MEDIA RELEASE
BREEDPLAN RELEASES NEW TOOL TO OPTIMISE BREEDING DECISIONS
BREEDPLAN has announced that a new companion product known as MateSel has been made
available to the beef breeding industry in Australia. This new product provides beef cattle
seedstock producers with a guide for objectively optimising mating allocations within their breeding
program.
Managing Director of the Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) in Armidale, Mr Murray
Scholz explained that the use of MateSel by seedstock beef producers will take breeding programs
to the next level by including objectivity and proven science in mating allocation decisions.
“In particular, use of MateSel enables beef producers to maximise the rate of genetic gain being
achieved within their breeding program without compromising inbreeding through better mating
allocation. Further, MateSel offers the potential to save producers significant time previously spent
compiling mating lists while also enabling more informed decisions to be made about which bulls to
use within a breeding program”.
When utilising MateSel, seedstock breeders provide staff at BREEDPLAN with details regarding
their breeding objective and breeding program, plus details of the bulls and females that are
available for inclusion in the upcoming matings. The MateSel software then returns a detailed
suggested mating list for their consideration, plus a report outlining a range of outcomes from the
suggested matings such as the genetic gains that will be achieved and the level of inbreeding in
the progeny.
Mr Scholz stated that field testing of MateSel over recent months has demonstrated that seedstock
producers observe a considerable gain in the rate of genetic improvement that is achieved within
their breeding program from the use of MateSel. “This should all result in more profitable genetics
becoming available to the Australian beef industry over coming years”.
Mr Scholz said that initially MateSel has been offered to BREEDPLAN members of Australian
Breed Societies that have selection indexes published and operate on ABRI’s ILR2 pedigree and
performance database system. This includes the Angus, Brahman, Brangus, Charolais, Limousin,
Murray Grey, Red Angus, Santa Gertrudis and Wagyu breeds.
As Breed Societies with selection indexes migrate to ILR2 their BREEDPLAN members will be
offered access to MateSel, while a commercialisation strategy for overseas clients of BREEDPLAN
will be developed over the next 6 months.
Mr Scholz added that further development is underway so that members of BREEDPLAN will be
able to access MateSel through a web-interface via a secure login. This will allow breeders to
undertake the MateSel analysis on their own herd, in their own time without the need for a
consultant or operator.
The software engine underpinning MateSel was developed by Professor Brian Kinghorn at the
University of New England in Armidale. MateSel has already been implemented in the American
pig industry to great effect.
Further information regarding MateSel, including a video demonstration, is available from the
“Technical” area of the BREEDPLAN website (http://breedplan.une.edu.au)
Media Contacts
Mr Murray Scholz
Managing Director
Agricultural Business Research Institute
Ph: (02) 6773 3555
Email: murray.scholz@abri.une.edu.au
Mr Christian Duff
Manager Beef Breeding Extension Division
Agricultural Business Research Institute
Ph: (02) 6773 2472
Email: christian@sbts.une.edu.au
Images
Caption – MateSel is a new BREEDPLAN product for optimising mating allocations
Caption – MateSel produces an optimised mating allocations list based on candidate sires and
dams supplied by the breeder.
Caption – Example MateSel Report.
January 17th 2013