Overview of Cornell University/BELL RANCH Project

Introduction

The Bell Ranch Project (BRP) is a pilot project designed to demonstrate genetic evaluations in commercial herds by progeny testing their bulls. The focus of the BRP is to implement strategies of data collection for economically relevant traits. These strategies must satisfy two criteria. First they must generate a return on investment by treating the genetic program as a fiscal component of the ranch. The expense of data collection and genetic evaluation should be offset by profit resulting from response to selection from data. The second criterion is that data collection strategies are easily implemented in current management practices. The philosophy of the project is to generate information with minimal management intrusion and evaluate the value of doing so by return on investment to changes in the genetic program.

Because large commercial herds are diverse and often spread over vast acreages, the opportunity, until recently, has been limited to use these commercial cattle in genetic evaluation programs. Large contemporary groups are needed to provide adequate progeny from bulls for accurate genetic evaluation, but those same herds had multiple sire pastures and most often did not have the individual animal identification necessary for such evaluations to be successful. Today, however, technology is changing this. Piggybacked on the human genome project, DNA parentage identification of cattle has been used in a small way since the early 1990's and can compensate for multiple sire pastures needed in large commercial herds.

Project Specifics

In order to increase the selection intensity among the bulls selected for use in the Bell Ranch commercial herd each year we need to evaluate the progeny of those yearling bulls from their first calf. This group, and their first calf crop, will be the target population for the application of technologies. To do this requires the use of individual animal identification, DNA parentage analysis for multiple sire breeding programs, individual animal data (focusing on economically relevant traits, which may differ for each ranching enterprise), and data analysis. All these components carry a cost.

We have developed a management scenario for the Bell Ranch Pilot for data collection. As the Bell Ranch is the pilot project we will collect information on progeny test animals even if some traits are not part of the ranch selection protocol. The management plan is as follows:

1. Collect DNA on all calves in the seedstock herd (Mule Camp) each year at branding. This will be used to establish the genotype to match future offspring to their sires (as well as, establish the sire of the individual since Mule Camp uses multiple sire pastures.) The dams are already known since the calves are tagged and weighed at birth, but the DNA on those dams will be used to validate the cow-calf pair and to enhance our ability to uniquely identify sires of those calves.
2. Establish breeding groups for the 40-50 bulls selected by commercial herd into separate pasture(s) to cows of known age groups and breed types. This manages around age of dam effects on some traits and eliminates the need for dam age adjustments to records, which at the commercial division is not possible since dams are not individually identified. DNA is a powerful tool for parent identification. However, in breeding pastures with large numbers of potential sires, multiple sires could qualify as the parent. Presorting bulls based on their DNA genotypes will reduce the number of calves for which multiple qualifying sires will occur and lower the costs of genotyping.
3. DNA type and individually identify the calves resulting from the above breeding at branding time. This generates our first usable data as identifying bull breeding success is obtained.
4. Classify each calf at branding as early, middle, or late for birth date based on calf appearance with respect to maturity. Birth dates are unavailable in the commercial division.
5. At weaning time, calves are weighed individually. Weighing will be done on an electronic scale.
6. The data are then sent off for EPD analysis. After the EPDs are returned to the ranch, the highest EPD bulls for weaning weight are designated as terminal sires. Selection for weaning weight can then occur at 2.5 years of age. Furthermore, bulls who do not sire calves can be culled or managed differently.
7. Partner downstream with feedlots to collect feed efficiency, health and carcass data. We hope to form partnerships with a feedlot and packer to collect information downstream setting up the potential to share genotyping costs on calves in this project.
8. Use pregnancy data on genotyped replacement heifers to generate reproduction EPDs of their sires. Genotyped heifers are retained and managed as a group through three pregnancy checks. With the first, heifer pregnancy EPDs are developed and the three pregnancy check results will be used to generate longevity EPDs.
9. By the time a bull is four years of age he can be returned to the seedstock division if he is producing offspring with superior growth, carcass and female reproductive traits.

Hence, this project will be used to demonstrate data collection for bull breeding success and for genetic evaluations of growth, feedlot traits, carcass traits, and reproduction.

Click images for a larger version:

	DNA from the progeny of commercial yearling bulls is collected at branding. The collection system is integrated into the normal routine of branding. In this picture, Gilbert Sena (coworker at Mule Camp) drags a calf to the flankers.

Bob Weaber (the project was his Ph.D. dissertation, now at the University of Missouri) is shown here recording the ALLFLEX EID number. We have developed a data collection scheme that uses an EID scanner attached to a Handspring palm pilot, which has a bar code scanner, included. The procedure is to scan the DNA card identification number, the EID number of the calf and enter data associated with that calf.

	The Handspring has a database into which scanned information is directly input and has drop-down menus to enter information about the calf (sex and birth code at branding for this ranch).

	EID scanner and ALLFLEX tag.

	Complete assembly of the data collection equipment.
	Jim Gibb of Merial collects hair samples for DNA collection. Hair is removed from the switch and checked for the presence of roots from which the DNA is obtained.

	DNA analysis is done at GeneSEEK, located in Lincoln, Nebraska via Frontier Beef Systems of Merial who serves as the genetic service provider. FBS provides the hair sample cards and coordinates the DNA analysis with GeneSEEK.
	Weaning weights are electronically recorded. The system we will be using is from Tru-Test. Keith Long is pictured here with Floyd Tipps, Tru-Test representative, going over the system.
	At weaning, we will collect the EID and once the EID is in the Tru-Test SR2000 (scale head) the unit will automatically record the weight when stabilized. These data are printed out on paper printer (backup) and stored in memory. The data is then down loaded to a PC and managed in Microsoft Access and Excel and software developed by JP Pollak and Ellen Chaffee from Cornell.