Strength of Genomics is in size of Database

A decade of research, major industry co-operation and the establishment of a very extensive database makes US cattle breeding company Select Sires very confident in the genomic products that is is offering at home and internationally through World Wide Sires.

"Genomics is a great tool and it's here to stay, but its strength relies on an extensive and reliable DNA database," said Select's vice president of international development Joel Mergler, at the 2010 World Wide Sires UK workshop.

Select Sires, along with other major US cattle breeding companies, has co-operated with the United States Department of Agriculture in building up a DNA database and comparing profiles with progeny test information.

The USDA database has matched up nearly 8,000 Holsteins and every sample of DNA from a potential young sire young calf sent to USDA from one of the co-operating breeding organisations gets a genomic test based on a comparison with 50,000 plus gene markers on the database. Mr Mergler challenged any other country to compete with the scale and depth of this data.

With a stud of 100 proven Holsteins included in its active line-up, Select progeny tests 330 Holsteins a year. This extensive sampling programme will not be cut, even though all its sires now have genome tests, which allows selectors to be more discerning. Instead, the bar will be raised.

"We get a fairly accurate picture of a young bull's genetic worth at a very early age. When a genomic test is combined with parental data, US reliability increases to 70%," added Mr Mergler. "This is an equivalent reliability to a progeny proof with 21 daughters."

"With genomic testing we can reduce wastage in our progeny test schemes and we can broaden the range of sires we offer so as well as 'mainstream' sires we can offer top quality niche sires to suit a variety of production systems around the world."

But he doesn't want producers to get on a genomic bandwagon. "It would be easy to start using a lot of young bulls with 70% reliability but there's still 30% unknown. We must keep genomics in perspective."

UK sales director for World Wide Sires John Cochrane supports this view and steers producers away from using individual young bulls. He suggests using teams of three or more young bulls with genome tests. "Even though they have higher reliabilities than young bulls in the past there is still a degree of risk which is greater than if a proven sire is used.

"But I am keen to see producers here take advantage of the genetics we have from the US that include genome tests. The size and strength of the USDA database and the experience already gained by the breeding companies in the past 10 years gives us a lot of confidence in the new technology."