Learn about
Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN

Click here to go back to the full index

(click on the links below to "jump" to the answer)

Group Breedplan
45 - What is Group Breedplan
46 - How does Group Breedplan make allowance for differences in nutrition between herds
47 - Does the ranking of bulls change in different areas  

45 : What is Group Breedplan

Group Breedplan is a development of Basic Breedplan that allows comparison of EBVs between herds, within a breed.

It uses available information about an animal from your herd plus available information from relatives in other "linked" herds. This combined information is re-analysed and set against a breed baseline. As many more progeny are included, Group EBVs are usually more meaningful than within-herd EBVs.

Because Group Breedplan uses a breed base, Group EBVs are equally and directly comparable within the breed. Group Breedplan EBVs are identified by a distinctive breed Group Breedplan logo.

To participate in Group Breedplan a herd must be linked to other participating herds. Linkage comes about by having progeny (approx. 30 in total) from at least one, but preferably two, sires that have been used in other participating herds. AI is the obvious way to achieve this linkage and most registered herds are now linked "by default" through AI.  

46 : How does GROUP BREEDPLAN make allowance for the wide differences in nutritional between herds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Go to Top

Difference in nutritional levels between properties is accounted for by the use of link or marker sires which have progeny in at least two herds. The link sires in each herd are used as the reference point for that herd and all animals are ranked in relation to these link sires. See also, topic 73

The fact that the progeny of a link sire weigh an average of 240 kg at weaning in one herd and only 180 kg in another herd does not disadvantage the herd with lower nutritional levels. In fact herds from less favourable environments have a better opportunity to demonstrate their genetic potential through Breedplan.  

47 : Do sires rank differently in different areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Go to Top

Most breeds tend to be run on the type of country where they perform best. Thus British and European breeds tend to be run mainly in the temperate environments of Australia while the bos Indicus breeds dominate in northern environments.

Across the environments in which our breeds of cattle are predominantly run, there is occasionally concern that differences in sire ranking for some traits may occur between regions. This is called a genotype by environment interaction. Such interactions generally occur when animals are being compared across extremes of environmental difference such as comparing sub-tropical to southern temperate climates.

In most cases the ranking of sires is not affected. For example, the experimental Angus herd run by NSW Agriculture at "Trangie" has satellite herds at Hamilton ( Victoria) and Glen Innes. These three environments include Plains, Tablelands country, in both summer and winter rainfall areas. The ranking of individual sires were consistent across these environments.