SCROTAL CIRCUMFERENCE (SC) is recorded in centimeters of scrotal circumference measured on the listed sire at or around 365 days of age. CONTEMPORARY GROUPING The essence of genetic evaluation is the comparison of an animal to its peers, or contemporaries. A contemporary group is a cohort of animals that have had the same opportunity to perform being the same sex, born within 90 days of each other, managed alike, and exposed to the same environment. Ratios are given to animals within a certain contemporary group to evaluate how well an animal performed compared to his/her contemporaries. Contemporary grouping follows animals throughout their productive lives. Simple contemporary grouping for early-life traits such as BW and WW are intuitive. But even for later-in-life traits such as Breed Back and Number of Calves, the yearling contemporary group provides the base of comparison. CSS TESTING The Certified Semen Services (CSS) minimum requirements for disease control of semen produced for AI provides a minimum standard for the health monitoring and disease surveillance of bulls prior to entering isolation, during an isolation period, and throughout residency at an AI center. This is a comprehensive standard for those diseases proven to be a significant threat to be seminally transmitted by artificial insemination. Bulls listed in the sire directory will reflect either a “yes” or “no” to CSS testing certification. GENETIC TESTING Sires will feature a series of letters indicating the genetic testing that has been completed. All AI sires are required to be parent verified, or grandfathered, through DNA testing with the IBBA before being able to record registered proge- ny. All sires listed in the 2023 Brangus Sire Directory have been parent verified or grandfathered before being listed in the catalog. SEEKSIRE: provides all USDA and globally recognized parentage markers for parent verification. It does not provide GE-EPDs. GGP ULD (30K): provides all USDA and globally recognized parentage markers for parent verification. It offers im- putations up to 50K status for the calculation of GE-EPDs. GGP LD (100K): provides all USDA and globally recognized parentage markers for parent verification. It offers a 100K status for GE-EPDs, allows for add-on tests, and detects markers that have the greatest influence on economical- ly important traits and key traits that cattle inherit from their parents. GGP HD (150K): provides all USDA and globally recognized parentage markers for parent verification. It offers high-accuracy calculations of GE- EPDs, allows for add-on tests, and is the ideal DNA solution for AI sires to provide maximum data. GENETIC DEFECT TESTING Sires who have been tested for genetic defects will feature their testing status as reflected by (genetic test)(free, carrier, or affected status). For example, an animal tested free for Developmental Duplication (DD) will be listed as DDF. Ge- netic defect testing, although highly recommended, is optional for Brangus AI sires, a lack of listing on a sire does not indicate he is a potential carrier or potentially free by pedigree, but simply that he has not had optional defect testing ran.
Genetic Partners | Page 9
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