Genus ABS announces the launch of their unique BeefAdvantage trait, which for the first time ever provides dairy farmers with a financial value that each proven beef sire offers.

“Using our proprietary Genus ABS Beef Calving Survey information and current industry economics, we have calculated a financial figure that demonstrates the additional profit that can be achieved from using our best proven beef sires compared to the average beef bull that has been tested within our programme. The BeefAdvantage is the additional profit an individual Genus ABS proven beef sires can deliver for our customers compared to the average bull of that breed when crossed on to dairy cows.” Mark Smith, EMEA Beef Director, comments.

Over the past 40 years Genus ABS have tested more than 500 beef sires to provide dairy farmers with greater confidence on how our sires perform when crossed on dairy cows. With a required 120 calvings across 60 herds for a sire to reach proven status, we have collected over one hundred thousand records on calving ease, gestation length, calf conformation and calf survivability. Taking into account current economic values and calf prices these records provide the foundations for BeefAdvantage.

Farm profitability is crucial. BeefAdvantage has been developed to provide dairy farmers with an additional tool to help make sire selections that drive profitability. Jocelyn Orr, EMEA Beef Brand Manager commented, “Our best sires deliver tremendous value to our customers. Not only through higher calf income but also through saved calving difficulty costs, shorter gestation lengths and greater calf survivability. For example, British Blue sire Newpole Heartthrob boasts a fantastic BeefAdvantage of £72 per calf born. Compare this to British Blue sire Ruaig Ginger who has a BeefAdvantage of -£11.20, and you can see Heartthrob will provide you with an additional £83.20 per calf born compared to using Ruaig Ginger.