What is Promogen® Genetic Evaluation?
Promogen® Scoring 1. The system uses a numerical score of 1 to 6.5. 2. Animals with scores of less than 4 are not producing the three marker proteins we are measuring at physiologically effective levels. 3. Animals between 4-4.5 are producing the three marker proteins at levels that are physiologically average. 4. Animals scoring between 4.5 and 5.0 are in the top 15% of the tested populations. 5. Animals scoring between 5.0 and 5.5 are in the top 10%. 6. Animals scoring between 5.5 to 6.0 are in the top 5%. 7. Elite animals fall within the range of 6.0 to 6.5 and are the top 1% of the population. The Bottom Line ✓ Immunologically superior animals are proven to return higher significant gains across all traits: overall wellness, fertility and feed efficiency. ✓ Profits on overall wellness are realized through an increased response to vaccinces and antiparasitic treatments, drasti- cally reducing the incidence of morbidity and antibiotic use. ✓ Fertility is reflected in higher conception rates; reduced risk of early embryonic death; weaning calves at higher weights; overall retention and longevity in replacement females. ✓ Feed efficience is directly affected by the body’s ability to ward off inflammaton due to environmental stress factors and improve cellular energetics. ✓ Cattle on feed who possess this natural ability have higher conversion rates than their counterparts who are immu- nologically inferior without requiring additional antibiotic costs and higher overall expenses. ✓ Immunologically superior animals that possess specific Promogen® predictive biomarkers are proven to be more profitable and see economic gains through these highly her- itable traits for generations to come.
Promogen™ genetic evaluation is another method for estab- lishing genomic probabilities. The purpose of the test is to identify and quantify, using a simple numerical scoring sys- tem, the presence of three key proteins that medical science has labeled collectively Defensins. A twenty-year research project involving several universities in the United States and Europe has proven that physiologic performance, whether it is measured as disease resistance, fertility, productivity, or athletic ability, are directly related to the concentration of these proteins in the body. Why is Promogen® Important? It provides a “road map” for developing management strate- gies that maximize herd profitability. It helps you identify animals who are most naturally inclined to herd longevity, reproductive efficiency, and naturally able to maximize environment and express Expected Progeny Dif- ferences (EPD’s) to the best of their ability. How does Promogen® equate to profitability? Genetic progress in beef cattle comes with challenges. The major issue is industry segmentation. Utilizing the Promo- gen® assay can add value throughout the production cycle. The ideal cow for a cow/calf operation is one that success- fully weans a feedlot-ready calf at six to seven months of age and does so with minimum added expense associated with feed supplementation, medication and labor. At the same time, that cow is expected to breed back within 40-90 days post-calving to repeat the cycle; she is expected to do this year after year. Promogen® assays will predict value-added cows that will raise healthy calves. Then there is the challenge of sire selection. Current EPD’s, even when supported by genomics testing, can become little more than a good guess with so many traits being selected simulta- neously. Promogen® testing accurately identifies bulls who are more feed efficient, more disease resistant, more fertile and ap- pear to be able to pass the ability to produce high levels of De- fensins and their associated proteins to their offspring.
I test around 50 animals from my herd and this is what Bill had to say about my herd... Actually, 20% scored 6.5 and 32% scored better than 6. This includes the 6.5s. In comparison, a herd shar- ing your environmental conditions had 15% score as 6.5s and 25% score 6 and above. A third herd with a 70 history of selection for performance located in the Midwest had only 3% score 6.5 and a total of 15% score above 6. The majority of seed stock herds that we have tested over the last 6 years that have not in- tegrated the Promogen score into their breeding and replacement strategies average 7% 6.5s and 18% that score above a 6. Your animals have been selected to survive. This is not case in most seed stock programs. – Bill Julian
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