Development of breeding objectives for beef cattle breeding: derivation of economic values: review article

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to review the development of breeding objectives in beef cattle breeding and the derivation of economic values. There seems to be general consensus that definition of breeding objectives should be the primary step in the design of structured breeding programs. Development of the breeding objective can be described in terms of the following phases: specification of the breeding, production and marketing system, identification of sources of income and expense in commercial herds, determination of biological traits influencing income and expense, derivation of economic values, choice of selection criteria, and estimation of phenotypic and genetic parameters. The modelling methods to derive economic weights can be divided into simulation, dynamic programming and profit functions.


Keywords: Beef cattle, Breeding objectives, Economic values


South African Journal of Animal Science Vol.33(3) 2003: 142-158