Developing twinning cattle for commercial production
L. J. Cummins A D , C. A. Morris B and B. W. Kirkpatrick CA ‘Ivanhoe’, Bulart Bridge Road, Cavendish, Vic. 3314, Australia.
B AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton, New Zealand.
C Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
D Corresponding author. Email: leocummins@bordernet.com.au
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48(7) 930-934 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA07402
Submitted: 12 December 2007 Accepted: 30 March 2008 Published: 20 June 2008
Abstract
Long-term selection programs in the United States and New Zealand have developed twinning herds. In Nebraska, the United States Meat Animal Research Centre population had a calving rate of 1.56 per parturition in 2004. They have shown that the location of ovulation has an important effect on the success of pregnancy and that ovulations ≥3 are probably undesirable. These cattle have issues associated with calving difficulty and calf survival, which present challenges for commercial application. Intensive management using existing technology and/or future genetic improvement to address these traits are required to realise the potential benefits to beef production systems.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank Drs S. E. Ecthternkamp, K. E. Gregory and L. V. Cundiff and other staff at MARC for their hospitality and discussions of beef production and twinning over many years. The MRC provided funding to the Department of Agriculture Victoria, New South Wales Agriculture and CSIRO for some of the Australian work.
Allan MF,
Thallman RM,
Cushman RA,
Echternkamp SE,
White SN,
Kuehn LA,
Casas E, Smith TPL
(2007) Association of a single nucleotide polymorphism in SPP1 with growth traits and twinning in a cattle population selected for twinning rate. Journal of Animal Science 85, 341–347.
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