Performance Testing: Not Only for Stud Farmers

The perception that only stud breeders benefit from performance testing is unfounded. Commercial farmers can significantly improve the productivity of their herds using this system, says Frans Jordaan, chief research technician at the Agricultural Research Council.

- Fans Jordaan

The National Beef Recording and Improvement Scheme (NBRIS), managed by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), has the tools to help farmers become commercially productive and make the transition from developing to commercial farming. A farmer who produces and delivers weaner calves to a feedlot can be considered a commercial farmer.

For commercial farmers to be profitable, they must produce the optimal number and weight of weaner calves/cows mated at the lowest possible cost. Weaner calves then need to be marketed as economically as possible directly after weaning and at the optimal weight. To achieve this, the fertility of the cow herd and the growth ability of calves from birth to weaning must be considered. Post-weaning growth is of particular importance for the feedlot industry.

The basis of good reproduction management is excellent record-keeping; this will enable breeders to make informed selection decisions to achieve their objectives.

Phases A and B of NBRIS provide a platform for commercial breeders to measure animals in phases.

SUPPLYING INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL DATABASE

Certain management practices, such as weighing animals at birth and weaning, are already carried out by farmers, but it is important that these statistics be made available to the national database, the Integrated Recording and Genetic Information System (INTERGIS).

Once this data is processed, useful information is extrapolated for producers in the form of reports on the productivity and efficiency of the herd. This information enables producers to decide which animals to cull. It is therefore important to implement and maintain management practices in a structured way to ensure that meaningful data is produced for these reports.