Preference was given to current influential sires (or their sons) in an effort to provide as best a representation of the future genetics of each breed as possible. Poll status was also considered, though not a primary driver for selection.

All bulls are pedigree and performance recorded in BREEDPLAN or its equivalent.

As of completion of the 2022 matings, greater than 400 sires have been used during the AI programs or as back-up sires.

What production systems are being used?

All heifers remain on pasture following weaning until they successfully conceive and then join the respective cow herds for their first calving. All steers are backgrounded until a group average liveweight of between 430-450 kg is reached, at which point they enter the University of New England research feedlot “Tullimba” for finishing. The Hereford, Charolais, Shorthorn, Brahman and crossbred steers are all finished for approximately 100 days while all the Wagyu steers are finished for 270-300 days. To allow comparison of the Wagyu breed with the other breeds Angus steers are used as a linkage where half of the Angus steers undertake 100 days on feed while the other half are fed with the Wagyu steers for 270-300 days.