Maternal Matters: Selecting Maternal Traits

As an industry, maternal traits have often taken a back seat in favour of terminal traits such as age to slaughter, eye muscle area, fat depth and carcase weight. Whilst market requirements have driven a focus on terminal genetic traits, it is important that we are also selecting maternal traits for the herd.

Important maternal traits such as fertility are one key driver of profitability in the suckler herd. It is at least twice as important as growth and carcase characteristics. By not breeding for maternal traits and selecting bulls with a terminal focus, we are also increasing the likelihood of calving difficulties. This can have a significant impact on profit, as well as animal welfare.

To ensure you are selecting the right genetics to breed superior maternal traits into your herd, it’s important to consider estimated breeding values (EBVs) and indexes in your breeding decisions. Breeding technologies such as artificial insemination (AI) are one method that can allow producers to access high genetic merit sires with EBVs that suit their herd’s breeding programme.

AI allows you to select bulls with proven performance and tailor the breeding of your herd by selecting for maternal traits. As well as breeding superior traits into your herd by carefully selecting genetics, it is important that you carefully select your replacement heifers to ensure the continued progression of our herds' genetics. Using a suckler breeding plan is a good way to set the technical and business goals that you want to achieve and focus on these goals when making your breeding decisions.

Good breeding and carefully considered genetics lie at the foundation of any successful beef production system. Selecting superior parents for breeding using EBVs and Indexes will lead to cumulative and permanent gains in herd productivity, profitability and efficiency.

Consider whether implementing breeding technologies such as artificial insemination (AI), synchronisation and sexed semen could help take your herd forward.

Replacement heifers contribute to the new genetic make-up, cost structure and productivity of the suckler herd. These pages give advice on sourcing, selecting and managing replacement heifers so they can become productive members of the breeding herd.

To make the most effective breeding decisions, it is good to have a long-term plan. This should set out technical and business goals for your herd and then work backwards to ensure you select the right genetics to meet those goals.