The Fleckvieh breed, while internationally recognized as a dual-purpose breed is primarily used as a beef production animal in Ireland. However because of ever increasing pressure to improve efficiency, it is now accepted in Irish cattle breeding that beef production characteristics should be included in the national dairy cattle breeding programme. This development was accepted following a com...

A total of 1474 and 1935 production and reproduction records of crossbred cattle and Murrah buffaloes from the year 1992 to 2012 were utilized in the present study to investigate breeding efficiency (BE) and various performance traits. Breeding efficiency was calculated using Wilcox and Tomar methods and Least –squares of Harvey model was used to study the effects of various non-genetic factors...

Records of 594 calving dates and 493 calving intervals collected from a herd of Retinta beef cows in southwest Spain were studied. Their efficacy as reproductive measures were compared when a long breeding season was utilized. Variables used were date of present calving (DOC), date of subsequent calving (DOSC), time from start of breeding season to calving (TBSC), interval to next calving (CI),...

INTRODUCTION Modern beef cattle used for our beef production are not exactly a property left by our ancestors, but composed products from native and imported cattle. Most native cattle were graded up by British and continental breeds for a few generations about 90 years ago. It should be pointed out, however, that they are the sole domestic farm animals in our country contributing to practical ...

Changes in performance traits in beef cattle over the last 30 yr necessitate the re-evaluation of central testing procedures to ensure that they are cost effective and appropriate for current test objectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for reducing the length of evaluation from 140 d to either 112 or 84 d. Data evaluated were postweaning feedlot performance test r...

Genomic selection using high-density SNP panels was first implemented in dairy cattle breeding programs. It provided benefits in terms of reduced generation intervals, improved accuracies of selecting young animals, and reductions in costs associated with the requirement of progeny testing bulls in traditional breeding programs (Hayes et al., 2009). Several distinct features of the poultry bree...

Farms that purchase replacement breeding cattle are at increased risk of introducing many economically important diseases. The objectives of this analysis were to determine whether the total number of replacement breeding cattle purchased by individual farms could be reduced by improving herd performance and to quantify the effects of such reductions on the industry-level transmission dynamics ...