The breeding game is a long one. One miscalculated decision can take generations to reverse, so careful thought needs to go into designing a breeding program and selecting the animals that are going to leave their mark on your herd. The decisions you make today need to be beneficial for your herd in 5-10+ years, and the ever-evolving nature of the agriculture industry can make planning for the future a challenge.

How can we future proof our herds for the next generation?

For commercial herds, DNA testing portfolio Igenity is a tool that can help future proof your herd and add confidence into a breeding program. Igenity is an easy-to-use system that provides greater insight into the genetic merit of your herd, allowing for more informed replacement and mating decisions, and ensuring breeding objectives are met.

For example, it’s easy to chase the bull with the best calving ease, however, is this bull going to be best for your herd?

This is where having Igenity profiles on your animals becomes incredibly useful, as it answers those questions for you before you make significant investments. Through your Igenity scores you may discover calving ease is already well-established in your cow herd, freeing you to target other traits that align with your breeding vision and goals.

Igenity works by using DNA scores of 1-10 across 17 maternal, production and carcass traits, allowing you to rank your animals top to bottom on performance and profitability. They inform you of your cow’s potential fertility and performance before having a calf on the ground, shortening the generational length, promoting genetic gain, and allowing you to predetermine where an animal belongs within your breeding program (e.g. maternal herd vs terminal herd). Igenity scores help you focus time, feed and resources on young breeding stock of verified merit, and are backed by performance and genomics data from over 18.5 million animals worldwide.

Igenity is designed for pure and crossbred animals of the following breeds: Angus, Hereford, Simmental, Shorthorn, Limousin and Gelbvieh.  

One DNA test per animal is required to obtain your Igenity scores. Once the DNA has been evaluated, the Igenity scores will be available to view through Igenity’s dashboard Encompass. Encompass allows you to sort and filter results, visualise your data in the form of easy-to-read graphs and charts, and includes special features such as a custom index builder.

PBB’s Territory Managers, Ella and Trudy, are always available to support you with your results, answer any questions and guide you through Encompass. They understand the value of obtaining the most out of your data and future focusing your herd.

To learn more about Igenity and how it can help you, head to the webpage, download the Igenity handbook below, or contact:

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