Genetic Selection in Highland Cattle – J.G. Welch, Ph.D.
There are many reasons why Highland breeders keep their cattle. All are participating in the time honored process of converting grass to beef. Some are interested in the historical aspect and appearance. Others are fascinated by the intelligence of the breed. Still more are interested in the economics of food production.
When choosing selection programs, it is necessary to assess where we are now. Highlands are superior in surviving under difficult conditions. They excel in calving ease, calf survival, hardiness, longevity and intelligence. Most Highland bulls are easy to get along with which makes the breed suitable for small part time farms. The meat produced on grass is highly acceptable. They are relatively slow growing and do not put on a lot of fat.
There are three fundamental methods of genetic selection. The most effective is progeny testing. If a bull is a good bull he sires superior progeny. The methods for developing progeny testing programs where bulls are compared across different herds require a lot of production data which we are just starting to accumulate. The second method is production testing which involves comparing the performance of individual animals under uniform environmental conditions. The current bull tests are an example of this. Will Lipsey and Joe Vaillancourt have pioneered this process in the Highland breed in this country. The third genetic evaluation method is assessing individuality. This is simply looking at an animal and the available records and drawing conclusions from these sources. This is a very poor third in ranking the methods. It is however the most common because it is the easiest.
The next question is what would we like to change in the Highland breed. I think the first answer is not what do we want to change but what do we want to keep. Longevity, calving ease and early calf vigor are very valuable. The breed could profit from a higher growth rate if this can be achieved without altering the calving ease characteristic. I think there is a real opportunity in penetrating the commercial cattle business with crossbreeding Highland bulls on composit first calf heifers. The calving ease of these calves is a real plus. There is a high heterosis (hybrid vigor) effect from Highland crosses. The general prosperity of the breed would be greatly enhanced if we had significant numbers of bull sales to the commercial cattle industry
Efforts to identify and evaluate unique meat characteristics of the Highland breed would be valuable. The practical side of this is meat quality information is expensive and difficult to get and integrating such information into breeding programs is even more difficult.
I am concerned with the position of show winnings currently used in the evaluation of Highland cattle. Cattle showing is a good game and promotes the breed to the general public. Judges can evaluate somewhat effectively feet and legs and muscling. Fat animals fitted for show can be permanently damaged from too much grain feeding. Particularly damaging is the inclusion of superfluous criteria such as ear shape, forelock development, horn shape and aesthetic appearance which have no effect on the value of the breed other than for calendar photographs.
The basis of any valuable genetic improvement system is records. Genetic decisions within a herd should be made by examination of unbiased information. Our Performance Program provides the system to help make this happen.
