Seedstock and commercial producers have continued interest to improve the
genetic merit of the cattle they produce to meet the product demanded by
consumers. A shift continues in the industry as more cattle are marketed in
value based systems determined by carcass merit. Branded beef marketing programs
such as the Certified Angus Beef program rely on qualifying cattle meeting
carcass specifications to supply those products. It remains crucial that Angus
cattle remain in a strong position to produce animals with not only predictable
reproductive, maternal, and growth traits, but also carcass merit to meet
industry needs.
Sire evaluation programs for determining carcass merit in Angus
cattle were first established in 1974. Since 1998, ultrasound technology has
been used as a nondestructive method to evaluate breeding stock for end-product
value. Enhanced methodologies in genetic evaluation procedures now allow the
integration of the carcass and ultrasound phenotypic databases to generate a
combined carcass genetic evaluation using both resources.
Provided first in Section 1 are the minimum standards used to collect field data
that can be used in the genetic evaluation process. Field data from proper
contemporary groups of sire identified data provide excellent resources used in
genetic evaluation procedures. Section 2 is the suggested protocol which
provides a template for producer reference in properly planning a large
structured test that will also yield valuable genetic improvement information.
The following recommendations for carcass data collection provide suggested guidelines to allow producers to generate data useful in the evaluation of Angus cattle for carcass merit, and continue to improve the selection tools available to the beef industry. Minimum requirements discussed previously must be met in order for the data to be eligible for inclusion in the national cattle evaluation procedures.
The responsibility of obtaining reference sire semen will be between the test herd owner and the test sire owner.
All financial arrangements will be between the test herd owner and the test sire owner.
The test herd owner has the responsibility of accurately recording complete herd identification, breeding and calving records, and growth data.
If ownership is not retained to slaughter, the test herd owner has the responsibility of ensuring that the buyer is completely aware of the testing procedure and that the cattle are finished and slaughtered in accordance with prescribed guidelines.
The American Angus Association will provide advisory assistance in all phases of the testing procedure. The producer will be responsible for coordination of the carcass data collection through their selected alliance, marketing group or packing plant. Collected carcass data then may be submitted to the AHIR department in an electronic format or on forms provided to the producer or entity assisting with carcass data collection.
Any parties interested in working as a test herd for collecting carcass data may contact the Performance Programs Department of the American Angus Association.
For any questions or additional information, contact the Performance Programs Department (816-383-5100) of the American Angus Association.