West Central Iowa | Duke2016 - 5/7/2024 22:00
What's everyone's thoughts on genomic testing for a crossbred cowherd.Mainly to help with heifer selection. Zoetis and Neogene both have products that fit my situation. Any preferences. I normally breed 40-50 heifers a year. Looks like $29-$30 is what it costs. Already going through the chute to be vaccinated and vet scored.
In order for genomics to work your population needs to be at least somewhat closely related to the training population or linkage disequilibrium breaks down (the markers don’t mark the genetics the test assumes are present). I have not looked into the aforementioned products, but if they are finding large effect “genetics areas” they may be worth while. I’m not sure if many of those are present in cattle. As others have said there are plenty of things to select for before you even touch genetic testing that it is hard to imagine that it will be worth while to you. |
Genomic testing
