Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Producers beef up ways to manage what they measure

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

A research centre in Alberta delivers genomic information to livestock producers

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Better Farming

Genetic information rests at the centre of better understanding how living things function and adapt to their environments.

The livestock industry can use this information, such as genotypic and phenotypic data, paired with breeding tools to obtain desired traits in progeny and make improvements throughout the value chain.

Cow Calf Pair in Pasture
    Joseph Tointon/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo

"The phenotype or trait is the basis of all genetic improvement," said Dr. Graham Plastow. He's CEO of the Livestock Gentec Centre and a professor in the faculty of agricultural, life and environmental sciences at the University of Alberta.

Livestock Gentec is an Alberta Innovates Centre based at the University of Alberta. Since 2010, centre staff have shared the commercial benefits of genomics with the Canadian livestock industry, the organization's website said.

Researchers work to "determine the relative contributions of genetics and the environment because most phenotypic traits will be influenced by a combination of those factors," Plastow said.

"If we are trying to improve tenderness, we don't want that trait to come at a cost of increased greenhouse gas production. We need to understand the relationships between those traits and decide what information we need to make improvements. Once we have those measurements, we can cross the best females with the best males."

Since the beef industry includes cow-calf, backgrounding and feedlot operations, as well as abattoirs and processing plants, stakeholders collect many data points and focus on different traits. This disconnect can cause issues.

"One of the most important things for a chain is to lubricate it. If you don't lubricate a chain, it seizes up and doesn't work properly. One way to lubricate the livestock industry value chain is to share data and add value," said Plastow.

"We need to find ways to share this information."

We can work with stakeholders to use the Internet of Things to compile data. Then, scientists can use artificial intelligence to review this centralized database to help analyze phenotypic relationships, Plastow said.

And then researchers can "use genetic information and computing technologies to help farmers make better management decisions."

Developments in data collection methods are making it easier for some producers to collect and record measurements. However, increasing the accessibility and durability of technological advances would greatly benefit the livestock industry.

"Sometimes, the trait we want to improve is difficult or expensive to measure. For example, information on how much an animal eats and grows is important because we want to raise healthy animals at the same time as reducing the environmental footprint and producing as little waste as possible," Plastow said. But measuring feed intake in grazing cattle can be challenging.

While expensive right now, "imaging technologies can monitor animals 24 hours a day, even on pasture," he said.

"Wearable sensors and drones give us opportunities to look at animals all the time and observe traits."

As the beef industry increasingly uses monitoring equipment and genomic data, producers can take advantage of hybrid vigour in their herds and improve the profitability of their operations, Plastow said.

"Genomic info helps predict the lifetime productivity of the animal. Farmers (can use these insights to) select bulls and replacement heifers," he said.

"By improving the accuracy of phenotypic predictions to optimize animal selection, we can select for traits that make animals more resilient to stress, environmental changes and disease challenges. These animals will be healthier and require less treatment throughout production." BF

Current Issue

April 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

OFA Fights for Farmer Rights during Tariff War

Monday, March 31, 2025

The agricultural sector in Ontario trades billions of dollars annually with the U.S. In 2023, this amounted to $32.8 billion, it also included a trade deficit of nearly $2 billion. The impact of tariffs and trade barriers on this trade is significant, as they disrupt supply chains, reduce... Read this article online

Lynmark Farms named Master Breeder for 2025

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

The Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society has announced that Lynmark Farms has been named as a herd for 2025. Lynmark Farms is owned and operated by Tim Shearer and Irene Vietinghoff of Norwood, Ontario. They are the third Milking Shorthorn herd to be recognized as a since this... Read this article online

Ontario Mega Farm Faces Market Chill

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

A large working farm in Ontario, one of the province’s biggest on the market, is facing difficulties finding a buyer. Listed at $72.1 million, the 2,300-acre property is located near Lake Erie in Elgin County, spanning both Malahide Township and Central Elgin. Despite its prime agricultural... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top