The Value of Progeny Test Programs

The Beef Information Nucleus is a series of large, well structured progeny test programs undertaken by Breed Societies with cofunding assistance from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA). Young bulls of high genetic merit are joined by either AI or natural mating to a commercial cow base to produce progeny which are managed commercially as one cohort and measured for a range of economically traits. The high quality performance data provides head-on-head comparison between the young sires progeny which is analysed through BREEDPLAN for the respective breed. This in turn provides high accuracy Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) on relatively young sires which will assist in finding the up and coming “super sires” earlier than would be possible through standard performance recording undertaken in the seedstock sector.