Driving Genetic Progress in Angus Cattle with Christian Duff

In this podcast, two genetics enthusiasts delve into IMF, methane, mature cow weight, immune competence and more, exploring the latest developments in livestock genetics and breeding strategies for Angus cattle.

Yes that's right, we are heading back into the Angus world with Christian Duff, general manager of genetic improvement at Angus Australia.  As Mark puts it, Christian is "involved in genetics in a fairly big way."

He is very passionate about the power of quantitative genetics to change a species. "It's an amazing tool - if you're patient", says Christian.

Mark and Chris bounce around some thoughts on various traits and their influence on Angus.  From methane, the current focus for Angus Australia, to immune competence, to mature cow weight, to IMF and much more.  They dive into each topic and talk about the heritability, the recent changes and how they affect other traits. 

Chris has been involved in exploring links between specific diseases and genetic markers, particularly in the area of immune competence.  This has led to promising research showing that cattle with higher immune competence have lower mortality rates, which could have significant implications for the beef industry.

Chris chats about current research studying the relationship between pink eye resilience and immune competence.  He also talks about the efficiency of vaccines on animals, based on their immune competence.  "You assume they're all going to have the same coverage... it's not the case.  Some respond really well to the vaccine and some you may as well not have vaccinated".

While production traits have long been the primary focus for breed societies, Chris explains there has been a change in the R&D focus to include more resilience and sustainability traits.

To find out more about the the ImmuneDEX value, take a look here:
https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/education/breeding-and-genetics/understanding-rbvs/immunedex

This podcast is crammed full of knowledge and and we thank Chris for sharing his time with us. 

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