New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), the University of New England (UNE) and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) have joined forces to create a resource population for multi-breed genomic evaluation in beef cattle, also known as the southern multi-breed project. This project aims to record thousands of beef cattle, from 6 different breeds, recording early growth and development traits as well as traits related to cow reproduction on 6 NSW DPI research farms. Steers from the project are finished at UNE’s Tullimba feedlot, where valuable feed efficiency data is collected before animals are recorded for meat quality traits. This population of 6 breeds forms a key reference for multi-breed genomic and genetic evaluation, with all animals genotyped and some sires sequenced. This provides a magnificent resource for exploration and learning. Numerous PhD scholarships are now available for students to work as part of this project.
