Introducing AngusSELECT™

Developed by Angus Australia’s software development team, the new AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools are similar to the Sale Catalogue, Semen Catalogue and Member Enquiry facilities that have been available on the Angus Australia website for some time, but have been re-developed to be a more modern and intuitive suite of tools with a range of valuable new features.

WHAT IS AngusSELECT™?

AngusSELECT™ consists of a suite of genetic selection tools that assist Angus breeders to improve the profitability of Angus genetics within the beef supply chain by assisting with the identification of Angus genetics that are most aligned with their breeding goals and objectives.

Using the AngusSELECT™ suite of tools, Angus breeders can:

• search and sort the registered Angus animals that are currently available for sale and identify those animals that best meet their genetic selection criteria.
• search and sort the registered Angus bulls for which semen is available and identify the most suitable genetics for use within their artificial breeding program.
• search and sort the Angus bulls that have been entered in the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP) and identify bulls carrying genetics that are suitable for use within their breeding program
• identify Angus Australia members that are located in their area

WHY HAS AngusSELECT™ BEEN DEVELOPED?

The development of the AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools is part of a software development initiative of Angus Australia that commenced in 2014.

Referred to as angus.tech, the initiative involves transitioning the software that is utilised to manage Angus Australia’s extensive pedigree, performance and genomic database, from generic software available from 3rd party service providers, to in-house software that is specifically tailored to the needs of Angus Australia and our members.

The main benefits of this transition include:

• A greater ability to customise the software to meet the needs to Angus Australia and our members
• Reduced costs associated with access and development to generic software

The consequence of the software transition is that the existing catalogue (sale, semen, ASBP) and member enquiry facilities will shortly cease being available to Angus Australia, and will be replaced with the new suite of AngusSELECT™ genetic selection tools.

WHAT NEW FEATURES HAVE BEEN INCLUDED?

The new AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools include a range of new features that aim to assist Angus breeders more easily identify Angus genetics that are most aligned with their breeding goals and objectives, including:

• Greater ability to nominate the sale or semen catalogue/s of particular interest, or sales being held in a particular region
• Greater ability to nominate members located in a particular region
• Ability to enter a more comprehensive range of selection and sort criteria and more easily identify sale or semen lots of particular interest
• Ability to enter a more comprehensive range of selection and sort criteria and more easily identify members of particular interest
• Ability to enter a more comprehensive range of selection and sort criteria and more easily identify ASBP sires of particular interest, including the ability to select sires based on the average performance of their progeny for each particular trait in the ASBP
• Greater ability to customise the display of search results
• Greater ability to print search results and individual animal and member reports in a print friendly format
• Access to more comprehensive information on individual animals, such as:
  • Display of complete sale details for each animal
  • Display of complete ownership history of each animal
  • Display of all EBVs published within Angus TACE for each animal, including Structural Soundness EBVs
  • Display of percentile band information below the EBVs for each animal
  • Display of progeny bred by herd for all sires and dams
  • Display of the number of progeny with performance in association with the EBVs for all sires and dams
  • Display of average progeny performance for each trait (ASBPSELECT)
• Access to more comprehensive information on individual members, such as:
  • Display of property location on an interactive map
  • Details of social media accounts
  • Details of number of calves registered in recent years
  • Description of each member’s enterprise
• Greater ability for members to customise what information is displayed for their enterprise

A number of additional new features are also planned and will be implemented over coming months.

SIGNING IN AS A REGISTERED USER

While the majority of the features and functionality of the AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools are available to guest users, some components, such as the ability to access complete member contact information and customise the display of search results, are only available to users who sign in as a registered user.

Registered users also have full access to the complete range of angus.tech software, such as the new Angus Database Search, and once available, the AngusONLINE range of services.

Angus Australia members who have an existing username and password into the member login section of the Angus Australia website (to download reports/files etc.), simply need to enter their existing username and password to sign in to the AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic tools as a registered user.

Those that don’t have an existing username and password will be required to register by following the instructions available from within the AngusSELECT™ tools. Registering as a user involves specifying either a mobile phone number (preferred) or an email address.

NEW EDUCATION MODULES WITHIN ANGUS EDUCATION CENTRE

To assist Angus breeders become familiar with the new AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools, a number of new training modules are being developed within the Angus Education Centre.

The training modules provide comprehensive instructions on how to use the AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools, including video presentations demonstrating how to take advantage of all the new features and functionality.

The modules will available from the “Using angus.tech Software” link in the Angus Education Centre (www.angusaustralia.com.au/education). An initial module on Using the Angus SaleSELECT  tool can be viewed now, while others will be added shortly.

GETTING HELP

Day to day assistance in the use of the AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools is available from the member services team at Angus Australia.

Assistance is available via either phone (02) 6773 4600 or email regos@angusaustralia.com.au

SPOT A MISTAKE

As with any new software, it is likely that there may be a few errors within the new AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools.

Should you encounter any mistakes, please contact Andrew Byrne, Angus Australia’s Breed Development & Extension Manager on (02) 6773 4618, or andrew@angusaustralia.com.au

Feedback would be particularly appreciated regarding:

• Any issues/problems that you encounter with the functionality of the new suite of genetic selection tools. Specifically, things that don’t work or things that take a long time.
• Any issues/problems with the manner in which the information is presented.

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS

Suggested improvements to the new AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools are also welcome.

If there is particular functionality or information that you would like to see included, please contact Andrew Byrne, Angus Australia’s Breed Development & Extension Manager on (02) 6773 4618, or andrew@angusaustralia.com.au

FURTHER QUESTIONS

Should you have any questions regarding the new AngusSELECT™ suite of genetic selection tools, please don’t hesitate to contact staff at Angus Australia on (02) 6773 4600 or office@angusaustralia.com.au.