Supplied by Beef + Lamb New Zealand — AngusPRO Magazine 2025
Now in its fifth year, Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme is in full swing with a strong focus on increasing the uptake of genetics in the beef industry.
AngusPRO breeders continue to be actively involved in the seven year programme by hosting events such as Better Beef Breeding workshops and through their participation in Progeny Tests and methane reduction and feed efficiency trials.
The across-breed Beef Progeny Test (BPT), which compares bulls under commercial farming conditions, is run on Pāmu’s Kepler Farm near Manapouri and at Lochinver Station near Taupo. On Kepler, Angus and Hereford cows are run side-by-side with crosses undertaken both ways. At Lochinver, Simmental bulls are also added to the mix and used across the property’s Angus cows. The test now has processing data from calves born into the programme and reproductive data from heifers born in 2021.
In North Canterbury, a cutting-edge trial was launched to measure feed efficiency and methane emissions. B+LNZ Genetics, AgResearch and Te Mania Angus, the host of the trial, are working together to develop genetic tools that help farmers produce animals that use feed more efficiently and emit less methane while remaining productive.
Heifers from the BPT were involved in this trial and four other studs also put their animals through Te Mania’s feed intake facility and the AgResearch Portable Accumulation Chambers, which record methane output.
B+LNZ’s Head of Genetics, Dr Jason Archer says the aim of the trial is to develop new traits specifically for the New Zealand beef industry so farmers can produce efficient cattle with a light environmental footprint while running productive and profitable farms.
“We aim to create two breeding values, one for feed efficiency and another for methane emissions per kilo of feed,” says Dr Archer.
The aim in this trial is to identify cattle that can produce less methane per kilogram of feed and grow faster per kilogram of feed. That way, we get a double shot of lower methane and better animal performance.
He says methane reductions will be important in the future to meet climate commitments and to support marketing efforts around lower carbon input red meat production.
Farmers will benefit from the trial because they will be able to extract more value from inputs by having a more accurate feed efficiency Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) as a tool in their toolbox.
“Feed efficiency is a moderately heritable trait, and we know we can make good progress in breeding more efficient animals. Research has shown feed efficiency is correlated to reduced emissions. By gradually improving feed efficiency in cattle, we can also reduce emissions.”
Commercial beef farmers continue to play an important role in INZB through their participation in the Next Generation Herds programme. To date, 36 farmers have come on board, with more joining this year.
Last year, B+LNZ ran 13 Better Beef Breeding workshops, several hosted by AngusPRO breeders, along with webinars which covered topics such as Genetic Evaluation 101 and New Trait Development.
The seven-year Informing New Zealand Beef programme aims to boost the sector’s profits by $460m over the next 25 years.
It is supported by B+LNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund.
Dairy Beef Progeny Test Welcomes New Host Farms
B+LNZ’s long-term Dairy Beef Progeny Test is entering a new phase that involves more farms and a new approach to identifying opportunities offered by superior dairy beef.
While the locations have changed, the objectives of Dairy Beef Progeny Test (DBPT) remain the same; these are to identify the best beef genetics and to highlight the value superior genetics generate at every stage of the supply chain.
The DBPT has moved from Pāmu’s Renown farm and last spring, cows on five new host farms across three regions were mated to DBPT sires. Bulls from AngusPRO breeders were among the sires selected for use in the DBPT last year, including link sires that were used across the different sites.
Other breeds being used in the DBPT this year include Charolais, Hereford, Simmental and Murray Grey.
The new host farms are two Dairy Trust Taranaki farms, two Massey University farms and an owner-operated commercial dairy farm at Five Forks near Oamaru. For the first time, Jersey cows will be included in the DBPT through a smaller herd which is run on one of the Dairy Trust Taranaki farms.
Jim Inglis, B+LNZ Genetics’ Strategy and Operations Manager says the move to run the DBPT across more sites was driven by a desire to include a wider cross-section of farms across more regions and to better showcase the outcomes of the DBPT.
Jim says another advantage of having more farms involved in the DBPT is the range of cow breeds now included in the Test.
While these are predominately Kiwi-cross cows, Dairy Trust Taranaki runs more Friesian-cross type cows along with a Jersey herd.
“Across the five farms, we are seeing a good representation of the types of cows we see on dairy farms across the country.”
A list of all DBPT bulls used in the 2024-mating can be found on the beef progeny test section of B+LNZ Genetics website: blnzgenetics.com