BREEDPLAN Selection Indexes: An Update

Selection indexes assist beef producers make “balanced” selection decisions, taking into account the relevant growth, carcase, fertility and efficiency attributes of each animal to identify the animals that are most profitable for their particular commercial enterprise. Like breeding values (EBVs), selection index technology is a well-established, science based methodology that is used in many livestock species around the world. Selection Indexes provide an overall “score” of an animal’s genetic value for profit for a specific production system and are calculated based on weightings placed on individual traits that are deemed to be important for that production system. As such, selection indexes reflect both the short term profit generated by a bull through the sale of his progeny, and the longer term profit generated by his daughters if they are retained in the herd.

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