08/29/07 Slow marbling progress

Genetic selection in cattle is a lot slower than in other species of farm and ranch animals. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to talk about some extra slow genetic progress. Genetic improvement in cattle is relatively slow because of the length of gestation and time required to reach sexual maturity of the new offspring. Add on the low percentage of hereditability of certain traits such as marbling and the improvement process can be even longer. Marbling is an important carcass trait since it is a large component affecting juiciness and tenderness of beef and is the standard to determine quality grade. Dan Moser, Kansas State University associate animal science professor says we are making progress  about 0.015 unites of marbling score per year in Angus cattle and about half that in other breeds. According to Moser that would mean it would take about 60 years to increase a quality grade one-third of a grade. Now that's slow progress, so we have to be sure we keep the marbling improvement we have made, and that's not always easy according to the Beef magazine article by Wes Ishmae. Marbling deposition is a lifetime event and many factors need to be right to achieve the genetic potential for marbling in a beef animal but it only takes one negative factor such as a nutritional insult like drought to decrease marbling. Seems to me you could start animal on good feed and the marbling would come right back, but it doesn't to work that way. I'm Jeff Keane. Beef August 2007