March 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 13 genetic merit than adjusted weights and ratios, they did lack prediction accuracy on young animals with no progeny proof. The industry quickly recognized that DNA results could serve as a powerful source of information to drastically improve prediction accuracy for the complete scope of performance traits in traditional genetic evaluation, particularly on young animals. In today’s bull market, this lends greater confidence to commercial buyers as genomically enhanced EPDs (GE-EPDs) drastically reduce the risk of buying an animal based on genetic predictions, only to discover later that its actual genetic merit is much different. For this reason, buying GE-EPD informed sires should be a top priority for seedstock and commercial producers alike. Parentage Determination and Discovery The original justification for genomics is still as relevant today as ever. Parentage determination was one of the primary drivers of genomic innovation and has revolutionized how the beef industry tracks and verifies pedigrees. This is especially useful for cattle producers who want to 1) keep accurate pedigree records; and 2) know the efficacy of sires in multi-sire pastures. Misidentifying calf parentage is a common and often unavoidable issue in cow herds, yet by leveraging genomic verification or discovery to eliminate these errors, producers can immediately improve the integrity of their breeding programs. Correctly identifying parentage is also a crucial component in national breed association genetic evaluations due to the heavy reliance of pedigree connections to inform predictions. Determining Genetic Conditions and Defects Genomic testing also enables producers to be mindful of genetic conditions and/or defects that may be prevalent in their herd. These are specific alleles found on a single gene that have significant effects in the expression of a trait. Coat color and horned/polled are perhaps the two most recognized genetic conditions in the beef industry today, but there are many others that breeders may want to be mindful of. By screening for conditions and known genetic defects, producers can make informed decisions to minimize the spread of these conditions within their cow herds. Genomic Breed Composition Perhaps one of the newer and more useful applications of genomic innovation is the ability to accurately predict an animal’s breed composition. As crossbreeding and composite programs become more sophisticated, so increases the need to reliably determine an animal’s breed composition. Unlike tracking breed composition through pedigree records, which can be cumbersome, time-consuming and prone to error, genomic breed composition provides producers with a breakdown of an animal’s breed influence. This can better enable more targeted selection and mating strategies to take advantage of heterosis, which is especially meaningful for traits such as cow fertility. DNA-based genomic breed composition may also serve a larger role in the future as an opportunity to verify breed claims for supply chain programs. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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