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Ireland
NZAEL Genetic Base Change
As of June 26, 2010 the New Zealand Animal Evaluation system has changed its genetic base to the group of cows that were born in 2000 (from 1995 base) and that had performance records for all traits in the evaluation system in the dairy season 2002/03.
For the Breeding Worth (BW) index you can expect the reported BW for each animal to be approximately $41 lower prior to this genetic base change.
GeneMark Tru-Parent
 Tru-Parent is GeneMark’s most popular service. Because Tru-Parent identifies the true parentage – and therefore the true BW – of an animal, the main benefit is an increase in the value of the animal.
Farmers use this test to identify the sire, or dam, or both, of an animal with unknown or uncertain parentage; or to verify/confirm that the sire/dam (or both) as recorded for an animal is correct.
INCREASE BW AND GENETIC GAIN
Tru-Parent gives you the opportunity to increase the Breeding Worth of animals that currently do not have an officially recorded sire (unidentified animals are given an average BW). When you know the true parentage of an animal you will increase your rate of genetic gain by being able to make better informed breeding and culling decisions. (In one study of 73 unrecorded rising two-year-olds Tru-Parent tested, their average BW increased by 27 units once their true sire was known.)
MAKE BETTER BREEDING, CULLING AND SELLING DECISIONS
When you know the true parentage of an animal, then you know its true BW. Such a pity to cull a cow that may have had a great BW, or miss the chance to breed from her!
MAXIMISE SALE PRICE
It is well documented that identified animals fetch a better price than unidentified animals – at least $80 per animal. Using GeneMark Tru-Parent DNA testing, you can turn an animal with an unrecorded sire into an animal with a recorded sire.
IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF YOUR RECORDS
Knowing the true parentage of your animals is the only way to eliminate those annoying = or # (which indicate an unconfirmed sire) beside an animal on your herd records. At the same time, you will increase the recorded ancestry figure showing on your reports. You can also use Tru-Parent to identify the parentage of an animal that has lost its eartag, or if you have mislaid Mating Detail Certificates or mating records.
MONITOR AND IMPROVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Mis-mothering, mis-identification and incorrect recording procedures are estimated to produce a national error rate of about 15%. Tru-Parent DNA testing is an excellent way of monitoring management practices such as calf tagging systems. More than that – it’s an ideal way of eliminating the human error and practical difficulty of matching calf to dam in the field. You can Tru-Parent test any number of animals, from a few to the whole herd.
SPOT-CHECK RECORDS FOR SALE ANIMALS
Buyer beware! Many purchasers are now writing a clause into the purchase agreement to the effect that a certain percentage of animals will be DNA tested to confirm their parentage is as recorded. Testing a random selection of animals gives you the confidence that you are getting what you are paying for. Vendors who are confident of the accuracy of their recording will sometimes offer this clause as confirmation of the true value of the sale stock.
AVOID PRODUCTION LOSSES
When you know the true ancestry of an animal, you will be more able to avoid the production losses associated with inbreeding.
LOOK TO YOUR FUTURE NEEDS
If you have a cow or bull you are breeding replacements from, or a bull that you hope/expect will become a sire of daughters in other herds, a DNA profile could be invaluable for identifying possible progeny later. For the same reason, it’s useful to have a record of the DNA profile for all natural mating sires that you are using with heifers or tail-enders – particularly useful if the bulls are going off-farm or to slaughter at the end of the mating period (and you won’t have another chance to get a sample for testing such bulls).
TRU-PARENT TEST OPTIONS
DNA is the most accurate method available for parent verification, at about 98%+ accuracy. Traditional recording procedures have an accuracy of about 85%, so the gains in accuracy and genetic gain by using Tru-Parent are substantial. Every animal sample that is submitted for Tru-Parent testing is DNA profiled – the DNA Profile is fundamental to Tru-Parent testing.You have three options for establishing the parentage of each animal:
| OPTION |
DETAILS |
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| Option 1 |
MINDA Herd Search - Searches against the recorded sire/dam. If that fails, then it searches against sires used in your herd in the appropriate season. |
| Option 2 |
Selected Sires/Dams Search - You can choose up to five sires/dams to test against. |
| Option 3 |
Bull Team Search - Searches against a team and a year you specify: PREMIER SIRES Jersey, PREMIER SIRES Holstein-Friesian, KiwiCross, Ayrshire proven, Ayrshire unproven. |
If the Sire/Dam profile is not in our DNA library and if you wish to have the sire/dam DNA profiled, you will need to provide a sample for testing.
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