Black Box Co launches multi-breed genomics test at Beef2024
A multi-breed genomics test with the potential to improve the productivity and profitability of tropical beef herds has been commercially launched by Black Box Co at Beef2024.
RePRO BI is an outcome of the Northern Genomics Project, which sought to develop genomic breeding values (GBVs) suitable for Northern Australian cattle and enable the acceleration of genetic gain through genomic technologies.
Through analysis of an animal’s DNA sample, RePRO BI offers genomic predictions linked to key traits that drive productivity, including age at puberty, ability to rebreed while lactating, body condition score, height, weight, fly and tick resistance, and temperament.
Black Box Co Chief Executive Officer, Shannon Speight, said RePRO BI would provide valuable business insights into the reproductive capacity of beef herds with Bos indicus content and have incredible benefits on-property and at a broader industry level.
“The RePRO BI report provides GBVs across multiple traits, as well as giving the animal a ranking, allowing a producer to make more informed decisions about propagating certain genetics or culling an animal,” Mrs Speight said.
“One of the biggest implications RePRO BI has for commercial herds with Bos indicus content is in optimising bull selection, particularly for producers who breed their own bulls, because it enables them to decide early on whether to keep the animal as a future sire or castrate.
“Producers who buy bulls from multiple breeders can also use the GBVs as a benchmarking tool to decide which sires are the most profitable for their herd.
“Bulls are effectively a genetic package on legs, and this information is telling you at a young age what their potential is, enabling accelerated genetic gain.”
Similarly, the test can help producers benchmark heifers within their operation to make decisions about whether to retain them as replacements or cull.
Value demonstrated in collaborator herd
The Marks family of Winvic Pastoral run a breeding to finishing operation across four properties in Central Queensland and have seen the benefits of RePRO BI firsthand.
“Our core herd is Braford based and into that we crossbreed with Poll Herefords and red Brahmans,” Alice Marks said.
“We were a collaborator herd within the Northern Genomics Project and had two cohorts of heifers objectively measured as part of the reference population.”
Today, RePRO BI plays an important role in helping the Marks family evaluate the genetic merit of their cattle, and Mrs Marks said the tool couldn’t be easier to use.
“We rank animals based on their fertility, but also don’t want to lose sight of weight and body condition score, which we use as a proxy for environmental adaptability,” she said.
“The RePRO BI report is a very visual tool; quintiles presented in colour blocks make it easy to rank animals with the best genomic predictions and, therefore, identify which ones should be retained.”
Mrs Marks said she believes the biggest advantage of RePRO BI will be in breeds that don’t have a lot of robust data behind them.
“It can be really difficult for a producer to weigh up genetic merit of different animals where there is an absence of other selection tools such as estimated breeding values (EBVs), so I think this is going to be a great solution in that scenario,” she said.
“As a Braford breeder, it’s been really pleasing to see some progressive breeders embrace the tool, and I think it’s going to be a really great tool for compounding genetic gain within the breed.
“At Winvic, we’re largely self-sufficient, producing bulls from our seedstock operation and only buying in two or three outside bulls a year, but if other producers start utilising the tool, it’s going to give us a lot of confidence before we make investments in their genetics.”
Industry-wide benefits
The Northern Genomics Project, which was conducted by University of Queensland (UQ) and funded by MLA Donor Company, involved collaboration with 54 herds across Northern Australia to develop accurate GBVs for Bos indicus-content cattle.
Led by UQ Professor Ben Hayes, the project recorded fertility traits, growth traits, body condition score, temperament, tick scores and buffalo fly lesion scores on almost 30,000 heifers and cows, representing the breeds, crossbreeds and composites used in the north.
Mrs Speight, who coordinated the project, said improving the productivity and profitability of individual beef production enterprises would have industry-wide benefits.
“Using genomic technologies such as RePRO BI to improve tropical beef herds will be particularly important as industry seeks to address issues of climate change and sustainability,” she said.
“In Northern Australia, it’s not uncommon for breeding females to have two calves in three years, meaning you’ve got whole years where cows are walking around not being productive.
“If we can’t pick up our game and improve fertility, the southern production system will have to carry the northern industry in our quest to reach carbon neutrality, which is something no producer wants.”
Black Box Co is making genomic testing more accessible through an online portal, where producers can order tissue sampling products, submit a RePRO BI test request, track the progress of tests, and access reports.
Offered in partnership with Neogen, a RePRO BI test costs $65 and includes TropBeef 50KSNP, eight GBVs, poll/horn status and breed composition.