ANGUS COMMERCIAL REGISTER (ACR)

The Angus Commercial Register (ACR) is a facility offered by Angus Australia to enable the recording of commercial Angus and Angus influenced crossbred animals on Angus Australia’s Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN database

The ACR is not designed to be a seedstock register. Consequently, only steers and heifers may be recorded as the progeny of ACR females. No entire males can be recorded.

Producers of commercial Angus cattle can use the ACR, along with Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN, to improve their herd management and marketing. For example, by performance recording, producers can improve their success in identifying superior females, and are able to make more informed mating and culling decisions to improve herd productivity and to target specific market requirements.

Pedigree and Performance Certificates will be issued by Angus Australia for ACR females. These certificates provide valuable documentation of the genetics of ACR animals, thereby potentially “value adding” to these animals in the marketplace.

Who should use the ACR?

The ACR is intended for use by breeders who wish to performance record their commercial cattle. Enrolment of animals on the ACR provides a pathway for animals to be recorded on Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN. This system uses pedigree and performance information to estimate Breeding Values (EBVs) for the full range of maternal, growth, fertility and carcase traits.

The ACR is particularly suitable for commercial herds working with Angus seedstock producers to progeny test bulls for feedlot performance and carcase traits. Performance recorded animals which are enrolled on the ACR are eligible to be included in Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN, thereby providing a mechanism for analysis of progeny test data.

Breeder’s of straightbred commercial Angus cattle can participate in the ACR and Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN immediately. Breeder’s of Angus influenced crossbred animals can also enrol their cattle on the ACR and submit performance records for females only to Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN. However, EBVs cannot currently be provided for crossbred animals which may be compared directly to the Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN base. Further development of the Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN system is underway to enable the production of comparable EBVs for crossbred animals in the near future.

How do you enrol animals in the ACR?

Only Full members of Angus Australia are eligible to record animals in the ACR. Commercial members who wish to use the ACR will have to upgrade their membership status.

Current Angus Herd Book or APR females can be downgraded to ACR status. However, members should be aware that only female and steer calves can be bred from ACR females. Any bull calves from ACR females must be castrated.

Members who wish to enrol new females onto the ACR can do so by completing an ACR Base Female Input Form. Copies of the ACR Base Female Input Form are available for download if you click here.

The minimum requirements for heifers or cows to be enrolled as Base Females on the ACR is a unique individual animal identification number, the animal’s birth year and its breed composition. If known, actual birth dates and sire idents can also be optionally included to improve the accuracy of genetic evaluation through Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN.

For further details on Angus Australia Regulations for recording in the ACR see Angus Society Regulations.

Following the recording of Base ACR animals on Angus Australia database, a “Calf Record Form” is returned to the breeder. This form lists all active females recorded for the herd and provides space for subsequent calf details to be completed and returned to Angus Australia. These details include Calf Ident, Sire Ident, birth date, birth weight (optional) and calving ease score (optional).

Following the notification of calf details on the Calf Record Form breeders are sent further forms for entry of subsequent performance details (200-Day Wt, 400-Day Wt, etc.) for inclusion in Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN.

What does it cost to use the ACR?

The fees for using the ACR facility are outlined in Angus Australia Regulations. These fees are designed to cover the cost of operating the ACR facility whilst providing a commercially affordable option for members.

The cost of enrolling base (new) females on the ACR is $6.60 (includes GST) per animal. This fee covers the initial entry of females on the ACR plus the first year’s Herd Inventory fee. Following the first year, an annual Herd Inventory fee of $6.60 (includes GST) is payable for all females 2 years of age and older recorded on the ACR.

In addition to the ACR Herd Inventory fees the normal Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN annual herd enrolment fee of $110 (includes GST) applies.

More information about the ACR

If you require further information on the ACR, contact Angus Australia - Phone (02) 6772 3011, or Fax (02) 6772 3095.

ACR Enrolment Checklist

• Enrol as a Full Member of Angus Australia
• Enrol your herd in Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN
• List all new females to be recorded on the ACR on the Base Female Input Form
• Send the completed Membership Application, Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN enrolment and ACR Base Female Input Forms to:

Membership Services,
Angus Australia,
Locked Bag 11,
ARMIDALE
NSW 2350