Frustrated with breeding decisions? Are you a beef cattle, sheep or goat stud breeder? Are you struggling to decide which females to put with every bull/ram during the breeding season or what bull’sram's semen a female should be inseminated with? Do you need help with the selection of breeding bulls/rams to achieve the breeding objectives for your herd/flock and to accelerate the genetic improvement of your herd/flock? Read further and see how BenguFarm GENETICS can assist you.
What is BenguFarm GENETICS?
BenguFarm GENETICS is a professional software package enabling breeders to manage the breeding of their herds by determining the best matings in order to achieve your breeding objectives. For this purpose, the programme use breeding values supplied by SA Stud Book, the ARC and Breedplan.
The programme was developed specifically to meet the needs of the South African stud breeder, but in such a way that it caters for the needs of all breeders. BenguFarm GENETICS is developed by BenguelaSoft. It is one of five modules of the BenguFarm management software package. All these modules are developed on the same basis, which means that someone who already knows one module will very easily master one of the other modules. Expertise from a range of institutions and individuals in the sheep industry has provided inputs in the development of the program to ensure that it meets the needs of all farmers and institutions.
BenguFarm GENETICS was developed as a separate software package to function as an additional, optional module of the BenguFarm BEEF cattle management and BenguFarm SHEEP & GOATS software.
Why is a Breeding Management module needed?
Breeding consists basically of three steps, namely:
1. Defining breeding objectives for your herd
Most breeders have breeding objectives for their herds, but the objectives are in most cases a bit vague and not easily quantifiable.
BenguFarm GENETICS will assist you in putting together quantifiable breeding objectives for economically important traits, taking into account the genetic variation and average level of your herd and the particular breed.
2. Identifying the “best” animals to achieve your breeding objectives
Performance testing and breeding value estimations enable breeders to identify the “best” animals (animals with the desired traits) in the herd and the breed for the traits included in the herd’s breeding objectives.
BenguFarm GENETICS will assist you in identifying the “best” bulls/rams for your breeding females.
3. Using the “best” animals optimally in a breeding plan
Any breeder that has ever tried to decide which bull/ram should be mated to which females, will know how difficult it is, even if you consider only a few traits.
This is exactly where BenguFarm GENETICS can be of great value to you, as it was developed primarily to do exactly this, namely to determine quickly and accurately which bull/ram should be mated to which females in order to achieve your breeding objectives, taking into account all relevant information, including restrictions on inbreeding and maximum number of females allowed per bull/ram.
How does it work?
For breeders using the BenguFarm BEEF cattle and/or -SHEEP & GOATS management modules, BenguFarm GENETICS is installed as an additional, optional module of BenguFarm. It utilizes the BenguFarm BEEF or SHEEP & GOATS database; including breeding values (EBVs) and relationships (pedigrees) available in the relevant BenguFarm BEEF or SHEEP & GOATS database.
The four basic steps in BenguFarm GENETICS to determine the best matings for the pre-defined breeding objectives for a herd are as follows:
- Synchronize the BenguFarm GENETICS database with the relevant BenguFarm BEEF or SHEEP & GOATS database.
- Compile a breeding objective:
- 1. Select which traits to include in your breeding objectives.
- 2. Set the target (optimal), minimum and maximum values for each trait included in the objectives.
- 3. Set the relative importance (e.g. low or high) for each trait included in the breeding objectives.
Do Mating Runs:
- Select bulls/rams and females to be mated;
o Select the maximum number of females (matings) allowed per bull/ram and whether a bull/ram may be mated with heifers/young ewes and/or cows/mature ewes. - Select which matings may not to be considered, e.g. if the inbreeding percentage of the progeny is too high.
- Calculate the optimal matings;
o View the results – summary, details, graphs, etc. - Repeat the above steps if needed, until satisfactory results are achieved.
- Export the selected matings to the relevant BenguFarm BEEF or SHEEP & GOATS database.
- When specific bulls/rams are considered for purchase, the data of the bulls/rams in question can be downloaded from Logix, imported into BenguFarm (as non-active animals) and synchronized with the GENETICS database. Mating runs can then be done with those bulls/rams to determine which of them will be the best choices based on the breeding objective and possible relationships with the relevant female animals.
Features
- BenguFarm GENETICS is fully integrated with the BenguFarm BEEF and SHEEP & GOATS modules
- MS Windows 7, 8 and 10 compatable
- Afrikaans and English language options
- The only locally available breeding management software which can take into account breeding values as well as the accuracies of these breeding values to determine the best matings
- Easy updating directly from the internet
- Countrywide user support and training via a team of agents
- User friendly – logical menu, complete user manual, easy synchronization of BenguFarm BEEF or - SHEEP & GOATS data and easy exporting of selected matings back to BenguFarm BEEF or - SHEEP & GOATS database
- Reports can be printed or saved in various formats
- Backup and restore functions
- Continuous user-driven development and upgrading
- Future upgrades will make provision for not only using breeding values, but also other types of data, e.g. linear classification (scoring) data, where available, in determining optimal matings.