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Commercial Solutions

Genetic Tools for the
Commercial Cattlemen

The commercial programs offered by the American Simmental Association (ASA) are an effort to provide genetic tools to the largest sector of the beef industry; the commercial cattlemen.  These efforts are supported through multiple ASA programs and the world’s most comprehensive beef genetic database.  The three pillars to ASA Commercial Programs are the:  Total Herd Enrollment — Commercial option (THE-CM), Cowherd DNA Roundup (CHR), and the IGS Feeder Profit CalculatorTM (FPC). These three programs allow you to maximize the genetic awareness surrounding your program and to make better management and selection decisions. Each of these programs is designed to offer you assistance at three key management moments in your production system; Breeding, Heifer Selection, and Weaning. 

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The commercial programs offered by the American Simmental Association (ASA) are an effort to provide genetic tools to the largest sector of the beef industry; the commercial cattlemen.  These efforts are supported through multiple ASA programs and the world’s most comprehensive beef genetic database.  The three pillars to ASA Commercial Programs are the:  Total Herd Enrollment — Commercial option (THE-CM), Cowherd DNA Roundup (CHR), and the IGS Feeder Profit CalculatorTM (FPC). These three programs allow you to maximize the genetic awareness surrounding your program and to make better management and selection decisions. Each of these programs is designed to offer you assistance at three key management moments in your production system; Breeding, Heifer Selection, and Weaning. 

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Total Herd Enrollment

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Get Commercial Cowherd EPD & Indexes through the Total Herd Enrollment cow inventory-based program.

ASA's Total Herd Enrollment - Commercial Option is designed specifically for serious commercial beef operations.  Any breed type, free Active Herd management software, and only $500/year - regardless of herd size.

The THE-CM is the foundation for these programs and allows you to fully capitalize on the true genetic awareness of your cowherd.  This is a herd reporting program that helps isolate the known genetic potential of every female you own.  The industry’s best metric for understanding the genetic merit of individual animals is through an expected progeny difference (EPD).  Simply put, an EPD informs you of the difference in production value for a given trait compared to the average animal.  These are all calculated through pedigree relationships and performance records — and genomics if desired. Selection indexes take that one step further by combining multiple economically relevant EPDs along with industry costs and thresholds into a prediction model.  Your seedstock provider undoubtedly uses EPDs and selection indexes to make mating decisions, why shouldn’t you have the same technology? 

Cowherd DNA Roundup

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Cow Herd DNA Roundup (CHR)  is a research project with GeneSeek

The CHR is your opportunity to push the accelerator on female genetic awareness.  Every cattleman understands who their best-producing cow is, but do they know right away which replacement heifer will fill that role?  The field of genomics allows us to gain a better understanding of a young heifer’s genetic potential even before she starts producing.  This technology utilizes known regions on the bovine genome that impact specific economically relevant traits.  For example, longevity in cattle is known once they've been in production for almost a generation, but you would hope to know that information before you invested time and money in replacements.  Through genomics, we can use known genetic markers to give us an indication of whether a female may last in the herd longer (or shorter) than others.  The CHR will provide you with years of information before you have to invest years of time. 

International Genetic Solutions Feeder Profit Calculator (FPC)

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Capitalizing on novel technology usually requires a tremendous learning curve and a major outlay of dollars.  Not this time!

The IGS Feeder Profit Calculator is unique. It will offer a level of genetic awareness of crossbred feeder calves that has not been previously possible in the beef business.  The IGS science team, the IGS partner associations, and the world’s largest beef genetic evaluation database allow the IGS FPC to be delivered at no cost to producers. That is correct. No Cost!
 
 While the other two programs are focused on your cowherd, the FPC is centered around where you make ends meet.  You’ve invested a lot of time and money into not only your cowherd but also your bull battery because you know the role genetics plays in the end product.  You’ve also invested in your management protocols to ensure the feeder calves you raise will stay healthy and perform in the feedlot.  These investments help you stay profitable and build a more valuable feeder calf, but are your buyers aware of your commitment?  The FPC is a third-party view of the profit potential of your calf crop through the understanding of genetics, health, and management.  Your buyers want low-risk, high-potential calves with earning potential.  You want to highlight that your calves fit their need.  As opposed to traditional marketing slogans and empty statements let's provide true awareness.  We can Know or Guess.  Choose Know. Follow 
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Would you like to get paid to use some of the most promising herd sire prospects in the industry?  Consider becoming a Carcass Merit Program(CMP) Cooperator.

As a Carcass Merit Program cooperator herd, ASA tests a number of young, unproven, high prospect sires through artificial insemination on the cattle within the cooperator’s herd. The purpose of this is to obtain data on the progeny of the sires in order to improve the accuracy of the sire's EPD and adjust the EPD according to how the progeny performs. This allows bull owners and genetic companies to identify the high prospect sires and high-quality genetics early on in the sire’s life. Also, by improving the accuracy of the EPD, the sires become more predictable and marketable.

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The Carcass Expansion Program (CXP), first implemented in the fall of 2018 was designed to vastly increase the number of carcass data entering the American Simmental Association (ASA) database.

  Moreover, the CXP was also designed to address concerns about genomic enhancement for carcass traits. The amount of information/predictability on a standard genomic panel for carcass traits was significantly lower than growth and stayability traits. Genomic progeny equivalents are the tool used to assign how informative a genomic panel is to an animal’s genetic prediction. The resulting change in EPD accuracy after a genomic test can be associated with the same change in EPD accuracy if the information came from progeny with data. In this case, carcass progeny equivalents for a standard genomic test were ~5-6, whereas the growth traits were 20+ progeny. This discrepancy is largely due to the fact that ASA 1) receives very few actual carcass records, and 2) effectively no genomically tested animals with actual carcass data. 

The purpose of this project is to:

  1. Increase the number of carcass records being reported on registered/enrolled ASA animals annually.
  2. Increase the number of genomically tested animals with actual carcass data with the goal of improving genomic progeny equivalents.
  3. Increase the average accuracy for carcass EPD across all SIMUSA animals.
  4. Provide ASA membership with customer support opportunities that also improve their own genetic evaluations.
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A research project launched by the American Simmental Association in collaboration with Neogen Genomics

The American Simmental Association (ASA) has partnered with Neogen to offer today’s cattlemen and women the tools to ensure the most productive and profitable return on their Simmental genetics. With an ever-increasing demand for irrefutable, science-based data within commercial and seedstock industries alike, ASA has developed Calf Crop Genomics (CCG), a genotyping project designed with the producer in mind.  Not only does CCG allow for more accurate selection decisions and parentage testing, but it’s offered at half the cost of regular genomic testing.

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