Francine Henry, Jason Duggin, Pedro Fontes, Lawton Stewart
Over the years, commercial cattle producers have only had visual appearance and individual measurements known as phenotypes to use for heifer selection criteria. Now producers can evaluate the genetic differences known as Molecular Breeding Values (MBVs) between heifers well before their first potential breeding season. Having genomic test results for economically important traits while selecting
potential replacements allows producers to estimate heifer productivity before going through a breeding season or calving.