New cost - effective DNA test available to beef seedstock industry

“The new GeneSeek® Genomic Profiler™Ultra-Low Density (GGP uLD) will provide ample power for predicting traits that beef seedstock will pass

along to their progeny. Never before have seedstock producers had such an affordable and powerful genotyping tool,” said Dr. Stewart Bauck, general manager of Neogen GeneSeek Operations.

 

Bauck said the new test will give breed associations a tool to expand the

genotyping of seedstock replacement heifers.

 

“As we have presented this new product to our breed association customers, they have seen that the affordable power of the GGP uLD

will bean attractive addition to their genotyping portfolios,” he added.

 

The new product uses high-accuracy imputation to higher-density SNP arrays, but will cost about one-third the price, Bauck said.

“As you look at the evolution of these new tests, accuracy of genotyping tools is increasing while cost is dropping,” he added.

Genotyping of seedstock replacement heifers has big advantages to the seedstock industry:

 

Producers obtain predictions on genetic merit early in the life of replacement heifers, allowing for genomically assisted selection

of their future cows and cost optimization in heifer development.

 

Seedstock breeders can add value to heifers by selling them

with genomically enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs).

 

Commercial cattle producers can purchase heifers with accurate GE-

EPDs, improving their ability to manage the future direction of their own cow herd’s maternal, performance and carcass traits.

 

The cattle industry now has an affordable heifer test to

combine with phenotype data collection efforts, speeding breed improvement and increasing the overall accuracy of genomic predictions.

 

By profiling heifers, rather than depending solely on collecting maternal phenotypes from sire progeny, breed associations can reduce the number of years it takes to assess economically important traits such as fertility traits that show up late in life.

 

This latest addition to the GGP portfolio is designed to help beef breeders maximize the value of moving to “one-step” genetic calculations.

“We have received positive feedback from the seedstock industry about

this affordable new power in their genotyping tool kit,” Bauck said. “

 

We are optimistic that this new test will significantly expand the number of

beef seedstock that are genotyped.

 

This expansion will improve the beef industry’s overall competitiveness

in food production by helping shorten generational intervals

and improve selection accuracy.”