Genomics Reduce Selection Risk

The largest provider of genetics world world is Angus Genetics Incorporated or AGI. AGI develops and promotes technology for use by the beef industry — including DNA technology — and has developed genomic-enhanced EPDs for the Angus breed that are updated on a weekly basis. AGI President Dr. Dan Moser shares the answer to a frequently asked question
Moser: “We get a lot of questions about how much the DNA counts into a EPD for example compared to the pedigree performance, compared to the animal’s own performance and ultimately into the progeny. For an AI sire that has had hundreds, thousands of progeny — the progeny data is really what matters. The genomics really don’t matter that much. But those bulls — their data and their genomics are sort of train the next round of tests and helps us to get the young animals more right or more accurately predicted. The real power of genomics is just lower risk. People think about for a trait like calving ease maybe a bull that has an 8 for calving ease EPD for just for example. People would think that bull is acceptable to use on heifers. If he was genetically tested and maybe had an even lower value of a 7 because of the reduced risk he may be a better heifer bull because the accuracy is higher. So the downside risk of him being not as good as you thought is lower because he has been genomically tested.”