Collecting and collating herd data provides vital evidence to back up genetic claims and helps producers improve their herds and operations.
BREEDPLAN is Australia’s leading beef genetic recording system and, as a breed society, the data collected from our members is used to demonstrate Herefords’ commercial relevance within Australia’s beef sector.
BREEDPLAN captures a wide range of data to calculate Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) on various production traits including birth weights, docility, carcase weights, gestation length and calving ease in cows, and sperm and scrotal size in bulls. EBVs are expressed in units of measurement and reported as positive or negative relative to historic benchmarks for each trait.
Each individual animal’s calculated EBVs includes their own pedigree and performance information, the performance of known relatives, including progeny, as well as any other genomic information available.
To help producers understand how to record the various sets of data, BREEDPLAN has created a series of videos with tips and instructions. For example, the video for measuring docility will show producers what behaviours to look for and how to rank animals according to a one-to-five scorecard.
VIDEOS Recording data for BREEDPLAN videos
How and when to submit Herefords data
There are various ways to submit data to BREEDPLAN. You can complete paper forms, use Microsoft Excel templates, enter data into specific herd recording computer programs, or submit data via Herefords Live.
Each cattle breed in Australia has a designated day each month to submit data to BREEDPLAN. For Herefords it is the third day of each month. Mark your calendars now so you don’t forget!
TIP SHEET Methods of submitting data to BREEDPLAN
Using BREEDPLAN as a stud or commercial producer
Selecting and purchasing an individual breeding animal is a long-term investment, so it’s important for producers to use data to rank traits so they can select the most profitable animals for their particular production system.
TIP SHEET A BREEDPLAN guide to animal selection
Using BREEDPLAN for smaller herds
With BREEDPLAN, there is no minimum herd size requirement for data collection, however a number of factors will influence whether the herd performance data can be used effectively in the BREEDPLAN analysis. For producers with smaller herds, a fact sheet is available outlining how to obtain effective results from BREEDPLAN.
TIP SHEET Small Herds: Obtaining effective results from BREEDPLAN
Along with a series of Tip Sheets, a searchable Help Centre is also available on the BREEDPLAN website for producers who have any questions about the program.
