Seeking Expressions of Interest – Angus Cooperator Cow Herds for Innovative R&D
Angus Australia is seeking expressions of interest from cattle breeders managing straight-bred commercial Angus cow-calf herds for involvement in the world renowned Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP).
The ASBP is the major R&D initiative of Angus Australia with support from cooperator cow herds, commercial supply-chain partners, research institutions and laboratories.
The objective of the ASBP is to grow the Australian Angus Reference population using contemporary and relevant Angus animals with a particular focus on hard-to-measure traits such as feed efficiency, methane emissions, immune competency, abattoir carcase measurements, meat quality attributes & female reproduction.
The benefits
There are several benefits that cooperator herds will obtain from participating as an ASBP co-operator cow herd:
- Access to high-performance and industry leading Angus sires.
- All females and their progeny are registered on the Angus Performance Register (APR).
- All progeny are comprehensively performance recorded and genotyped, producing estimated breeding values for selection.
- All heifer progeny bred from the program can be retained as future breeders once they have had their first calf.
- Opportunities to collaborate, interact and learn with Angus Australia staff, supply chain partners, technicians and researchers.
What We Are Looking For
Listed below are preferences for herds to involved in this initiative:
- Ideally a minimum of 300 straightbred Angus females.
- Ability to commit to a medium- to long-term program (ideally 5 years minimum)
- Yard facilities capable of conducting large scale fixed time artificial insemination programs.
- Able permanently identify calves at birth, record birth weights and dam details.
- Good electronic record keeping skills and attention to detail, including a consistent and traceable on farm ear tagging system.
- Able to manage program-bred cattle in large contemporary groups.
- Ability to background steer progeny through to feedlot entry weights, and naturally join heifer progeny as yearlings and retain them to first calving (ideally they then continue on in the program).
- Spring calving (i.e. join females October to November).
- Enthusiastic and reliable with a general interest in Angus genetics and beef industry R&D.
EOIs will be collected to 30th May 2025, however earlier nominations are preferable.
TO LODGE EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST CLICK HERE.
If you have any questions, please contact Liam Mowbray on 0436 406 140 or liam.mowbray@angusaustralia.com.au
TO LODGE EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
CLICK HERE
