An exciting opportunity exists again this fall for special pricing on the Red Navigator genomic test for commercial Red Angus females. Producers who use this test, developed by GeneSeek, will be able to compare their commercial Red Angus females against the entire commercial heifer data set on file with the Red Angus Association of America. The test provides percentile rankings for each EPD in the Red Angus suite, providing an excellent tool to make keep-cull decisions more logical and more scientific.

Normally this test is $25 per head, however, from now through Nov. 30, 2017, the price is reduced to $19. Ranchers can order the Red Navigator test by contacting Fallon Flick, RAAA DNA programs coordinator, at 940-387-3502, fallon@redangus.org. Once she receives the blood or tissue samples, lab analysis will take 15 to 20 days after which results will be reported. The females must be 75 percent or greater Red Angus bloodlines for accurate test results. 

The interpretation of Red Navigator data is simple, and Commercial Marketing Specialist Katie Ochsner will call producers to walk them through their results.

Figuring Return on Investment

If a producer has 100 heifers from which to choose, he could test all of them or, he could select the top 50 based on the phenotype that he wants to retain in his herd. This will reduce the cost of the test by half while still identifying his elite replacements. At the special price, the cost to test 50 head is $950 – a small investment in identifying which females will be profitable additions to his herd.

Producers can use the HerdBuilder index to select which heifers to retain as replacements. As a keep-cull determinant, HerdBuilder evaluates the difference between two animals – it is a dollar-indexing tool that includes the income realized through stayability, heifer pregnancy, calving ease and calves that will excel in final product quality.

The following examples demonstrate tangible outcome in two situations:

Example 1

20 heifers x 5 years of breeding = 100 exposures

HerdBuilder of 150: 150 x 100 = $15,000

HerdBuilder of 100: 100 x 100 = $10,000

Equating to a difference of $5,000 on a $950 investment

Using another example with the top 20 percent of HerdBuilder for non-parents under two years of age versus the bottom 20 percent (Fall 2017 evaluation percentiles):

Example 2

20 heifers x 5 years of breeding = 100 exposures

HerdBuilder of 124: 124 x 100 = $12,400

HerdBuilder of 71: 71 x 100 = $7,100

Equating to a difference of $5,300 on a $950 investment

In all reality, the return on investment would likely be between the aforementioned figures. However, the bottom line is clear: it pays to use Red Navigator to select replacement females. At this special pricing, there is no time like the present to invest in genomic progress.

The Red Angus Association of America serves the beef industry by enhancing and promoting the competitive advantages of Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle. The RAAA provides commercial producers with the most objectively described cattle in the industry by seeking and implementing new technologies based on sound, scientific principles that measure traits of economic importance. For more information, visit www.RedAngus.org.