Utilizing the Genetic Code
"Utilizing genomic technology is like starting a 400-meter race of genetic success at the 200-meter line," said Jeff Ziegler, genomics program manager for Select Sires. "However, we still need to put our very best people, programs and science in this race to be a winner."
Select Sires is on track to win the genetic race and to put you and your herd in the fast lane. Genomic evaluations first arrived in January and have certainly created a buzz in the industry. The main advantage is improved accuracy of PTA or PA values for young sires. Genomic evaluations have just about doubled the accuracy of the genetic information that is now available for young bulls and have provided a new wealth of opportunity for the dairy cattle population.
"Genomic science will speed up the inclusion of the very best genes being put back into the population at an earlier age in the animal’s life," Ziegler said. "This speeds up generation interval which has always been the biological drag on the rate of genetic improvement."
For proven sires, the impact of genomic evaluations is not as great. Typical first-crop Holstein graduates of the Program for Genetic Advancement™ (PGA™) increased from 90 to 93 percent Reliability for production traits, from 88 percent to 91 percent for type traits and from 70 percent to 80 percent for fitness traits. As second-crop daughters of any proven sire begin to dominate the sire’s genetic evaluation, the genomic component of that official evaluation becomes quite minimal.
The Gold Standard
While genomic evaluations clearly provide a greater piece of the genetic puzzle for young sires, the true indication of a bull’s genetic merit is the actual performance of his daughters. Therefore, the gold standard remains the industry-leading sire-sampling system, the Program for Genetic Advancement. The PGA is the largest and most elite sampling system in the United States. In 2008, PGA young sires were sampled in more than 3,400 herds comprised of nearly 1.1 million cows. Additionally, daughters are tested under a variety of conditions throughout the country, removing regional biases. Once on the ground, daughters of potential graduates are DNA tested to ensure accurate identification. The qualities of PGA – the size of the program, regional variance of sampling and parentage verification – are unmatched in the industry.
"Historically, the PGA has provided Select Sires the very best initial proofs on the breed’s most elite sires from which to propagate the next generation," Ziegler said. "It’s so important to have confidence in PGA graduate information and only sound proving programs can give us this insurance. The PGA is the sound science that has been proven over decades of assured success."
Genomic technology has certainly become an advantage for Select Sires in developing the next great sires. By working with Merial and the IGENITY® DNA technology, Select Sires had a three-year head start in the industry in utilizing genomic tools. Select’s sire analysts continue to use today’s genomic technology to create and discover the very best genetics.
Select Sires is genotyping all bull calves on the farm prior to being transported to Select Sires. This allows genetic decisions to be made at a very early age to further assure that the young-sire program is filled with the breed’s most elite genetics. "With genomic results at 70 percent Reliability, we are simply supplying our young-sire herds with a better sample of elite genes from which the PGA will sort out the true genetic outliers. We must remember that it is still this genetic outlier that fulfills Select’s mission statement and that is the ultimate goal."
Utilizing the Technology
There is no doubt that young sires have their place in many breeding programs and offer the opportunity for faster genetic improvement and a shortened generation interval. Select Sires certainly realizes this fact in its own sire-development program and is using high-genomic young sires, in addition to highly proven bulls, as sires of sons.
It’s no surprise that many dairy producers may be looking to do the same – to use the most elite young sires in order to shorten the generation interval. If you choose to utilize the very best genome-tested young sires, look no further than Select Sires. When Holstein USA ranked the top-100 genome-tested young sires, Select came out on top with more than any other stud. In fact, four of the top-five young sires for GTPI™ are Select’s sires.
"Young sire use still has a gamble associated with it, but to a much lesser degree than in the past," Ziegler said. "The nearly doubling of accuracy in their genetic estimates creates new uses for those wanting to gain a genetic edge. While it is still recommended to use a blending of young sires and proven bulls in any breeding scheme, an increase of 15 to 25 percent over your traditional young sire use is realistic." Ziegler also advises to continue to utilize the concept of using a group of high-genomic young sires and not just several units of one or two individuals. "Even though to a lesser degree, variation will still occur once these bulls have progeny performance in the field to verify how accurate the genomic estimates actually were."
No matter which path you choose– whether you are jumping feet first into the world of high-genomic young sires or you continue to put your trust in the very best progeny-tested bulls – Select Sires is home to the very best sires no matter your goals. In your herd’s race to genetic success, Select Sires has the lineup of sires to get you to the finish line faster.
®IGENITY is a registered trademark of Merial, Duluth, Ga;
TMGTPI is a trademark of Holstein Association USA; Program for Genetic Advancement and PGA are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.
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